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Following Friday night's mélange of blown save and loss , Ned Yost was not in a mood to discuss the recent struggles of Greg Holland, heretofore Royals closer.
"I’m done talking about Greg right now," Yost said. "I’m done talking about Greg tonight."
Andy McCullough went on to say that the Royals are accepting applications for consideration of bullpen restructuring:
When the Royals regroup on Saturday afternoon, the pecking order inside their bullpen could be rearranged. Until then, the group must absorb the frustration of Friday’s defeat. On a night featuring an electrical delay, some laissez-faire managing by Yost, a sensational swing by Salvador Perez and a light rain across extra innings, the Royals continued their September swoon.
The logic is undeniable. Wade Davis is a better option as closer than the ersatz Holland, and since we are in the aspect of the season where the bullpen is regularly being coddled and nursed to the finish line to keep it ready for the postseason, the likelihood of using The Cyborg in a high-leverage firefighting role is nil. So, you might as well use him to secure the games in which you reach the end with a lead.
What's Eating Greg Holland is a tome at this point, but suffice to say his velocity is down, his control is off, and hitters aren't fooled by the increased usage of his slider. Wade Davis has filled in for Holland through injury this season, and has performed well.
As wait-and-see as the Royals have been on oft-injured or unproductive players throughout the past two-plus seasons, it has gotten to the point where Greg Holland does not seem to be improving, and based on his performance, metrics, and Pitchf/x data, would even seem to be pitching with lingering issues from his DL stints this season.
Unlike Infante or Rios, however, Kansas City has a replacement waiting in the eighth inning. And the seventh.