Save situations, April 16: Bye-bye, Borowski

Looks like Joe Borowski's days as a fantasy producer could be numbered. The Indians closer has been put on the DL with a strained triceps, an injury the team's kept secret and partially explains his eye-popping 18.00 ERA and .412 batting average against this season.

Borwoski's been something of an enigma these past few years, a guy who piles up saves and escapes ninth-inning jam after ninth-inning jam, all while giving his manager and fans serious nausea. Yet he's somehow been able to hold onto his job. That may change with Rafael Betancourt, one of the league's best set-up men last year, taking over closing duties in Cleveland. Betancourt doesn't have a great history closing out games (12 of 29 in save opportunities), but he may very well take hold of the job and run with it.

The smart move here is to put Borowski on your DL slot and grab Betancourt if he's available. The Indians say Borowski will resume closing duties when (if) he returns, and although his ratios stink, you probably drafted him purely for saves, and he led the AL in those last year. The bottom line is you want whoever's pitching the ninth inning for the Indians, because there will be plenty of saves to be had.

Elsewhere in closer country:

g The Braves' closing carousel continues. First Rafael Soriano goes on the DL, now replacement Peter Moylan joins him. Just like Soriano, Moylan has an elbow strain, although this one's believed to be much worse, and he's scheduled to take a dreaded visit to Dr. James Andrews, often the baseball equivalent of your girlfriend telling you she just wants to be friends. The good news is Soriano should be back shortly, so Moylan's short-lived fantasy worthiness has probably expired with just one save to his credit this year. Looks like Manny Acosta gets the save chances in the interim by default until Soriano returns.

g The Mariners are taking their sweet old time in getting J.J. Putz (ribcage) back in their bullpen. Seattle's closer-by-committee approach with Putz out has been pretty maddening, so I'd probably look elsewhere in the meantime.

Save situations, April 6

I've always found closers to be fascinating. Of course you've got your old reliables, like Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera, who once again look like sure things this season. And then there's everybody else ... guys who've had bad luck, guys who could implode at any second, and teams whose closer situation is about as stable as being Spinal Tap's drummer.

This year I'll periodically check out some "save situations" around the league. Let's take our first look:

g We knew something was up when Chad Cordero wasn't ready to go in the Nationals' opener, and now he's been put on the DL with a sore shoulder. Enter Jon Rauch, the Nats' pretty solid set-up guy who will close in Cordero's absence. Cordero could be back soon, but you never really know with these kind of injuries. Washington has also been trying to deal Cordero for an eternity, so even if he comes back to pitch soon, Rauch might be worth holding onto if you can spare the roster spot.

g Will Todd Jones ever get a save this season? Randy Flores has one. Miguel Batista does too, and he's a starter. But Jones (above) still has a big, fat zero in the saves column ... of course, it doesn't help that the Tigers haven't won yet, either. I wouldn't panic though. Whenever Detroit breaks out of this funk, Jones is still capable of saving 40 games. Trust me.

g JJ Putz, arguably fantasy's best closer last year, is on the DL with a rib injury, and while it's supposed to be mild, there's no timetable for his return. Bummer, huh? Mark Lowe is supposed to fill in for Putz, and although the aforementioned Batista just happened to pick up a save for the Mariners earlier this week, Lowe should still be the go-to guy in the ninth until Putz returns. Definitely grab him if you're a Putz owner (or you want to see a Putz owner have a panic attack).

g Brandon Lyon's had a mixed debut as the Diamondbacks' closer. He's got one save, but he's blown another and has a 13.50 ERA in three appearances. The D-backs took a bit of a risk by dealing Jose Valverde in the offseason and giving Lyon the promotion, and while it's still early, I'm keeping serious tabs on set-up guy Tony Pena.