Jim Johnson allowed a run but escaped the ninth inning en route to his 50th save on Sunday against the Red Sox.

Johnson coughed up three hits but managed to wiggle free and cement Baltimore's 7-6 victory. Another rocky outing was a fitting end to Johnson's campaign; the closer tied Craig Kimbrel for the MLB lead in saves, but also led the league in blown saves with nine. He finishes with a 2.94 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told the media Friday that the club will tender Johnson a contract this winter, which means that Johnson will once again be closing games in 2014.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed Friday that the club will tender a contract to closer Jim Johnson for 2014.

Johnson has earned $6.5 million this season and is expected to get a hefty raise in arbitration this winter, but the Orioles still view him as an important piece, even after blowing a league-leading nine saves this year. "Jim Johnson is one of our core players," said Duquette. The 30-year-old is due to hit free agency after the 2014 season.

Jim Johnson hurled a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 45th save on Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Johnson notched a pair of saves in this weekend's series and trails Craig Kimbrel by two for the MLB lead. Kimbrel, of course, has dominated to the tune of a 1.03 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. Johnson, on the other hand, leads the league with nine blown saves and owns a 3.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

Jim Johnson took his eighth loss after giving up an unearned run in a tie game Thursday against the Orioles.

It was Johnson's own error that led to the run, and the run actually scored on a wild pitch. So, yeah, it was pretty dreadful, even if the only hit he gave up was a single. It's the first time he's allowed a run in eight appearances, so it shouldn't necessarily hurt his cause in the closer's role. Still, this one did an awful lot of damage to Baltimore's chances.

Jim Johnson pitched around a leadoff single to record his 41st save Thursday against the Red Sox.

That single was just a little bouncer between the mound and first. Johnson grabbed it, expecting to flip to Chris Davis at first, but Davis was off the bag trying to make a play on the ball and no out was recorded. It didn't prove to be a problem; Johnson induced a double-play ball from Johnny Gomes and then struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end the 3-2 game.

Jim Johnson tossed a perfect ninth inning Friday against the Athletics for his 40th save of the season.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter looked to Tommy Hunter to close out Wednesday's victory over the Rays, but he used Hunter in the eighth inning and Johnson in the ninth on Friday. In a perfect world, he would probably prefer to keep it that way, though he's clearly not afraid to change things up if the situation warrants. Johnson is now the first pitcher in Orioles' history with multiple 40-save seasons.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't ready to completely strip Jim Johnson of ninth-inning duties.

But Showalter did tell reporters on Wednesday night that he is prepared to use some of his other options. "We've got 30-something games," said the O's skipper. "We're going to put our best foot forward every night. Jimmy's our best option, one of them. I'm glad we've got more than one good option. We've got a lot of good options and we'll continue to make use of them." Tommy Hunter earned the save on Wednesday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn't commit to Jim Johnson as his closer prior to Friday's game.

"We have a lot of options and he's one of them," said Showalter. Johnson has blown three straight save opportunities, so it wouldn't be surprising if he gets a brief rest from the role at the very least. Tommy Hunter, Francisco Rodriguez and Darren O'Day are among the alternatives.

Jim Johnson took his second blown save in as many days and ninth overall when he gave up a run in the ninth Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

A double and a one-out single did the trick today. Johnson has allowed just three runs in the last month, but all three have resulted in blown saves. The Orioles wouldn't seem to have anything to gain by removing him from the closer's role, but if they do go that route, then Tommy Hunter would be the favorite for saves.

Jim Johnson blew his Major League-leading eighth save Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

He also leads baseball with 39 saves. The right-hander allowed a solo homer to leadoff hitter Paul Goldschmidt in the ninth inning to tie the game. Later, Johnson wriggled out of a precarious jam -- runners on second and third with one out -- to force extra innings. Goldschmidt smacked a walkoff homer two innings later against T.J. McFarland. Johnson has blown saves in consecutive outings, but he entered this evening with a 1.13 ERA over eight appearances since the All-Star break.

Jim Johnson gave up a run in the ninth versus the Giants to take his seventh blown save on Friday.

Not only is it Johnson's first blown save in five weeks, but it's also the first run he's given up; he had pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings since taking a loss and a blown save against the Yankees on July 5.

Jim Johnson tossed a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 39th save on Tuesday against the Padres.

Outside of one horrific month, Johnson has pitched as well as ever this season. You can't erase his 9.75 ERA in May, but Johnson posted a 2.08 ERA in June and has coughed up just one earned run since the beginning of July. He's first in the American League in saves and currently owns a 3.20 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Jim Johnson hurled a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 34th save on Friday against the Rangers.

Johnson allowed a hit in protecting a two-run lead. He finished a disconcerting first half with seven losses, a 3.71 ERA and six blown saves, so Friday's smooth outing was good to see.

Jim Johnson struck out two during a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 33rd save on Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Johnson has converted four straight save chances since blowing a game against the Yankees on July 5. A disappointing first half ends with a 2-7 record, 3.71 ERA and six blown saves, but Johnson's job security isn't in jeopardy. The right-hander leads the American League with 33 saves.

Jim Johnson surrendered two hits in the ninth Thursday, but he still pitched a scoreless frame against the Rangers for his 31st save.

Johnson has converted back-to-back save chances since blowing a game against the Yankees last Friday, so his job is beginning to look a bit more secure. It still wouldn't be a very good idea for him to take another blown save before the break.

Jim Johnson blew his AL-leading sixth save and took the loss Friday against the Yankees.

Rough. After entering the bottom of the ninth inning with a one-run lead, Johnson gave up a leadoff single to David Adams and then made a fielding error on a bunt by Brett Gardner. Ichiro Suzuki followed with a sacrifice bunt, which led to Robinson Cano being intentionally walked to load the bases. Johnson then walked Travis Hafner on four pitches to bring home the tying run, which was immediately followed by a walk-off RBI single by Vernon Wells. That's the danger of relying on a pitcher who puts the ball into play. We don't see the Orioles making any immediate changes, as Johnson has been better since the end of May, but it might not be a bad idea to stash Tommy Hunter in deeper formats.

Jim Johnson blew his fifth save chance of the season on Wednesday, allowing two runs in 2/3 of an inning against the Indians.

The loss dropped him to 2-6, but it was his first blown save since May 26. It snapped a string of 12 consecutive saves, and it was only the second time Johnson had allowed a run in June. His issues probably had something to do with the fact that he was pitching for a third straight day. We're not too concerned with one bad outing at this point.

Jim Johnson struck out two while tossing a scoreless frame in a non-save situation Monday against the Indians.

Outside of a series of implosions in mid-May, Johnson has been spectacular in 2013. He's allowed only one run since May 26, which has deflated his ERA from 5.25 to 3.72. Expect that earned run average to continue to drop.

Jim Johnson pitched his second perfect inning in as many days to protect a 2-0 lead against the Nationals on Thursday.

Johnson has shaken off Sunday's dreadful outing by retiring six straight batters, three via the strikeout. He's 17-for-21 saving games this season.

Jim Johnson worked a perfect ninth inning to record his 16th save of the season against the Nationals on Wednesday.

It was his first outing since imploding against the Blue Jays on May 26, so it was nice to see him have a pain-free appearance on Wednesday. Working with a three-run cushion, Johnson struck out two of the three batters he faced to lock down the save. Johnson is better than his recent struggles suggest, and he'll have the chance to prove it in the coming weeks.