Ernesto Frieri pitched a perfect sixth inning as the Angels defeated the Brewers 12-2 on Wednesday.

Frieri punched out two in the effort. He has yet to allow a run in four innings while striking out four. The right-hander isn't a top-tier closer because of his control, but he will certainly pile up the strikeouts in bunches.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia wants to limit closer Ernesto Frieri to one-inning outings this season.

"If it's needed (to bring in Frieri in the eighth), we'll have it," Scioscia said. "But it'll be better if we can keep him in that bubble." This is a topic of conversation coming off a season in which Frieri led the majors in saves of at least four outs in 2013 with seven. Nobody else had even five. "I think he'll maintain his stuff better and maybe be more effective," Scioscia said. Los Angeles will use Joe Smith and Sean Burnett as a bridge to the ninth inning.

Ernesto Frieri tossed a scoreless inning during Thursday's 4-4 tie with the Dodgers.

Frieri got into trouble in the fifth inning, issuing two singles and giving up a single, but catcher Chris Iannetta helped him out by throwing out Justin Turner attempting to steal second base. The Angels' closer will be a good source of saves and strikeouts if he can keep his control in check.

Ernesto Frieri tossed a perfect fourth inning against the D'Backs on Monday.

Only one of Frieri's pitches was well-struck: a line drive caught at third base. Frieri is entering his second season as the Angels' full-time closer. He saved 37 games and posted a 3.80 ERA last season. Given his prodigious ability to miss bats, Frieri's ERA should deflate so long as he can keep the walks down.

Angels avoided arbitration with RHP Ernesto Frieri by agreeing to a one-year, $3.8 million contract.

It's a sizable raise for the first-time arbitration-eligible reliever. Frieri notched 37 saves in 41 chances for the Angels last season, posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 98/30 K/BB ratio over 68 2/3 innings. He'll serve as the Halos' closer again in 2014.

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto confirmed on MLB Network Radio Friday that Ernesto Frieri will be the team's closer in 2014.

The hard-throwing 28-year-old notched 37 saves in 41 chances for the Angels last season, posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 98/30 K/BB ratio over 68 2/3 innings. He struggles with his command at times and can be prone to the long ball, but when he's on his game he's nearly untouchable. He should once again be a fairly dependable fantasy closer.

Ernesto Frieri shut the Astros down in the eighth and ninth innings on Sunday to earn his 34th save of the season.

Frieri struck out four batters over those two frames, which is why he required 33 pitches to escape despite allowing only one hit and no walks. Frieri was forced to enter in the eighth inning because setup man Dane De La Rosa allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base. Frieri has allowed just one run since August 7. He's converted his last nine save opportunities.

Ernesto Frieri picked up his 31st save despite giving up a run in the ninth Friday against the Rangers.

The run came on back-to-back hits with two outs. Frieri then fanned Ian Kinsler to end the game. It was the first run allowed by Frieri since Aug. 6. He's converted his last six save chances.

Ernesto Frieri recorded his 28th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning in Thursday's win over the Rays.

It wasn't easy, as Frieri issued a leadoff walk and allowed a one-out double to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. He was able to wiggle out of trouble, though, getting a foulout and flyout to end it. Dane De La Rosa was used ahead of Frieri Thursday, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia continues to give fantasy owners a headache by alternating closers.

Ernesto Frieri struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 27th save of the year against the Mariners on Friday.

Frieri owners can exhale now, as this was the veteran's first save in exactly three weeks. During that time, he's endured job-security questions both in the media and out of the lips of manager Mike Scioscia. Frieri has strung together six straight scoreless innings, but it's going to take more than that to erase memories of his nightmarish seven-appearance stretch between July 23-August 6 when the closer went 0-2 with two blown saves and posted a 23.14 ERA and a Miguel-Cabrera-against-high-school-pitching slash line of .556/.636/.963 to opposing batters.

Ernesto Frieri finally notched his first win by pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts Saturday against the Astros.

Frieri has pitched four scoreless innings since manager Mike Scioscia told him he was being bounced from the closer's role. He's still the team's best option in the ninth, and Scioscia will probably give him a chance to win the job back if he can keep this up for a couple of more appearances.

Ernesto Frieri has been removed as the Angels closer for the time being.

The writing was on the wall when Dane De La Rosa was given the save opportunity on Friday, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Saturday his preference is to use Frieri in low-leverage situations until he regains his previous form. Frieri hasn't pitched since August 6, allowing four runs in his last two appearances spanning one full inning.

Ernesto Frieri picked up his 26th save with a scoreless ninth Friday against the Blue Jays.

Frieri struck out the side in a two-run game, though he did allow a double in the process. It was his first save since July 24 after he blew back-to-back chances earlier this week. One more blown save will likely get him bumped back to middle relief for a bit.

Ernesto Frieri knows he's fighting to save his closer's job.

Frieri blew his second consecutive save against the Rangers Tuesday and has allowed eight runs on nine hits and four walks over his last four appearances. He's posted a dreadful 8.31 ERA and .962 opponent's OPS over 14 appearances since June 23. Scioscia indicated after Tuesday's loss that he might use a closer-by-committee moving forward, a move that could potentially give a pitcher like Dane De La Rosa save chances. "I'm gonna die standing up like a warrior," Frieri said. "I won't give up. You can write that in big letters. I won't give up."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia indicated after Tuesday's loss to the Rangers that he could use a closer-by-committee moving forward.

Frieri blew his second straight save Tuesday and has allowed eight runs on nine hits and four walks over his last four appearances. Sensing that his confidence "might be a little nicked right now," Scioscia said he'll try to play the matchups a bit more in the ninth inning for now. Dane De La Rosa is probably the best pickup for fantasy purposes.

Ernesto Frieri gave up a pair of homers in the ninth to take a blown save and a loss Monday against the Rangers.

Frieri hadn't pitched since picking up his 25th save by the skin of his teeth last Wednesday. The day before that, he gave up five runs to take a loss. Odds are that he'll find it again soon enough, but he's a little lost right now. If things get bad enough that the Angels have to pull him from the closer's role, Dane De La Rosa would be the favorite to take over.

Ernesto Frieri recovered from Tuesday's disaster to pitch a scoreless ninth in a 1-0 win over the Twins on Wednesday.

Barely, though. Frieri walked and then hit the first two batters he faced. He then made one of the heads up plays of the year, letting Justin Morneau's little infield pop drop in front of him for a 1-3-6-3 double play. After another walk, he struck out Chris Herrmann to end it. So, while Frieri got the job done, he may not be cured just yet.

Ernesto Frieri epically imploded Tuesday night against the Twins, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk over 1/3 of an inning.

Frieri, who entered the 10th inning of a 3-3 game, surrendered three consecutive hits before Trevor Plouffe fouled out. The Angels' closer intentionally walked Clete Thomas to load the bases for rookie catcher Chris Herrmann, who crushed a grand slam to right-center. Frieri had given up just 13 runs all season prior to this evening. One awful outing won't affect his job security, but it will spike his ERA from 2.76 to 3.80.

Ernesto Frieri hasn't allowed a run in July.

Frieri posted a disappointing 4.15 ERA in May and hit a brief rough patch in late June, but other than that has been spectacular. He's struck out at least one batter in every appearance since June 28 and his 13.6 K/9 ratio is the highest of his career. Frieri, who has earned saves in the Angels first two games of the second half, currently ranks fifth in the American League with 24 saves.

Ernesto Frieri's 13.6 K/9 ratio is the highest of his career.

Frieri has struck out 60 batters in 39 2/3 innings and doesn't appear likely to wilt in the summer heat: The former Padres reliever has struck out eight batters over two July appearances. Frieri is allowing more hits and walks per nine innings than he did last season, which is why his ERA in 2013 (2.95) is higher than it was in 2012 (2.32). Those are rectifiable problems.