Rockies closer John Axford has managed to shake off some of the issues from last season and become an effective ninth-inning man, according to MLB.com.
"He can strike guys out -- swing-and-miss stuff," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He's got velocity that can beat the bat, even when they're hunting the fastball. There's a reason why he's saved a lot of games in this league and led the league in saves not too long ago [with 46 in 2011 with the Brewers]."
Axford took over for LaTroy Hawkins and Adam Ottavino early in the year and is perfect in nine appearances. He has a 0.64 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 14 innings of work this season.
"I was leaving my arm dragging behind, which is an issue I've had in the past, but at least it was easy for me to correct, on the next pitch," Axford said. "In years prior, that lingering may have still been there. I didn't really change my mechanics in the spring, but worked on different things to eliminate the arm staying back there too long."