Cook blows another save

Ryan Cook's stint as the closer for the Oakland Athletics has been bumpy of late, but it does not appear to be coming to an abrupt end.

Cook, who took over the job from Brian Fuentes on June 12, has now blown four saves in his last six appearances after serving up a home run to Toronto's David Cooper with a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning of Saturday's game. But Bob Melvin is still standing by his man.

"We're talking about a young kid that hasn't been in this role before and hasn't relieved too long," Melvin told CSN Bay Area after the latest Cook blown save. "There's going to be some times where you are going to struggle some. He's got to fight his way through it."

Oakland is in the middle of a pennant race, so they can't afford too many more losses in games that their closer "should" be closing. Expect Grant Balfour, who is 1-0 with six holds and a .128 batting average against since July 1, without having allowed a run over that time, to get a save chance if it emerges on Sunday, as Cook has now pitched on three straight days.