A's release former closer Johnson

Aug 1, 2014 - 6:54 PM Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Oakland Athletics released former closer Jim Johnson on Friday.

Johnson was designated for assignment on July 24.

The 31-year-old right-hander had struggled since being acquired in an offseason trade with the Baltimore Orioles and was removed from the closer's role earlier this season.

In 38 games, he was 4-2 with two saves, one blown save and a 7.14 ERA. Opponents were hitting .353 against him and his ERA and opponents' on-base percentage (.434) were the highest among major league relievers at the time of his designation.

Johnson allowed 12 runs on 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings over his last five games.