By my unofficial count, nine major-league teams have changed closers this season, and that doesn't count Brian Wilson beginning the season on the disabled list in San Francisco and Brandon League taking over for an injured David Aardsma in spring training.

The White Sox have gone from Matt Thornton to Sergio Santos, the Twins from Joe Nathan to Matt Capps, the Rangers from an injured Neftali Feliz to Darren Oliver, the Angels from Fernando Rodney to Jordan Walden, the Phillies from Brad Lidge to Jose Contreras to Ryan Madson, the Nationals from Sean Burnett to Drew Storen, and those wacky Cardinals have switched from Ryan Franklin to Mitchell Boggs to what we are led to believe is a committee of two (Eduardo Sanchez and Fernando Salas).

In the last two days, the Dodgers and Astros have been added to the list. And could the Blue Jays be next? Frank Francisco, who was expected to be Toronto's closer this season but was injured this spring, earned the save Wednesday, a day after Jon Rauch blew his first save of the year.

The Dodgers could turn to Vicente Padilla or Hong-Chih Kuo, and the Astros are giving the closer's job to Mark Melancon.

Let's take a quick look at the two situations:

-- Dodgers: Jonathan Broxton has been shut down with elbow pain, which might explain his 5.68 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and nine walks in 12 2/3 innings.

Don Mattingly could call on Kuo or Padilla in the ninth inning.

Padilla recorded a save on April 27 and has pitched six innings this season, with a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He hasn't been a full-time reliever since 2001, and he doesn't seem to be a better choice than Kuo, who was terrific after Broxton lost his job last season.

Kuo was 12-for-13 in save chances and posted a 1.20 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 60 innings in 2010. He returned from the disabled list May 1 and allowed four runs in one-third of an inning. On Wednesday, he pitched a scoreless frame.

Don't be surprised if Padilla gets more opportunities early as Kuo is eased back into the bullpen. In the coming weeks, however, he should be the choice as long as he's healthy.

If that's the case, he's a top-15 closer in any format.

-- Astros: Brandon Lyon has a partial tear of his rotator cuff and biceps tendinitis. Surgery isn't required and I don't play a doctor on the Internet, but I'm guessing he will be out quite a while.

Melancon has appeared in 18 games and been effective -- a 1.72 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 12 Ks in 15 2/3 innings. He's in his third year and was very productive in the minor leagues (19-3, 2.79 ERA, 15 saves and 211 strikeouts in 216 innings).

He could keep the job for the rest of the season but shouldn't be considered much more than a low-end No. 2 closer in a 12-team league, if that, because of Houston's status as one of the worst teams in the National League.

Prior to a three-team trade between the Indians, Mariners and Mets last December, Franklin Gutierrez was known for his outfield defense.

It's too early to tell, but thus far that deal, which netted the Indians reliever Joe Smith and second baseman Luis Valbuena, seems to have the Mariners playing the role of Prince Fielder and the Tribe as a ball thrown by a coach in the Home Run Derby.

After homering against his former team Saturday night, his second home run in as many games vs. the Tribe, Gutierrez is batting .294 with 12 homers, 40 RBI and 24 extra-base hits in 293 at-bats. He's also scored 44 runs and stolen six bases.

Even better: Since June 16, he has nine homers and 21 RBI in 117 at-bats. In that span, he's batting .342 with 21 runs. This from a player who hit .248 with eight homers, 40 RBI and a .690 OPS in 399 at-bats with the Indians in 2008.

Factor in that Smith has been oft-injured, has a 4.35 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP, and Valbuena is hitting .217 with a .275 on-base percentage and currently can't beat out Jamey Carroll for playing time, the trade seems as questionable as Eric Wedge's daily lineup adjustments.

Gutierrez is owned in only 22.5 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com, a number that is surprisingly low even after an 8.1-percent leap this week. If Gutierrez is available, he is a significant asset in deep leagues.

He's never been a threat to hit .300 (he batted .258 with the Indians from 2005-08), but he's only 26 and is playing at a career-best clip. Don't expect Gutierrez's batting average to finish above .280 or his homers to continue to occur once every 13 at-bats.

He is, however, more than serviceable as a third outfielder in 14- or 16-team leagues.

He is also another sign that Mark Shapiro seems to have lost his edge faster than you can say Jhonny Peralta.

Finally, the pitchers: A blog I wrote prior to vacation featured the best fantasy batters of the first half. In case you were wondering what happened to the list of pitchers I promised, here we go.

STARTERS

-- Tim Lincecum, Giants: He was 10-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings in the first half. Johan, who?

-- Justin Verlander, Tigers: One of this year's best draft-day values won 10 games and fanned 149 in 122 1/3 innings prior to the All-Star break.

-- Zack Greinke, Royals: Yes, he has cooled down considerably (2-4 since June), but I'll take 10-5 with a 2.12 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings.

-- Dan Haren, Diamondbacks: Imagine if he compiled his first-half numbers for a team other than the D-Backs (2.01 ERA, a .189 opponents' batting average, 0.81 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 130 innings). Arizona was the only reason he had only nine wins at the break.

-- Josh Beckett, Red Sox: His ERA (3.35) wasn't on the level of Haren, Greinke or Lincecum, but his 11 wins, three losses and 110 K's place him in the top five.

-- Runner-up: Roy Halladay, who gets a slight edge over Matt Cain and Felix Hernandez.


CLOSERS

-- Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers: He missed the All-Star game because of a toe injury that is expected to hamper him the rest of the season, but he was the top reliever of the first half after going 6-0 with a 3.10 ERA, 20 saves in 22 chances, a 0.93 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings.

-- Heath Bell, Padres: He blew only one save in 24 chances, had a 1.69 ERA and 42 K's in 37 1/3 innings.

Runner-up: Brian Fuentes, Angels: Francisco Rodriguez's replacement in Los Angeles gets a narrow nod over Jonathan Papelbon because of his 26 saves in 29 chances.