Jonathan Broxton

A day after Jonathan Broxton’s massive meltdown in Philadelphia, manager Joe Torre said that Broxton had lost his job for the immediate future until he regains some confidence. Broxton has blown three saves and posted a 10.13 earned-run average in eight appearances since the All-Star break. Broxton has converted 21 of 26 save situations with a 3.50 ERA, but Thursday night in Philadelphia, he didn’t retire a batter while letting a three-run lead disappear into a crushing 10-9 loss.

Until Broxton reclaims his role, left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo will serve as the Dodgers’ primary ninth-inning pitcher. However, Kuo has had four elbow operations and needs regular rest.  Torre will probably use recently acquired Octavio Dotel to close games on days Kuo is unavailable. This mental break that Broxton is receiving from Torre is a good one. Broxton pitched a scoreless inning on Friday night and looked much more relaxed and looked good. Don’t be surprised to see him back closing games in a couple weeks.

In other fantasy news from Friday…..

• Jacoby Ellsbury left the game against the Rangers in the fourth inning with left side pain. Ellsbury will travel back to Boston today to have an MRI.
• Mike Stanton hit two. He continues to remain on fire.
• Edison Volquez threw six innings of one-run ball en route to his third victory against the Marlins on Friday, allowing eight hits, walking two and striking out six. He’ll face the Diamondbacks in his next start.
• Andy Pettitte has suffered a setback when he felt stiff after getting off the couch. Pettitte suffered a minor setback as a sore left hip flexor tendon caused his simulated game to be pushed back at least one day.
• R.A. Dickey threw a one hit gem against the Phillies as he walked one and struck out seven. His knuckleball was flawless all night and the only hit he gave up was to Cole Hamels.
• A.J Pierzynski has been struggling at the plate, but he received a vote of confidence from manager Ozzie Guillen and will continue to play on a regular basis.
• Braves manager Bobby Cox believes Kris Medlen will have surgery to repair the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament.
• The Giants added Jose Guillen to help with the offense. Look for Guillen to play four to five times a week in right field.