Dan Wheeler : July 2nd, 2008, 10:20 am est
It appears that Grant Balfour will serve as the Rays closer while Troy Percival is on the disabled list, not Dan Wheeler. When Balfour was in Triple-A Durham to begin the season he was 8-for-8 in save opportunities. According to the Tampa Tribune, in his 23-plus innings, he allowed just five hits and struck out 39. Right-handed hitters batted .029 against him. He was recalled in late May. The fire came with him. Eleven of Balfour's 12 appearances have been scoreless. He has 25 of the 63 batters he has faced. His ERA is 1.08. There's fire, and people can feel it.Since being recalled in late May, eleven of Balfour's 12 appearances have been scoreless. He has struck out 25 of the 63 batters he has faced and his ERA is 1.08. Madden likes the 30-year old hard-throwing right-hander and he appears destined for big things in Tampa this year.
