Hoffman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Both Hoffman and Carlos Estevez had gone two days without pitching, so it's unclear why Hoffman got the save chance in this outing. This was his fourth scoreless outing in a row, and he's allowed three runs over 9.1 innings across his last 11 appearances since a four-run meltdown at Seattle on Aug. 3. Hoffman hadn't logged a save since July 10, and it's unclear if this signals a changing in the bullpen hierarchy or not, though manager Rob Thomson is known to prefer a committee for closing duties. For the year, Hoffman has a 1.92 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB through 56.1 innings while adding 10 saves and 17 holds.
Hoffman earned his 17th hold of the season Friday against the Nationals, striking out one in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The Phillies have taken a fluid approach to the ninth inning this season, though Hoffman at one point appeared to be moving into something close to a true closer's role, earning a save in fourth straight appearances from June 30 through July 10. He hasn't earned a save since then, though the Phillies as a team have just two in that time, with one going to Matt Strahm and the other to trade deadline acquisition Carlos Estevez. Estevez seems to be the committee leader at the moment, but he blew a save Friday and has allowed at least one run in four of his eight appearances for his new team, so there's no guarantee he gets the next chance.
