It was an All-Star-shortened week, but let’s have a look and see who was hot over the past seven days.

The Hot

Leo Nunez, Florida
Nunez continues to have a very solid season. He’s coming off of a week in which he saved two games in as many tries. He gave up one hit and did not allow a walk while recording two Ks. For the season, his xFIP sits at 2.99 and his strikeout rate is a career-high 9.08 K/9. His xFIP in July is 1.37 so it’s nice to see him staying strong.

Honorable Mentions: Both Huston Street and Billy Wagner were featured in last week’s post and both closers continue to roll along by recording two saves each without allowing an earned run. Hopefully you were able to grab Street off the waiver wire or from an unsuspecting fellow fantasy manager.

The Not

John Axford, Milwaukee:
In terms of fantasy value, Axford actually had a good week by recording a save and two wins in three appearances. However, he gave up four hits and two runs during that stetch. He was touched up by Pittsburgh on back-to-back nights. Overall, his numbers remain strong with a 2.76 xFIP and a strikeout rate of 11.08.

Heath Bell, San Diego:
Bell appeared in just one game this past week and was dinged for a run against Colorado. It took him 29 pitches – the most he’s thrown in any one game this season – to get through 1.2 innings of work. The outing broke a strong of six scoreless appearances, so there is really no reason to be concerned. He’s also struck out at least one batter per appearance in his last 10 games.

Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh
Mr. Inconsistency posted a 20.25 ERA in two games while blowing two saves and taking a loss in the one game. He gave up four runs on three hits over 1.1 innings of work. Dotel now has five blown saves on the year. He’s struggling against left-handed hitters who have a .309 batting average and 9.24 BB/9 rate against him. Right-handers, meanwhile, have a .192 average and 1.61 BB/9 rate.

Keep An Eye On…

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia
The ERA of 4.60 is ugly, but his xFIP sits at 3.43 and he has a solid strikeout rate at 12.06 K/9. Lidge’s BABIP rate is high-ish at .341 and his overall numbers are skewed by the three-spot he allowed against Cincinnati on June 29. He’s a potentially solid buy-low closer.

In lieu of a Waiver Wire piece today, we’ll take a look at the worst bullpen in the major leagues. Because saves are saves, that’s why. And no fantasy owner is looking for All-Stars on the waiver wire (or no sane fantasy owner).

In the second-to-last game before the break, interim manager Kirk Gibson, who has not yet named a closer, was finally faced with a save situation. Who would he pick? Let’s run down the list of his available ‘talent:’

Aaron Heilman
With a strikeout-to-walk ratio that’s been under two for three years in a row, and an FIP that’s been closer to five than four over that same stretch, Heilman has shown us who he is, and it’s not good. It’s hard not to go over the top here, but this is the bare truth: under no circumstances should a decent team consider Heilman as their closer. Of course, this is not a decent team. But even a rebuilding team shouldn’t really consider for their closer position a pitcher with a 4.94 xFIP and 31 years in his rear view mirror. So let’s hope that Gibson had sense enough to move on… which he did, sort of.

Esmerling Vazquez
Vazquez is striking people out (9.79 K/9), and has a decent-enough xFIP (4.11), and is also young (27). But Vazquez also walks too many (4.75 BB/9), has a poor groundball percentage (34.2% this year, 40% career), and isn’t being used in high-leverage situations (0.94 gmLI). Of course, maybe this team isn’t creating enough high-leverage situations, so Vazquez actually looks like a decent option given the putridity of this bullpen. But no, in this game, on July 10th, Vazquez actually recorded his first hold since May 22nd by pitching his seventh-straight scoreless and fifth-straight walk-less appearance in the eighth inning. Vazquez is moving up the depth chart, but he’s not there yet. He’s worth watching, though.

Chad Qualls
The veteran had been pitching better since losing the closer title earlier in the month. That is to say, he had put together a string of four scoreless appearances from June 29th to July 5th. He had only walked two batters since June 9th. He had given up one home run since May. Of course, Qualls also had given up 13 earned runs since the beginning of June, so the record was spotty. Then there’s also the fact that he’s in the last year of his contract on a team going nowhere. There’s no real reason to play him for the future, especially when the luck is really not going his way (.468 BABIP! 50.5% LOB%!). Qualls is still a good pitcher, but does Arizona care?

Sam Demel
Demel is the dark horse. He came over in the Conor Jackson trade, and has been dealing ever since, on a level that seems commensurate with his minor league performances. He was the Triple-A closer in the A’s organization, and had been sporting an 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in Sacramento. Well, now in Arizona, he’s got a 8.25 K/9 and 1.50 BB/9 (and therefore a nice 3.03 xFIP). If he can continue exhibiting that control, he could be a great closer, but that’s no given, as you can see from his 4.5 BB/9 in the minors. On the other hand, he’s the only reliever in Arizona with a good groundball rate (52.9%). The problem is, he’s being rewarded with mop-up time in bad games (0.69 gmLI, and his past six appearances have come in games decided by an average of 6.33 runs). This meat is grabbing pine. Maybe Gibson will notice him eventually, but he didn’t on July 10th.

Juan Gutierrez
Not to ruin the ‘surprise,’ but Gutierrez was the winner, after Heilman came on in the top of the ninth and got two outs but left two on for Qualls, who came in and gave up two runs without recording an out. So Gibson actually reached for two guys before he got to Gutierrez, and not without reason. Gutierrez is not striking out a ton of batters this year (7.52 K/9) or career (7.87 K/9), walks a bit too much (3.62 BB/9), and has a major Achilles’ heal when it comes to groundballs (29% this year, 36% career). If the team goes young, Vazquez and Demel are better options. If the team goes with ‘experience,’ Qualls is a better option (if they can see past the bloated ERA).

In the end, the problem is that Gibson has no real solid options to go to. That makes it hard to predict what will happen. If a dynasty-leaguer is looking at the situation, it has to be Demel as the pickup, and he does look like the best pitcher in the pen right now. If a redraft manager thinks that Gibson will be forward-looking and can see past a bad ERA, it’s Qualls. If they want to go by Gibson’s first attempt, it’s Heilman. IF it’s who succeeded last, it’s Gutierrez. Good luck hunting!

The Hot
Joakim Soria, Kansas City
Mr. Soria had a fine week by recording four saves in as many tries. He was touched up for a run and walked two batters but he struck out six. His numbers have been very consistent over the past two years so we pretty know what to expect for Soria; he’s a top-tier closer when KC gets him enough save opportunities. This season, he’s entering the break with 25 saves.

Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay
Like Soria, Soriano recorded four saves over the past seven days. He also gave up four hits and two walks with three Ks. It’s early July and the veteran has almost surpassed his career high in saves (27), which was set last year. Interestingly, his strikeout rate is down significantly over last season (12.13 to 7.99 K/9) but his walk rate is much improved (3.21 to 1.93 BB/9). With that said, he’s also benefited from some luck as his 1.65 ERA is much shinier than his xFIP (4.01).

The Not
Neftali Feliz, Texas
Feliz, like Francisco Cordero in the NL, is one of the hardest worked relievers in the Majors and both started to slip this past week. Feliz posted a 15.42 ERA in three games, although he was 2-for-2 in saves. He gave up three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings of work. Feliz has ridden his fastball for much of the season, as both his curveball and changeup have pretty much been neutral pitches for him in terms of value.

Alfredo Simon, Baltimore
Simon gave up just one hit in 4.0 innings this past week but he walked three and gave up two runs, including a homer. He went 2-for-3 in save opportunities. Simon is an OK second closer and a pretty good third option but you don’t want to rely on him too heavily because he is inconsistent.

Keep an Eye On…
Joaquin Benoit, Tampa Bay
Rafael Soriano hasn’t shown many cracks in his armor this season, but the veteran also has a history of injury problems. With that in mind, Benoit is a great pitcher to keep an eye on in mixed leagues and he might even be worth picking up now in deep AL-only leagues. The former Ranger had a great week by striking out six batters in 3.0 innings; he also did not give up a walk or a hit. On the year, he has an xFIP of 1.85 and a strikeout rate of 13.32 K/9.

The Hot
Billy Wagner, Atlanta
It was a great week for Wagner, who saved four games in as many tries and gave up just one hit in 4.0 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and he struck out five batters. The greats truly do get better with age. Wagner has a strikeout rate of 13.62 K/9 and hitters are batting just .163 against him.

Huston Street, Colorado
It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to discuss Street. He’s finally healthy and hasn’t missed a beat. The veteran closer saved two games last week and also picked up a win. He allowed one run on three hits over 5.0 innings of work and struck out four batters. Keep an eye on his slider (out-pitch), though. It hasn’t been as sharp.

The Not
Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati
Cordero has been near the top of the saves leader board all season but he’s rarely dominated. He went 2-for-3 in saves this past week and got beat up a bit. The former Ranger gave up two runs in 2.2 innings of work, thanks to two hits and four walks. Cordero has walked batters in four straight games and we’re seeing significantly-increased fly-ball rates, which suggests he’s tired and elevating his pitches.

Francisco Rodriguez, New York
It was a bad week to be named “Francisco.” Rodriguez battled his control this past week and walked four batters in 2.1 innings. He also allowed four hits and gave up three runs – although almost all the damage was done in one game against Washington. The veteran closer went 1-for-2 in save opportunities and has given up eight hits over his last 4.0 innings (five appearances). Overall, though, he’s still showing much better control this season with a rate of 3.56 (5.03 in ’09).

Keep an Eye On…
Chris Ray, San Francisco
It’s really been an ugly year for Ray, who is trying to recover after some pretty serious injuries. The good news is that his fastball has good velocity and his slider is showing some of its past potential. The downside is that his strikeout rate is just 4.86 K/9 and he has an xFIP of 5.41. The move to the NL could really help and he’s had success early on. This past week he allowed just one hit (and no walks) in 4.2 innings of work. Ray also recorded four Ks. If he keeps this up, he could be in line for some saves when Brian Wilson needs a rest – or he could end up being flipped to a team in need of a cheap closer.

It’s a holiday weekend, and in the honor of National Lampoon and holiday/family misadventures everywhere, let’s lead this off with a song and a couple of players that might help fantasy owners on the run:

I found out long ago
It’s a long way down the holiday road
Holiday road
Holiday road
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Take a ride on the West Coast kick
Holiday road
Holiday road

Trevor Hoffman, Milwaukee Brewers (37% owned)
Trolling for saves is no exact science. We’ve tried using strikeout rates, walk rates, leverage index, ‘thinking stupid,’ and even fingers in the wind to predict closers in the past. Put this post in the latter category. John Axford has done nothing wrong – well, not quite nothing, he does own a 4.50 walk rate that might make sustaining his current performance level difficult, especially if it starts to approach his higher walk rates of the past – but sometimes doing nothing wrong is not good enough. Even though he hasn’t blown a save yet, and is probably the future at the position for Milwaukee, there’s the little matter of the former closer behind him. Not only has Hoffman turned in eight straight innings with only one run surrendered, but he’s also only four saves short of 600. Milwaukee might turn to the Hoff to boost late-season attendance in his run at glory. Stranger things have happened, and Axford owners at the very least should pick up the legendary change-piecer.

Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies (5% owned)
Sometimes you just have to keep plucking that chicken. About a month ago, we recommended Fowler in this space, and he promptly sucked for a while and was sent down. Well, at least he raked… in AAA. In 124 plate appearances, he put up a .340/.435/.566 that showed his team that he had little to figure out in the minor leagues. He’s still a member of one of the more crowded houses in the league, as Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs, Carlos Gonzalez and Brad Hawpe are all are above-average hitters. Fowler is strong against lefties, though, and in a worst-case scenario, he’ll be a caddy for Smith against lefties. However, Todd Helton has lost all his power (.066 ISO) and is a terrible offensive first baseman right now. The team might best be served (even defensively) by putting Hawpe at first many days, which would open up more at-bats for Fowler. In any case, Fowler has been up and has been playing. He’s played in every game since he’s come back up, and was six for his last eight. Guess finally trying out AAA for the first time did him some good. With his five-tool upside, he’s worth a flier in deeper leagues for sure.

The Hot

Kerry Wood, Cleveland
Well, well, look who’s hot. Just when we were about to write him off, Wood is back from the dead. The former Cub went 3-for-3 in saves this past week and he struck out six batters with just one walk and one hit allowed. If Wood can continue to show improved fastball command, then he could be worth a flyer.

Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles
With Fernando Rodney around, Fuentes can never get too comfortable. However, he earned some breathing room after a stellar week in which he appeared in four games without allowing a hit or a run and he saved three games. Fuentes posted a 4.66 ERA in June but he suffered from a .344 BABIP. Rodney, meanwhile, has allowed nine hits – with just one strikeout – in his last six innings pitched.

Alfredo Simon, Baltimore
Simon is one of those first-year closers that you just don’t want to put too much faith in. He’s a solid second or third option on your roster, though, and he’s coming off of a great week in which he saved three games in as many tries. Simon also recorded a win. He struck out four batters in 4.0 innings and gave up two hits and a walk.

Mariano Rivera, New York
Yawn. Next…

The Not

Jon Rauch, Minnesota
Rauch definitely did not have a terrible month, but he failed to record a save and actually blew a save on July 1 against Tampa Bay by allowing one earned run. Since June 19, Rauch has appeared in four games and has blown two saves without recording a successful conversion. His troubles, though, have not been related to the base on ball… Rauch has walked just one batter in the past 21 games.

Keep An Eye On…

Chris Perez, Cleveland
If Wood can continue to pitch well over the first three weeks of July, he could end up being a pretty inexpensive addition to the bullpen of a playoff-bound team. The beneficiary of such a deal would be Perez, who has been throwing well. The third-year pitcher struck out seven batters in 4.0 innings this past week. His ERA has also dipped each of the past three months from 4.05 in April to 3.09 to 2.13 in June.

The Hot

Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh
It’s been a very frustrating season for Dotel owners. His performance has been up and down all year. Despite that fact, he remains a great reliever to have on your roster if he’s your second or third closer and you can afford to bench him during his cold spells. Dotel is currently on a hot streak right now and he saved three games this past week. He struck out five batters in 4.0 innings and did not allow an earned run.

John Axford, Milwaukee
It’s always hard to trust a rookie closer, but Axford – like Dotel – is a perfect second or third closer. The hard-throwing Canadian was a perfect 3-for-3 in saves this past week, although he gave up one earned run, three hits and two walks. He struck out six batters and now has a strikeout rate of 11.45 K/9 on the year (22.0 innings).

Billy Wagner, Atlanta
Wagner appeared in just two games this past week but he recorded a pair of saves and gave up just one hit and no walks. The veteran closer struck out six of the seven batters that he faced. Now that is dominating. Wagner did not give up a run in the month of June (11.1 innings) and he struck out 17.

The Not

Carlos Marmol, Chicago
Marmol had a rough week despite going 1-for-1 in saves and striking out seven batters in 3.2 innings. The big right-hander walked four batters and gave up five hits, which led to three runs. The walk rate of 6.38 BB/9 is definitely worrisome but the overall ERA, save total and strikeout rate are all sound. His ERA has risen each month, though, so the high pitch totals (as a result of the strikeout and walk totals) could be catching up to him.

Brian Wilson, San Francisco
Wilson had a respectable week but he had to pitch out of trouble. The right-handed closer allowed five hits and three walks in 2.1 innings this past week. He posted a 1.98 ERA in June but his xFIP was 3.88 and he gave up a lot of hits (15 in 13.2 innings).

Keep An Eye On…

Aaron Heilman, Arizona
With the firings of Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Josh Byrnes, there is a lot of change going on in Arizona. Heilman should continue to get some saves, but don’t invest too heavily in him with all the uncertainty. With that said, he did have a respectable week. He saved two games but also blew a save and took the loss despite not allowing an earned run. Heilman, 31, could potentially rack up some saves in Arizona but he’s not going to pile up strikeouts and his ERA will likely be average. Still, it’s hard to find new sources of saves this time of year.

We’re trying a new closers format this week; we’re touching on fewer pitchers, but going into more detail on the ones that we discuss. We looked at some National League stoppers yesterday, and the AL closers are up now.

Consider This…

Neftali Feliz, Texas
Feliz has the AL lead in saves and is tied with San Francisco’s Brian Wilson for second in the Majors with 20 saves. This is all well and good – and darn impressive considering that Feliz is a 22-year-old rookie – but I have my concerns with his workload. The right-hander has appeared in more games and thrown more innings than any other closer in the American League. Only veterans Francisco Cordero (Good ol’ Dusty) and Francisco Rodriguez have been abused more amongst Major League stoppers. In one nine-game stretch in mid-May, Feliz was used six times. This workload has yet to catch up to the young star – and maybe he’ll be OK the entire 2010 season – but it definitely makes me worried for his future.

Key Targets

Bobby Jenks, Chicago
I’ve been talking Jenks up for a few weeks now, and he continues to make me look smart, but there are still a lot of owners out there that will be turned off by his 4.03 ERA and the hit rate of 9.62 H/9. However, Jenks’ strikeout rate (10.86 K/9) is sitting close to his career high set during his rookie season in 2005. His xFIP is also sitting at 2.68 and he’s allowed just one earned run in his last 13 appearances. It’s possible that other fantasy manages have already caught on to the reversal of fortunes but, if not, pounce on Jenks.

Dump ‘Em Now

Kevin Gregg, Toronto
One of the best things since sliced bread during about the first six weeks of the season, Gregg has come crashing back down to earth (which has all Cubs fans saying “We warned you”). Like Matt Capps in Washington, Gregg could end up being a trade chip during the July trade deadline, but he’s unlikely to end up in a closer’s situation if he does get moved. It’s also possible that Toronto will hold on to him, as his trade value has diminished with his recent struggles, and the organization also has an option on his contract for 2011. Gregg has pitched a little bit better in the last week or so and has gone 4-for-4 in saves since his last blown save, so you might be able to find a taker on the trade market.

Jonathan Papelbon, Boston
Papelbon is owned in just as many Yahoo leagues as Mariano Rivera (98%), but the Yankees closer has been twice as value in traditional 5X5 leagues. He has been one of the best closers in baseball over the previous four seasons, but the 29-year-old closer has just not been himself this season. Papelbon has seen his strikeout rate drop from 10.06 in ’09 to 7.67 K/9 in ’10. His xFIP is almost a full run higher and he’s really been beaten by the long ball (1.71 HR/9). After seeing his WAR value hit 3.0 in ’08, it’s dropped to 1.9 in ’09 and -0.2 so far in ’10. He was touched up for five runs and two blown saves in the recent series with Colorado so you might want to wait a week or two before trying to get something for him in a trade. Papelbon will have value based on his reputation.

Daniel Bard is setting himself up quite nicely to be ready to assume the closer’s role in 2011. The 25-year-old sophomore pitcher has a strikeout rate of 9.39 K/9 and he’s shown significantly-improved control this season. He’s also shown two plus pitches: a 98-mph fastball and a wipe-out slider. Bard has gone 3-for-4 in save opportunities.

We’re trying a new closers format this week; we’re touching on fewer pitchers, but going into more detail on the ones that we discuss. First up are the National League closers.

Consider This…

Billy Wagner, Atlanta
Next to Jonathan Broxton in Los Angeles, Wagner has arguably been the second-best fantasy closer in the NL, despite beginning the year with just two saves prior to May 5. Wagner is a perfect 7-for-7 in saves in the month of June and has 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Oh, and he hasn’t allowed an earned run. That is all very exciting stuff and has increased Wagner’s value significantly, which is why this might be a great time to trade him. The soon-to-be-39-year-old pitcher threw just 15.2 innings in ’09 so there are some questions as to his stamina. A lot of his closer value is also tied up in the 5-0 record that he has, which has basically been a matter of luck and is really not sustainable.

Key Targets

John Axford, Milwaukee
It’s probably a little too late to think about obtaining Axford in a lot of leagues, but he’s still available in more than half of Yahoo leagues; maybe you’ll get lucky and find him sitting on the free agent list. The right-hander has gone 6-for-6 in saves and has struck out 22 batters in 19.0 innings. The club has also been playing well lately (four game winning streak) and faces some easier opponents over the next week in Seattle and Houston.

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia
I know, I know… you’ve probably been burned by Lidge in the past. But look at his 2010 numbers. Now healthy, the veteran pitcher has a strikeout rate of 13.09 K/9 and a walk rate of just 2.45 BB/9 (down from a career mark of 4.03 BB/9). His strikeout pitch, the slider, is still not up to its usual plus level, but it’s been OK and he’s showing improved fastball command. Lidge is not the safest bet, but you have to take some risks to win it all… and Philly should get him a good number of leads to protect over the second half of the season.

Dump ‘Em Now

Matt Capps, Washington
It was nice while it lasted but Washington is slowly falling out of the race in the NL East. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a closer (a bad team can end up in a lot of close ball games heading into the ninth), but Capps could be headed out of town at the trade deadline (Drew Storen is the closer of the near future). He’s not a bad closer by any means (3.57 FIP, MLB-leading save total) but the former Pirate could end up as a set-up man if he does change uniforms. Capps definitely has real-life trade value thanks to his solid numbers, modest salary and 1+ years remaining before free agency. Don’t just jettison him on waivers; look to deal him for something of value to fill a hole on your roster.

Strong Performers

Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees
The Comments: An 0.63 WHIP and 15 saves is pretty impressive for the veteran closer. He’s given up just nine hits in 22.1 innings of work. He’s walked just one batter in the last eight games. Rivera is a great second-half target, as manager Joe Girardi has not over-used him (24 appearances).

Joakim Soria | Kansas City Royals
The Comments: Soria is one of the hottest closers in baseball right now. In his last 13 appearances, he’s been touched up for runs just once (two against Minnesota on June 10). He went 1-for-1 in save opportunities this past week.

Rafael Soriano | Tampa Bay Rays
The Comments: Soriano had a bit of a rest this past week and he appeared in just one game and recorded the save against Florida. He threw just nine pitches and six went for strikes.

Jose Valverde | Detroit Tigers
The Comments: One of the hardest-worked closers in baseball, Valverde continues to benefit from an incredibly-low BABIP at .137. As a result, he’s given up just 10 hits in 29.1 innings of work. He appeared in four games this past week and went 3-for-3 in save opportunities.

Neftali Feliz | Texas Rangers
The Comments: The youngest closer in the league continues to lead in saves. Feliz has successfully clamped down on 18 leads. He saved three more games this past week – all against Florida and the Marlins club did not get a walk or a hit against him.

Steady Performers

Jonathan Papelbon | Boston Red Sox
The Comments: Papelbon got into four games this past week, with three coming against Arizona. The veteran right-hander was solid in his first two appearances against the D-Backs, but the club then touched him up for two hits and a run in his third appearance. He went 2-for-2 in save opportunities this past week.

Andrew Bailey | Oakland Athletics
The Comments: Bailey’s save opportunities have dried up again. He hasn’t successfully converted a save since June 3. In fact, he’s only had one opportunity since that time and he blew the save against the Cubs on June 17 – although it was an inherited run that scored.

Bobby Jenks | Chicago White Sox
The Comments: As expected, Jenks’ luck has started to improve and so to have his numbers. His ERA is down to 4.39 (xFIP 2.70), although his BABIP is still high at .405. He was the hottest reliever this past week and went 4-for-4 in save opportunities with six Ks, one walk and one run allowed.

David Aardsma | Seattle Mariners
The Comments: According to WAR, Aardsma has been a neutral pitcher this season, coming in at exactly 0.0 WAR. That’s not what his owners want to hear. In positive news, he was 2-for-2 in save opportunities this past week, so perhaps his luck is changing.

Brian Fuentes | Los Angeles Angels
The Comments: Fuentes has an excellent strikeout rate at 11.34 K/9, which is good because he wants to avoid putting the ball in play as long as he has a ground-ball rate of just 19.5%. He saved two games this past week.

Kevin Gregg | Toronto Blue Jays
The Comments: Despite his warts – which includes a 5.79 BB/9 rate – Gregg is tied with Jon Rauch for second place in saves (17). He saved two games this past week and gave up just one walk and no hits.

Jon Rauch | Minnesota Twins
The Comments: Rauch continues to be one of the most pleasant surprises on the season, as he’s tied for second in saves with 17. He appeared in just one game out of the past seven but recorded a save.

Fallen on Hard Times

Kerry Wood | Cleveland Indians
The Comments: Wood seems to be doing a little bit better. The veteran pitcher hasn’t allowed a run in three games or a walk in five. He also got a save on June 18… against the Pirates. Wood is showing good velocity but he’s still struggling with his fastball command.

New to the Job

David Hernandez | Baltimore Orioles
The Comments: Since taking over the closer’s role, Hernandez has gone 2-for-3 in saves. He appeared in three games this past week and was 1-for-2 with a meltdown against San Diego in which he allowed two runs.