No longer closing, Trevor Hoffman quietly turns things around

Trevor Hoffman allowed three runs on May 18, blowing his fifth save in 10 chances as his ERA rose to 13.15. He was stripped of ninth-inning duties and given four days off, with 27-year-old rookie John Axford grabbing hold of the Brewers’ closer job. Axford has converted 11-of-11 save chances with a 2.96 ERA in 27.1 innings, so Hoffman reclaiming the job hasn’t even been an issue, but the all-time saves leader has quietly gotten back on track in a low-leverage role. Since that blown save on May 18 he’s appeared in 16 games (none of them save situations) and has allowed a run in just three of them. Hoffman has a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings, striking out 10 batters and allowing opponents to hit just .241 with one homer and a .345 slugging percentage. None of which will get him back in the closer role, but at least the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer is pitching well enough to go out on his own terms now rather than the ugly end he was on a path for early this season.