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    Jeff Hoffman takes loss after error on pickoff

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    TOR Relief Pitcher #23
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    Jeff Hoffman took a loss after allowing an unearned run on his own error Wednesday against the Astros.

    If was Hoffman’s error, but it might have been Kazuma Okamoto’s mistake. After Joey Loperfido tripled in the eighth, Hoffman tried a pickoff play, but Okamoto wasn’t aware of it and the throw sailed past him into right field. If it was something Hoffman did on his own, it’s his fault. But it might have been called from the dugout. Hoffman went on to strike out Yainer Diaz and retire Cam Smith on a flyout, so if not for the miscue, he might have escaped the jam. As it, is turned into his fifth loss of the year.
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  • MIN Relief Pitcher #23
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    Aaron Gleeman reports that the Jays are covering $3.77 million of the approximately $14.2 million that Hoffman is owed through the end of next year. The 33-year-old Hoffman figures to go back to closing in Minnesota after losing his job in Toronto to ex-Twin Louis Varland. He has a 3.94 ERA this season, but that comes with a 75/18 K/BB and only four homers allowed in 48 innings. He’s allowed three earned runs in 22 1/3 innings since the beginning of June. The acquisition of Hoffman probably makes Yoendrys Gómez droppable in mixed leagues.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    Hoffman was instrumental in Toronto’s playoff success last year, but found himself out of the closer role with the emergence of Louis Varland, who ironically came over from the Twins at last year’s deadline. The 33-year-old should bolster Minnesota’s relief corps as they attempt to make a playoff push in the final two months.
  • TOR Starting Pitcher #34
    This makes plenty of sense. The Phillies need another starter for the rotation and potentially another outfield bat as well. The Blue Jays could send any combination of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, George Springer, and Daulton Varsho. The Phillies may also be interested in Jeff Hoffman for the bullpen. Would the Blue Jays want to take a chance that they can “fix” Andrew Painter? There is still time to go here and nothing imminent, but it seems like a pairing that makes sense.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    The rally started with a soft liner that Ernie Clement could do nothing with and included a couple of more singles, a couple of steals and a long go-ahead sac fly that would have been a homer in 15 ballparks. The earned runs were the first allowed by Hoffman since June 6. He had since allowed one unearned run in 13 innings. He’s still throwing well enough to resume closing, but it seems highly unlikely that the Jays will give him that chance as long as Louis Varland remains healthy.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #77
    The Phillies took a 2-1 lead against Varland in the top of the ninth, but the Jays came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game and make Varland 3-1 on the season. Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless seventh in a tie game tonight, but it probably won’t matter much what Hoffman does unless Varland blows a lead in the near future.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    Hoffman came into a 6-1 game with one on and immediately gave up the homer to Alonso, adding one run to both his and Spencer Miles’ ledger. He then struck out Coby Mayo and induced a soft groundout from Leody Taveras. The home run ball, a far bigger issue last season, was the fourth allowed by Hoffman in 27 1/3 innings this year. It’s the absurd .492 BABIP that has caused most of Hoffman’s problems this season. He probably won’t be receiving any save chances in the short term after giving up five runs in the ninth the Orioles last Saturday.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    Louis Varland had shut down the heart of the Orioles lineup in the eighth inning before Hoffman took the mound with a four-run lead in the ninth. It didn’t go well. Hoffman struck out the first batter, then allowed the next six batters to reach, bringing three runs in and loading the bases. Connor Seabold took over and walked in a run before Pete Alonso walked it off with a base hit. Hoffman had been pitching better of late, making six straight scoreless appearances. Though Saturday’s implosion certainly won’t help his cause in retaking the closer role. Varland remains the reliever to roster in Toronto.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    Hoffman had a three-run cushion, but he didn’t need it in setting down Brandon Lowe, Oneil Cruz and Endy Rodríguez. Hoffman was the easy choice to close today after Louis Varland had a two-inning save Friday. Varland should be back on the role on Sunday if the Jays have a chance to extend their streak to five straight days with a save.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #23
    With Louis Varland unavailable after pitching in the previous two games, Hoffman slid back into the ninth inning role and performed flawlessly. He got Cody Bellinger on a line drive to first base and then punched out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt in succession to end it. It’s going to take an injury or a series of implosions from Varland for Hoffman to reclaim his closer’s gig, but it was nice to see him have success in the role once again on Thursday.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #77
    While it wasn’t a save opportunity – the Blue Jays were up by four runs – we got another data point proving that Varland is the closer in Toronto. Former closer Jeff Hoffman came into this game in the seventh innings and allowed a run while Varland trotted out for the ninth and pitched another scoreless frame. He is undoubtedly the best option for saves in this bullpen.

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    Kevin McGonigle singled with the bases loaded in the ninth to give the Tigers a 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Saturday.

    McGonigle’s 371-foot fly off Jack Dreyer would have been an out under normal circumstances, but the Dodgers’ outfield was playing in with the winning run on third. McGonigle deserved that after his bid for a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning Friday was denied by Comerica; that flyout, hit 403 feet off Alex Vesia, would have been a homer in 20 ballparks, according to Statcast. McGonigle also walked twice today, but the hit to end the contest was his first in four games.
  • DET Starting Pitcher #54
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    Keider Montero pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball Saturday against the Dodgers.

    Montero allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings before giving up a double and a pair of singles to the four batters he faced in the sixth. That tied the game up, but at least Tyler Holton was able to strand both inherited runners after taking over with one out. Montero was pitching on 10 days’ rest after his arm didn’t bounce back per usual following his last start. He was obviously just fine today; his velocity was even up a tad, and he got 16 outs on just 73 pitches. Assuming that all is well after this one, he’ll likely make his next start in a doubleheader versus the Guardians on Friday.
  • DET Starting Pitcher
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    In his second big-league appearance, Andrew Sears pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the pen Saturday against the Tigers.

    Sears took over in a tie game in the seventh and helped keep it 1-1 into the ninth. The left-hander was making his second big-league appearance after being called up and pitching in a bulk role last Sunday. He’s still stretched out to start, but with Keider Montero back and no extra starter needed, he might be exchanged for a fresh arm after this.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #7
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    Blake Snell fanned 10 while allowing one run in five innings Saturday against the Tigers.

    It’s Snell’s 40th career 10-strikeout game. He’s the 39th pitcher to record that many and joins Max Scherzer (114), Chris Sale (95), Justin Verlander (73), Gerrit Cole (64), Jacob deGrom (64), Yu Darvish (50) and Robbie Ray (40) among active pitchers with 40. Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader at 215, followed by Randy Johnson at 212. Despite being about 100 back, Scherzer is actually third behind those two. Snell, who has allowed a total of three runs in four starts since coming off the IL, will likely face the Nationals on Friday.
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    Teoscar Hernández finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Saturday in a loss to the Tigers.

    He did hit a fly 396 feet to left-center in the ninth, but that wasn’t enough to get out of Comerica. It’s a long shot that they’ll make the move, but the Dodgers have to be at least a little tempted to see if Josue DePaula might be an upgrade in left. Hernández is hitting just .245/.307/.385, and while that’s not a disaster, it makes him a liability while paired with subpar defense.
  • HOU Starting Pitcher #53
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    Cristian Javier will make a bulk relief appearance against the Mets on Saturday.

    Javier will operate in a bulk relief capacity behind opener Bennett Sousa. The 29-year-old allowed three runs over four inning against the Athletics last weekend. It probably makes some sense to have him come in after an opener since he’s worked beyond the fifth inning just once in four starts since returning to Houston’s rotation earlier this month.
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    Jacob Wilson is scheduled to undergo left shoulder surgery in mid-September.

    Wilson was set to miss the remainder of the season with a left shoulder subluxation anyways and will spend the offseason recovering from the surgical procedure. The 24-year-old shortstop should be ready to return to game action at some point during spring training, but there won’t be an official timetable from the club until after the surgery.
  • COL Starting Pitcher #18
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    Ryan Feltner was scratched from Saturday’s start against the Braves due to illness.

    Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters Feltner got sick overnight but they’re hoping he’ll be available to pitch in relief. It’ll be Zach Agnos kicking off a bullpen game for the Rockies instead. The 29-year-old righty holds a lackluster 6.08 ERA across 97 2/3 innings of work this season.
  • AZ Starting Pitcher #60
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    Mitch Bratt will serve as the 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Giants.

    Bratt gets the ball for the nightcap of Saturday’s twin bill at Oracle Park. The 23-year-old rookie has compiled an underwhelming 4.54 ERA and 25/28 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings for Arizona this season. He’s not a recommended fantasy option in this spot.
  • AZ Relief Pitcher #58
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    Diamondbacks selected the contract of RHP Derek Law from Triple-A Reno.

    Law joins Arizona’s relief mix prior to Saturday’s doubleheader against the Giants. The 35-year-old veteran hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2024 campaign after missing all of last year recovering from flexor tendon surgery. He’s made 322 career appearances in the majors dating back to 2016.