ARLINGTON, Texas — As soon as they picked themselves up from Tuesday’s gut-punch of a loss, the Yankees have been again in a well-known spot: having to rethink the nearer position.
With three and a half weeks left within the common season, the ninth inning stays a problem after Clay Holmes blew his league-leading eleventh save in a brutal 7-4 loss to the Rangers that knocked the Yankees out of first place within the AL East.
Aaron Boone as soon as once more left the door open for the Yankees to “contemplate all the things,” citing the choices they’ve on the again finish of the bullpen. He had an analogous response after Holmes blew his tenth save within the Little League Traditional on Aug. 18, however then used Holmes for the subsequent three save alternatives earlier than Tuesday, which he cleanly transformed every time.
The fact is that if the workforce had a clear-cut answer to interchange Holmes — after solely including a pair of supplementary relievers on the commerce deadline — it seemingly would have gone to it already.
“We’ll discuss via it and do what we predict is the very best factor,” Boone mentioned Tuesday evening.
Holmes was pitching for a second straight day Tuesday, so he’s unlikely for use once more Wednesday if a save alternative arises no matter what the Yankees resolve about his position.
The Yankees could owe it to the workforce to present Holmes a breather and take a look at somebody totally different to shut out video games earlier than they get to October. However who?
The three primary candidates can be Tommy Kahnle, Luke Weaver and Jake Cousins. Of that group, solely Cousins has recorded a save this season (towards the White Sox final month on an evening when Holmes was unavailable), although Kahnle has seven in his 10-year profession.
Cousins could have probably the most closer-like stuff of the group, with a wipeout slider that generates loads of unhealthy swings. He entered Wednesday with a 2.73 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 14 walks throughout 33 innings this season, although he had allowed not less than one run in every of his final three outings — together with Tuesday’s eighth inning, when he didn’t obtain a lot assist from his protection.
Kahnle got here into Wednesday with a 2.00 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 16 walks in 36 innings. He has misplaced a tick on his fastball — towards which opponents are hitting .320 — however has leaned totally on his changeup to get outs, although it stays to be seen how a changeup-heavy method would work within the ninth inning. There are profitable closers that rely totally on one pitch, however it’s typically a triple-digit fastball or biting slider, not a changeup (particularly one with out a lot menace of a fastball to play off it).
Weaver, in the meantime, is a transformed starter who has carved out a high-leverage bullpen position for himself this season and pitched properly to a 3.33 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 23 walks in 73 innings. However he has by no means had a save alternative within the large leagues, with most of his appearances this season coming within the seventh and eighth innings.
A possible wild card outdoors of that group is Luis Gil, however the Yankees for now seem dedicated to preserving him as a starter — as a result of when he’s proper, he may very well be one in every of their greatest choices to start out a playoff recreation. The precise-hander is scheduled to come back off the injured record to start out on Friday towards the Cubs. And whereas transferring Gil to the bullpen would remedy the Yankees’ rotation crunch — and extra importantly give them a aid weapon with overpowering stuff — it won’t be life like to ask him to pitch a number of instances every week (by no means thoughts on back-to-back days) after being on a starter’s schedule all season and virtually all of his profession.
One other late-inning choice, Ian Hamilton, might rejoin the Yankees this weekend if he will get via yet one more rehab outing wholesome on Wednesday or Thursday.
He recorded a pair of saves final season (one in every of them a three-inning outing), however had not been as sharp this yr earlier than touchdown on the IL with a lat pressure in June.
