PLAYING TIME: Yet more closer news: Balfour, Francisco
May 13 2012
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Fuentes replaces Balfour as OAK closer
After Brian Fuentes (LHP, OAK) notched his second save of the season May 12, manager Bob Melvin confirmed that Fuentes had bypassed Grant Balfour (RHP, OAK) as the team's primary ninth-inning option. While Balfour had blown only two saves on the season, he had also been scored on in three of his last five outings and four of his last seven. Perhaps the largest contributor to that lack of success has been Balfour's Dom, which, after slowly declining the last few seasons has taken a more dramatic dip so far this season down to 6.1, which is less than ideal for a stopper. Balfour had been yielding fewer fly balls, but just as many were ending up as line drives than as grounders,...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From PT Today
New York loses Aaron Judge for an extended period; Boston sends Brayan Bello to Triple-A; Arizona does the same with Brandon Pfaadt; Jays acquire Simeon Woods Richardson; and more...
Jun 5 2026 8:01am
Jun 5 2026 8:01am
Robert Gasser could get a few more outings for Milwaukee, Burnes with a significant setback in his rehab, the Padres cut ties with Castellanos and more.
Jun 4 2026 7:56am
Jun 4 2026 7:56am
A couple notable names return from the injured list (Gleyber Torres, Josh Hader) while a few start their stint (Elly De La Cruz, Ramón Laureano). Find out all of the playing time implications on these moves and more.
Jun 3 2026 8:58am
Jun 3 2026 8:58am
Detroit welcomes Kerry Carpenter back to the lineup, San Francisco continues to churn the catcher position, Carmen Mlodzinski's trip to the restricted list ends; and more...
Jun 2 2026 7:19am
Jun 2 2026 7:19am
Ryan O'Hearn moves back into the Pittsburgh lineup as Konnor Griffin is shelved with an elbow issue. Plus Ober, Junk head to the IL, and could Strahm be a late-inning option in KC?
Jun 1 2026 8:27am
Jun 1 2026 8:27am
