Blue Jays Boss Stands by Closer Jeff Hoffman After Another Blown Save

The Toronto Blue Jays still believe in their closer, but for how much longer?

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman throws a pitch. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Frustrations are beginning to boil over for the Toronto Blue Jays. They lost three straight games and five of their last six heading into Saturday's contest with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game was tied at two heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Enter Jeff Hoffman.

The 33-year-old allowed two consecutive singles to Illdemaro Vargas and Alek Thomas on four pitches. Then he threw four uncompetitive pitches and walked Ketel Marte to load the bases with no outs.

Corbin Carroll, one of the league's hottest hitters to start the year, stepped in the box. After getting ahead 0-1, Hoffman threw three straight balls well out of the zone. He hurled a four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate, and Carroll made Hoffman pay. He hit an opposite-field grand slam to give the Diamondbacks a 6-2 lead and the eventual win.

John Schneider Defends Hoffman

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider looks on from the dugout. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Hoffman has been through a tough stretch this season. He blew the save in his last outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, where he walked three batters and allowed two runs. His ERA has now ballooned to 7.71. However, manager John Schneider is still behind his closer.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Schneider said, "There may be people that don't want to hear this, but I've got a lot of trust and confidence in Jeff Hoffman, and I've said that for as long as he's been here." As Matheson noted, he's posted 20 strikeouts this season, and he's looked brilliant at times. But the bad outings have really stood out and need to be addressed.

His teammate, Max Scherzer, also came to Hoffman's support. Per Matheson, Scherzer said, "He's going through it. He's got to figure it out and come out the other side. When you do, you're better for it...We all believe in him. We all love him. We all believe he's going to figure it out and get big outs for us. That's never going to change.

Evaluating Potential Closer Options

Scherzer turned in a strong start on Saturday. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs on five hits and one walk. Ultimately, it resulted in the Blue Jays' fifth consecutive loss. Schneider seems confident in Hoffman as his closer. However, a change could be necessary if Hoffman can't turn it around.

Tyler Rogers has been brilliant for Toronto this season, having allowed just one earned run. However, his pitch velocity and arsenal aren't well-suited to the closer role. That leaves Louis Varland as the ideal option to replace Hoffman. He's made 10 appearances and still hasn't allowed an earned run. If Schneider ultimately makes a change, expect Varland to be the guy to close out games.