Why? It's not about hot dogs, but it's a bite in that feast of fantasy knowledge we call the Closer Hot Seat. Dig in - and no chipmunking, please.

KEY

Durability grade: 1 (very injury-prone) to 10 (extremely durable)
Job security grade: 1 (very shaky) to 10 (firm grasp)

Hot Seat: Injury Concerns

Atlanta Braves

Closer: Mike Gonzalez
Next in line: Blaine Boyer
Other possibilities: Will Ohman
Disabled list: Rafael Soriano (elbow), John Smoltz (shoulder), Jeff Bennett (shoulder), Manny Acosta (hamstring)

There's not much doubt that the most valuable left arm in the Atlanta metropolitan area hangs from the shoulder of Gonzalez. Not only has Gonzalez allowed no runs and only one hit in his last 6 2/3 innings, he's also rapidly becoming the only viable - and healthy - option for ninth-inning duty. Acosta and Bennett both hit the disabled list Monday, July 7, while Soriano continues to rehab from a sore right elbow. Gonzalez himself is only 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, but he figures to get the call in the ninth as long as he's able to take the ball. Boyer and Ohman have only three career saves between them (two this season), but one of them may be asked to spell Gonzo when he needs a night off.

Durability grade: 6
Job security grade: 9 (last week: 7)

Chicago White Sox

Closer: Scott Linebrink
Next in line: Octavio Dotel, Matt Thornton
Other possibilities: None
Disabled list: Bobby Jenks (back)

Jenks (back) has been very effective this season, but he injured his upper back and left shoulder June 29 and is set to be placed on the disabled list Wednesday, July 9. MRI and CT tests came back negative, and Jenks felt fine after playing catch Tuesday, July 8, but he was uncomfortable after throwing off a mound in the bullpen. He plans to be ready to return to the team after the All-Star break.

Linebrink picked up the save - albeit a bumpy one - Sunday, July 6, but was hammered for two runs and three hits Tuesday, July 8, against the Royals. He could still be in line to close games until Jenks returns. Dotel has 82 saves in his big league career and could also get a look with Jenks on the shelf. Despite Linebrink's recent struggles (9.00 ERA, 1.60 WHIP in July) we're giving him the early nod over Dotel insofar as closer duty is concerned, but there is no clear successor to Jenks at this point. Follow this situation closely over the next few days, and be prepared to move on either Dotel or Thornton if either emerges as the ChiSox's preferred closer instead of Linebrink. This is only for a few days, though, given that the break is less than a week away, and the former two are great in ratios and K's anyway.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 4

Milwaukee Brewers

Closer: Salomon Torres
Next in line: Eric Gagne
Other possibilities: David Riske, Brian Shouse

Torres was lit up for two runs and three hits - without recording a single out - in the Brewers' 6-5 loss to the Diamondbacks on Thursday, July 3. He pitched a perfect inning in a non-save situation Monday, July 7, though, so perhaps his rough outing was just a bump in what has been a pretty smooth road for Torres in 2008. Gagne, meanwhile, has pitched three innings since being activated, allowing no runs, two hits and perhaps most encouragingly no walks - and also recorded a win Saturday, July 5.

There's no reason to believe that Torres' job is in immediate jeopardy - the nightmare against Arizona was his first blown save in 15 chances as the Brewers closer. Gagne may get a look in the ninth at some point, but as long as Torres is effective and the Brewers are winning, the team doesn't figure to make a move. Shouse and Riske are, for the most part, career setup men who figure to stay in that role for the immediate future.

Durability grade: 8
Job security grade: 8

Pittsburgh Pirates

Closer: Damaso Marte
Next in line: Tyler Yates
Other possibilities: John Grabow, Romulo Sanchez
Disabled list: Matt Capps (shoulder)

Capps hit the disabled list Wednesday, July 2, due to bursitis in his right shoulder. The 24-year-old had recorded 17 saves for the Pirates in 2008, but he's not expected back until early September. In the meantime, the Pirates have announced that the infamous "closer by committee" will be in effect. However, Marte converted the Pirates' first two save opportunities Monday, July 7, and Tuesday, July 8, so he immediately becomes the chairman of that committee. Marte has 34 career saves to his credit, while fellow relievers Yates, Grabow and Sanchez have only six saves between them. We'd expect Marte to continue as the top option for saves in Pitt, with Yates likely the next in line should Marte struggle. Yates has pitched effectively out of the bullpen this season, but his lack of dominant stuff and closing experience figures to relegate him to a fallback option. Marte, meanwhile, is a great pickup in most fantasy formats - and could have long-term value if the Bucs choose to shut Capps down for the season rather than take a chance on damaging their talented young closer.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 7

St. Louis Cardinals

Closer: Ryan Franklin
Next in line: Jason Isringhausen
Other possibilities: Kyle McClellan, Russ Springer, Chris Perez
Disabled list: Randy Flores (ankle)

Franklin has done a serviceable job as the Cardinals closer, but there are signs that his grip on the job may be slipping a bit. While he recorded six saves in June, his peripheral numbers: a 4.15 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .333 average against were troublesome indeed. Franklin is not a power pitcher, and with Isringhausen showing signs of shaking off his funk, Franklin's days as a ninth-inning man may be winding down. And what about Isringhausen? Since returning from his most recent stint on the DL, Izzy has been quite effective - allowing just two earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. He has struck out 10 while walking four - and has lowered his once-ghastly 8.00 ERA to a still-ugly 5.34. The Cards have not officially expressed any dissatisfaction with Franklin, but the numbers would seem to indicate that Isringhausen's chance to reclaim his old job may be approaching.

Durability grade: 8
Job security grade: 6

Seattle Mariners

Closer: Brandon Morrow
Next in line: Mark Lowe
Other possibilities: Sean Green, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Arthur Rhodes
Disabled list: J.J. Putz (elbow)

Morrow appears to have worked through the back spasms that were troubling him a couple of weeks ago, and he's on the verge of working his way off the Hot Seat. Why? How about 20 straight appearances without allowing an earned run and the fact that he has allowed only two earned runs and 13 hits in 27 1/3 innings? Factor in 37 strikeouts, a ridiculous 0.65 ERA and 0.76 WHIP and you have yourself one heck of a reliever. Former closer Putz continues his rehab from a hyperextended right elbow, and he may begin a rehab assignment during the All-Star break. Current projections have Putz returning to the team around the third week of July, but the team isn't expected to rush him back or put him in the ninth right away given Morrow's dominance in the closer's role. For now, Morrow is the man - though his save opportunities figure to be limited as long as he's toiling for the woeful Mariners.

Durability grade: 7
Job security grade: 9 (last week: 8)

Tampa Bay Rays

Closer: Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler
Next in line: J.P. Howell
Other possibilities: Trever Miller
Disabled list: Troy Percival (hamstring), Al Reyes (shoulder)

Percival's troublesome hamstring will keep him on the DL through the All-Star break and possibly beyond, so the front-running Rays have to account for a big hole at the back of their bullpen. Conventional wisdom said that Wheeler would step right into Percival's ninth-inning shoes, but Wheeler has been knocked around for six runs (four earned) and five hits in his last four appearances. Enter Balfour. Brandishing a wicked mid-90s fastball, the 30-year-old Aussie picked up saves July 1 and July 5 - while striking out five batters in 2 1/3 innings. Balfour has fanned 29 batters in 18 2/3 innings, and his high-energy style seems well suited to that intangible called "closer mentality." Howell and Miller may see spot duty in the ninth inning if the opponent has a series of left-handed hitters coming up, but this race looks to be between Balfour and Wheeler. Balfour's stellar work of late has him in front by a nose, though Wheeler's experience could also win him some chances down the road. Curiously, Balfour entered the game against the Yankees on July 8 in the sixth inning - so at this point it's difficult to determine exactly what Rays manager Joe Maddon is thinking with his bullpen rotation.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 5

Hot Seat: Lackluster Performance

Colorado Rockies

Closer: Brian Fuentes
Next in line: Taylor Buchholz
Other possibilities: Manny Corpas, Luis Vizcaino, Matt Herges

Trade rumors continue to swirl around Fuentes, who appears to be getting back on track after a few rough outings. The 32-year-old lefty pitched hitless innings July 3, 5 and 7 after he was hammered for seven earned runs in two appearances June 28 and 30. Apart from those two dreadful outings, Fuentes has been quite effective as the Rockies closer in 2008, with 14 saves in 16 opportunities since taking the job from Corpas. If Fuentes is indeed traded, the closer's job would likely fall to Buchholz - he of the 1.70 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 2008. Meanwhile, Corpas has racked up nine straight scoreless appearances and may also get a look if Fuentes is indeed shipped out. Until that happens, though, Fuentes remains the man; he appears to have shaken off his recent problems and looks to be back in form.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 9 (last week: 8)

Cleveland Indians

Closer: Masahide Kobayashi
Next in line: Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez
Other possibilities: Jensen Lewis

Wow - talk about your precipitous pitching plummet; former Indians closer Joe Borowski had not been all that bad since returning from the DL, converting four of five save opportunities while lowering his ERA from 18.00 to 6.75. All of that went away Tuesday, July 1, when JoeBo surrendered two earned runs and three hits while blowing a save against the White Sox. Indians manager Eric Wedge had apparently seen enough, and the Tribe designated Borowski - who led the American League with 45 saves last season - for assignment Friday, July 4. Wedge has announced that most of the save opportunities will go to Kobayashi, with Betancourt and Perez seeing spot duty. Betancourt floundered in the closer's role earlier this season, while lefty setup man Perez has struggled against right-handed hitters. That leaves the 34-year-old Kobayashi, who has recorded four saves this season - and who saved 227 games during his career in Japan. Grab Kobayashi if your fantasy team is hurting for saves, as he appears to be the top option in Cleveland, at least for now.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 6

Detroit Tigers

Closer: Todd Jones
Next in line: Joel Zumaya
Other possibilities: Ryan Perry, Fernando Rodney, Zach Miner

The oft-maligned Jones had been sailing along reasonably well of late, and actually saw his ERA hovering at less than 4.00 as late as June 26. Alas, though: A few bumpy outings have landed him back on the Hot Seat, where he's likely to reside for a while. Jones' June ERA was a robust 5.54, and he has posted a 10.80 mark through his first two appearances in July. He has only blown one save in 17 chances this season, but his notoriously bad peripheral numbers - a 5.08 ERA and 1.54 WHIP - continue to haunt him. Meanwhile, Zumaya is trying to get back to form, as he has allowed just two earned runs in 8 1/3 innings since returning from the disabled list June 20; he has fanned seven but also walked seven in that time. He's once again hitting triple digits with his fastball, and it's conceivable he could get a look in the ninth inning if Jones doesn't get his act together. Zumaya, 23, put dominant numbers on the board back in 2006: a 1.94 ERA and 97 K's in 83 1/3 innings. They bespeak his potential, but the Tigers have discussed making him a starter - next year. Keep Perry's name in the back of your mind, too. The Tigers' 2008 first-round pick has been told he could earn a big-league call-up this year. He throws 95-98 mph and went 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA as a relief pitcher for the University of Arizona this past spring. We don't anticipate a closer change in Detroit, but this is a situation to keep on your radar screen.

Durability grade: 8
Job security grade: 8

Florida Marlins

Closer: Kevin Gregg
Next in line: Matt Lindstrom
Other possibilities: Joe Nelson

Gregg has hit a rough patch of road lately, blowing saves against the Rockies on Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4. The back-to-back missteps marked Gregg's fifth and sixth blown saves of the season, but we're not overly worried about the Marlins closer at this point. His season ERA still sits at a respectable 2.79, and his .208 batting average against shows that his stuff is closer-worthy. Gregg also bounced back to pitch scoreless innings July 6 and 7, racking up his 16th save in the latter tilt. We're also confident Gregg's job is safe given the lack of viable options behind him in the Marlins bullpen. Lindstrom has struggled mightily this season and was just recalled from Triple-A Saturday, July 5. Nelson, meanwhile, has pitched very effectively in a setup role, but with only nine career saves he doesn't appear to be a threat to Gregg's job.

Durability grade: 9
Job security grade: 8

Texas Rangers

Closer: C.J. Wilson
Next in line: Eddie Guardado
Other possibilities: Frank Francisco
Disabled list: Joaquin Benoit (shoulder)

Just when we thought Wilson was exiting the woods, he turned in another rocky outing, allowing two earned runs on two solo homers before finally picking up his 21st save of the year July 6 against the Orioles. Two nights later, the lefty surrendered a hit and two walks before garnering save No. 22. To his credit, Wilson has blown only two save opportunities this season. But with a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP through 41 appearances it's clear he's far from being the most reliable option among fantasy closers.

Guardado seemed to be gaining ground on Wilson, but the oft-injured reliever temporarily battled shoulder soreness. Even so, "Everyday Eddie" has been very effective as a setup man this season, allowing runs in only one of his last 16 appearances. Francisco has also been a solid member of the Rangers 'pen this season, but with no career saves to his credit he doesn't figure to be an option should Wilson falter. Guardado remains a possibility, though don't look for it in the immediate future.

Durability grade: 8
Job security grade: 7