Boone: Yankees to be 'creative' with closer role down stretch
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ARLINGTON -- The Yankees are going to get ¡°creative¡± with the closer spot for the short term, manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
"Just try and put these guys in the best position to be successful,¡± Boone said. ¡°How that shakes out may vary a little bit every night, but in the short term, that¡¯s the way we¡¯ll go."
Boone made the comments a day after Clay Holmes suffered his MLB-leading 11th blown save this season. Holmes squandered a one-run lead Tuesday night with a shaky ninth inning that ended with the Rangers walking off on a grand slam by rookie Wyatt Langford.
Holmes saw his ERA balloon to a season-high 3.27 after the loss.
"At this point in the season, where the race is and playoffs, it¡¯s about winning," Holmes told the New York Post. "I think everybody¡¯s on that same page. Whatever it takes for us to go out and win. Roles and definitions at this point, they are what they are."
"[We] want to support Clay through this,¡± Boone said. ¡°I feel like he¡¯s throwing the ball really well in a lot of ways. Last night was different than what he¡¯s experienced in a lot of the outings this year where it hasn¡¯t gone his way. Last night he was certainly a little off and they got to him. But the reality is, he¡¯s really not that far off from being the dominant guy that we know he can be. In the short term, [we can] certainly be a little creative down there.¡±
Boone added that he ¡°absolutely¡± believes there is enough time left for Holmes to turn it around, despite the season entering its stretch run. For now, though, the Yankees plan on going with a closer-by-committee approach based on matchups in potential save situations.
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Tommy Kahnle has seven career saves and Jake Cousins picked up his first career save last month. Luke Weaver does not have a save in his career, but he could be another option.
"[I] trust a lot of guys,¡± Boone said. ¡°Just how it matches up is how we¡¯ll go. ¡ That¡¯s how we¡¯ll go into it every night."