Jonathan Broxton stole a win against the Cardinals Sunday even though he gave up a run in the top of the ninth inning.

In a 0-0 game, the Dodgers brought Broxton in and he promptly surrendered two hits, one walk and a run. He was bailed out by Matt Kemp's walkoff two-run job in the bottom of the inning, but Broxton's inability to put together clean innings is getting concerning. He has five saves, but also has a 4.26 ERA and 1.58 WHIP. He's safe for now -- especially with Hong-Chih Kuo (back) on the DL. But owners may want to stash Kenley Jasen or even Kuo.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Monday that he's not concerned about Jonathan Broxton.

Broxton has recorded three saves in three chances for the 3-1 Dodgers, but he has allowed two home runs now in just three innings of work. Mattingly thinks the right-hander is probably being a little too aggressive when given comfortable leads. "He just didn't get it where he wanted," said the skipper. "That's all right." Broxton remains a highly valuable fantasy closer.

Jonathan Broxton threw a scoreless inning in Monday's spring exhibition game against the White Sox.

Broxton unraveled in the second half of the 2010 season and was eventually replaced at closer. There's no great explanation for what happened last year, but he's confident that it can all be turned around in 2011 and that he can return to the elite rung of big league closers. Fantasy owners should feel plenty confident drafting him.

Dodgers GM Ned Coletti said that Jonathan Broxton remains the team's closer, while Hong-Chih Kuo and Kenley Jansen will serve as setup men.

Broxton fell apart in the second half last season, posting a 7.13 ERA and 2.13 WHIP while walking more than he struck out. His velocity was down at the end of the season, which had people wondering if he was pitching hurt. He still has elite closer stuff, though, so as long as he's healthy, he should be the ninth-inning man.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre will no longer use Jonathan Broxton in save situations.

Torre had used Broxton in save situations when Hong-Chih Kuo was unavailable, but that will no longer be the case as Broxton slides down the bullpen pecking order. "I think we have to just put him in situations not in the ninth inning, I mean a save situation in the ninth inning," Torre said. "And just try to get some appearances under his belt. Wherever we go, whether we're going to get to the postseason or not, I think this is very important: that he finishes this season with a good taste in his mouth." Broxton's fastball is down over two MPH this season and you have to wonder if something is wrong with him physically. Kuo is a must-own in all formats, while mixed league owners who need to open a roster spot can comfortably cut Broxton.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Thursday that Hong-Chih Kuo will remain the club's ninth-inning man for the time being.

But that seems likely to change soon. Torre noted that Broxton pitched well Wednesday night and that the big man might regain the role "in the next couple of days because that certainly was a good one for him." After reading the tea leaves on this one, it seems Kuo could lose his gig any day now.

Jonathan Broxton was used in the eighth inning on Wednesday night even though the Dodgers had a one-run lead.

We thought Broxton had the closer's job back after he picked up a save on Saturday, but he was tagged for two earned runs on Sunday. Tonight, manager Joe Torre used three different relievers in the ninth, with Octavio Dotel getting the final out and recording the save. We still expect Broxton to get his job back full-time soon, but Torre is making him earn it.

Back in the closer's role, Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect ninth inning Saturday for a save against the Reds.

So that's probably where he'll stay. Manager Joe Torre used Broxton to close even though he had Hong-Chih Kuo available tonight. Kuo threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to set Broxton up. Expect Broxton to keep getting save chances unless he begins to struggle again.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre said that Jonathan Broxton could pitch in the ninth inning if Hong-Chih Kuo is unavailable.

Broxton is unscored upon in three appearances since be removed from the closer's role. Torre said that Broxton "seems more relaxed and hopefully he keeps going in that direction." The big right-hander should regain his job before long.

Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect ninth inning Tuesday with the Dodgers sporting a 6-0 lead over the Rockies.

Broxton has been sharp in both of his appearances since being removed from the closer's role, so with Hong-Chih Kuo stumbling Monday, it'd be no surprise to see the right-hander get another chance soon. He threw just nine pitches tonight, seven for strikes.

Jonathan Broxton has been stripped of the closer's role following Thursday's blown save.

Hong-Chih Kuo will replace him for now. Broxton pitched three scoreless innings in his first two appearances of the month, but he had a horrible outing Thursday after sitting four straight days. It's quite possible the lack of activity has had something to do with his struggles. Usually a very busy reliever, he hasn't worked on back-to-back days since July 8-9, and he's made just eight appearance since the break.

After Thursday's implosion against the Phillies, Dodgers manager Joe Torre wouldn't say whether Jonathan Broxton will continue to be his closer.

"Let the smoke clear before you get me to say something I haven't thought about," said Torre. "He's a big boy, he'll be all right. Long-term, I'm not worried about him." We're not worried about Broxton either, but he has a 7.94 ERA and 18/15 K/BB ratio dating back to late-June, so this just isn't some recent funk. We thing he'll figure things out, but Octavio Dotel, Hong-Chih Kou or Kenley Jansen could get a look if Torre wants to go in a different direction for a little while.

Jonathan Broxton failed to protect a three-run ninth inning lead Thursday, as he allowed four runs (three earned) to the Phillies without retiring a batter.

To be fair, Casey Blake committed an error on a potential double-play ball that obviously could have dramatically changed the outcome of the game. But Broxton dug himself into a hole when he hit the first batter of the inning and walked the next two. With this ugly outing, Broxton's ERA is all the way up to 3.50 and his WHIP is at 1.32. The big man has had some struggles of late, with a 10.00 ERA over his last nine appearances. Walks have been a major issue, as he's handed out 11 free passes over that span.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre on Sunday issued a vote of confidence for closer Jonathan Broxton.

Was that really necessary? Judging from the quotes, it was mostly a motivational ploy. "I'm not bypassing Jonathan at this point in time," Torre said. "He needs from us to have confidence that we're here for him. He needs to get his personality back." Torre said he believes Broxton is healthy, despite decreased velocity. Broxton didn't average a strikeout an inning in July, the first month he hasn't do so since July 2008. He's also been scored on in four of his last six appearances, pushing his ERA from 1.93 to 3.12. Regardless, he's still one of the game's top fantasy closers.

Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect ninth Tuesday for his 20th save of the season.

It was Broxton's first save in 19 days. He took losses in his first two appearances after the break, but he bounced back to throw two hitless innings on Saturday. It looks like he's going to be just fine.

Making his first appearance since taking a loss Tuesday, Jonathan Broxton pitched a pair of hitless innings Saturday against the Mets.

Given three straight days off, Broxton regained some of his lost velocity today. He may still be dealing with fatigue issues, so it will be interesting to see whether he's available to save a game on Sunday.

Jonathan Broxton was held out of Thursday's game, yielding a save chance to Hong-Chih Kuo in the Dodgers' 2-0 win over the Mets.

Kuo pitched a hitless ninth for his third save. It seemed likely that Broxton would be available tonight after getting Wednesday off, but manager Joe Torre chose to rest his struggling closer one more day. According to manager Joe Torre, there are no injury concerns here.

Jonathan Broxton gave up three runs in one-third of an inning Tuesday to take a loss.

Broxton wasn't changed with the blown save, as George Sherrill technically surrendered the lead after Broxton retired just one of the four batters he faced, with that coming on a sac bunt. He gave up one hit and and two walks, one of which was intentional. The Dodgers considered holding Broxton out of another game tonight after he threw 44 pitches in a poor outing Sunday, but they guessed wrong. He's probably due to receive Wednesday off now. That would typically make Hong-Chih Kuo the favorite for a save chance, but he threw two innings tonight, leaving things up in the air.

Jonathan Broxton allowed four hits and two earned runs over 1 1/3 innings Sunday as the Dodgers fell to the Cardinals.

Broxton was charged with his third blown save and his first loss. He came on in the eighth inning to get two outs, then a lengthy ninth ran his pitch count up to 43 before he allowed a game-winning hit to Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday. It was rough, but we're not worried about his job security.

Jonathan Broxton will be unavailable to pitch on Saturday.

The big right-hander has thrown an inning each of the last two nights and has pitched in three of the last four days. If a save situation should arise against the Cubs this afternoon, Hong-Chih Kuo would get the call.