Jeff Hoffman has struggled down the stretch, allowing late-inning home runs, issuing walks and showing a decline in average fastball velocity with each outing. He surrendered four home runs, eight earned runs and eight hits since August 23, and walked nine batters in 11 innings during August, including five in one game on August 10. His most recent outing featured two ninth-inning homers and three earned runs versus the Brewers, raising his season ERA to 5.11 over 59 appearances. The Blue Jays hold a slim lead in the AL East, prompting consideration of other bullpen options such as Yariel Rodriguez after Yimi Garcia's season-ending elbow surgery.
Hoffman was having a good month of August until the last seven days in which he's given up runs, walked batters and has had his average fastball velocity start to dip with each outing. He's allowed four home runs, eight earned runs and eight hits since August 23. He's also walked nine batters in 11 innings this month, although five of those came in one game, on August 10 against the Dodgers.
Those home runs Hoffman allowed to the Brewers were the 11th and 12th he has given up in the 9th inning or later this season, which is an unceremonious record to bestow on a player who was hoping to lead the back end of a bullpen that was trying to capture the AL East division title. The Blue Jays, who once had a seven game lead over the Yankees in that race, are now just a couple of games ahead of the Bronx Bombers
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