Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - AL

August 19, 2010 @ 12:45:00

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

In fantasy baseball, the closer position remains volatile. Rarely does every closer hang on to the job for an entire season - injuries, poor performance and managerial decisions can cloud a team's bullpen picture.

Should you be concerned about a struggling stopper? Which relievers are climbing the depth chart? Are any injuries popping up? KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat keeps you informed when you're looking for saves.

Mound meetings

• Soon, friends, soon: Bailey

  Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey (ribcage) will make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento Friday. If it's successful, he could return Saturday. The A's are probably yearning for his presence.
  Though Wednesday's blown save was charged to Jerry Blevins, Michael Wuertz, who had tossed five scoreless appearances heading into last night, in essence coughed it up; he yielded three earned runs on two hits and two walks. It was Wuertz's third appearance in four days, and he struggled with his command.
• Chicago White Sox pariah Bobby Jenks (back) was available for Wednesday's game. Manager Ozzie Guillen hopes to use Jenks today to see where the righty stands after missing nine of the last 11 games.
  The ChiSox relief corps, which holds a 6.94 ERA in its last eight contests, needs reinforcements. Pitching coach Don Cooper would like to return the 'pen to its alignment of Sergio Santos in the sixth, Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz in the seventh and eighth (depending on matchup) and Jenks in the ninth.
• David Aardsma returned to the mound after a Tuesday off-day, working around a hit for a 13-pitch scoreless save Wednesday for the Seattle Mariners. He sacrificed his body to stop a comebacker and record the final out at first. Despite his recent blowup, Aardsma boasts a 2.25 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP with six saves and seven K's in eight August innings.
• Alfredo Simon didn't allow a hit, walk or run Wednesday in a non-save frame for the Baltimore Orioles. He hadn't produced a clean sheet in those categories during an appearance in his previous six games. Since June, he has a 6.10 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 20 2/3 innings. Don't lose track of Mike Gonzalez in your league.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

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Tim Heaney

Since the Boston University alum joined KFFL in 2006, his work has been featured by USA Today/Sports Weekly and Yahoo! Sports, among numerous publications.

Tim competes in Tout Wars and LABR and appears every Wednesday on 1570 AM WNST in Baltimore, as well as frequently on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio.

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