The Yankees were nearly scared straight on Sunday against the Texas Rangers when they asked closer Clay Holmes to throw a career-high 45 pitches trying to get out of the ninth inning. The Yankees squandered an 8–3 lead going into the eighth, with Mark Leiter Jr. giving up three earned runs and Holmes allowing one earned run but leaving several men on base to secure the win.
Holmes’ Volatility Should Concern the Yankees
Holmes often scares Yankee fans due to his volatility, considering he’s leading the league with nine blown saves this season. Despite that fact, the Yankees remain committed to him, having missed out on the opportunity to acquire another top bullpen arm at the deadline in late July.
The 31-year-old did earn an All-Star appearance this year, but he’s been inconsistent and extremely risky. On the year, he hosts a 2.81 ERA, including 9.56 strikeouts per nine, a 69.6% left-on-base rate, and a 68.3% ground ball rate. His underlying metrics look fine, but he’s been regressing a bit over the past few weeks, and the Yankees may want to consider a sneaky option to help close out games.
Schmidt as a Potential Closer
Notably, the Bombers hope to get back starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt in the next few weeks, but the 28-year-old doesn’t have a spot in the rotation at the moment. The Yankees could move either Nestor Cortes or Marcus Stroman out, but they may want to consider using Schmidt as a reliever, especially during the playoffs when he may not be in the rotation. At the moment, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Luis Gil will likely get the nod in a postseason, leaving Schmidt out of the equation.
Schmidt’s Qualities and Opportunities
However, Schmidt has all the qualities to be a fantastic closer, and the Yankees may want to give him a few opportunities, given that Holmes is clearly struggling. Before suffering a lat injury, Schmidt pitched 60.2 innings, hosting a 2.52 ERA, 9.94 strikeouts per nine, an 84.1% left-on-base rate, and a 39% ground ball rate. Ideally, the Yanks would give him some time to work his way back into the rotation once he returns or maybe give Stroman a few weeks off to help provide rest and rejuvenation.
Stroman’s Current Performance
Stroman is coming off a solid performance on Sunday, pitching five innings and giving up just one earned run. There may be light at the end of the tunnel, but his lack of velocity is problematic, and he didn’t show any change in that category.
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Boone’s Playoff Considerations
The Yankees view Schmidt as a de facto trade acquisition, along with Cody Poteet. They can make some changes in the bullpen to see if both arms can make an impact there, but at this point, Manager Aaron Boone needs to think long and hard about Holmes in a playoff scenario, especially with his last few appearances producing more anxiety than success.