If Holland stayed in the rotation and only got a couple starts over the next month then we would be bitching about he needs more work. This way he will be able to get in games in a variety of different situations. Either close games late where he needs to get one or two guys out or we can use him as a long man if need be.

…….them using him in relief on tuesday after he made a start on saturday. Had they waited until tonight or (more preferrably) thursday to use Holland in relief, then I wouldn’t have had a problem with it at all.

It seems to me that at some point in the 2nd half, if Holland had stayed in the rotation, the team was going to have to shut him down to prevent inning overload on his arm. A stay in the bullpen for a few weeks could be a good start on that.

the guy who doesnt really have a problem with much, and when he does, he rarely expounds on it like you would think some1 from his profession would…

that’s probably the main reason why they pulled him when they did. He would have probably have only gone one inning if it had taken him 20 pitches.

I don’t see it as such a big deal that he’s being shifted between the rotation and the bullpen as long as he’s getting to pitch and not wilt on the bench.

Back in the old days, teams usually had a 4 man rotation with a couple of long relievers that could be pressed into service as a 5th starter when needed.

but when you move a rookie to the pen who is better than the slotted starter, it’s a little harder to swallow.

and keep Holland on a consistent schedule. The better pitcher stays in the rotation and you can still get plenty of chances to see Nippert over multiple innings.

If he was an established player, the team’s decisions would be disputable. Veterans are right to have expectations of their roles (although the ones with Holland’s inconsistency lose that leverage).

Derek Holland carries a pink backpack and, going by the odds, he’ll be lucky to hit arbitration status.

The bottom line is this team’s in a pennant race. Surely Holland, along with the entire clubhouse, is psyched about that. If Derek’s a better reliever he needs to be helping out in the bullpen.

Here’s hoping the medical staff knows not to risk his health with these changes in role.

Was there a reason why he was moved from the pen to start? Did the Rangers need a spot starter a couple times? If so he seems to be a good candidate for that.

Dominant,dominant,dominant. Have I said domninant yet? If it wasn’t for SaltalaFloPia on the other hand….

again…

who knew

1) Dustin Nippert getting a spot start due to Padilla’s injury. I have no problem with that. Gotta do something, and, as the Rangers pretty much admitted when they signed Kris Benson, they have shit for ML ready starting pitching depth, so some stiff has to do it.

2) Holland going to the bully. This in itself I have no problem with. If we had 5 solid ML ready starters, say, Millwood Padilla, Feldman, Hunter and Harrison, then sure, why not put Holland in the bullpen.

3) Holland going to the bully to make a space for Nippert. This is the part I have a huge problem with. Nippert isn’t good in the major leagues, Nippert has never been good in the major leagues, Nippert will likely never be a good starter in the major leagues. Giving him starts over Holland is absolutely idiotic. Over the last 5 years as a starter, Nippert is 3-5 with a 6.71 ERA, and averages 5 IP per start. There is no reasonable expectation that you will get productive starts out of him.

So while I can see moving Holland to the pen for a good starter in a pennant race, I don’t think there is any reason to believe that Nippert is that good starter, and rather than wasting starts trying to develop Nippert, I think you would be better off having Holland starting, and forcing him to throw his offspeed stuff more often.

Holland has not been very effective this year, mainly because his secondary pitches need development. Moving him to the bullpen will let him rely solely on his fastball which will not help his professional advancement. I see him as a Rangers starter in 2010 and beyond, but this move may doom him to the pen for his Rangers career.

Like others have mentioned, the Rangers are in a pennant race and do not need someone as ineffective as Holland throwing every 5th start. Instead of moving him to the pen, send Holland to AAA to develop his secondary pitches. Call up A.J. Murray already, while he is still streaking, for the lefty in the pen.

looking more and more certain it was a murder suicide

that Dutch can/will have success in the pen. There should also be little doubt that it will slow his development as a starter…. Something about cake and eating it too….

If we keep starting people of Nipper tits ilk this bullpen will be a ragged out ’69 pinto by the middle of August.

I wasn’t comfortable referencing on dmn, I’ve heard Mike Bacsik express the same concerns with jumping a guy back and forth like this, and in particular ramping him too quickly back to starter caliber innings. He feels like there is a safe, commonly observed track and that the Rangers have surpassed that. As far as the back-and-forth aspect, this is my main concern, not so much this one episode of moving him back to the pen.

and cut bait with somebody…but if they’re going to put Holland back into the pen for the rest of the year, they could at least cut Eddie

I’m not a big fan of moving him back and forth between the rotation and the ’pen.

My bigger concern is with seeing him mix up his stuff more often though. I would really like to see more of the offspeed stuff, especially that change up that we all heard was very good. If he can throw that more often along with his recently rediscovered curve and slider I think he will be much more effective.

I would much rather see Holland Sunday. If we need a lefty in bullpen (we do) go get AJ and get rid of EE.