Texas Rangers lefthanded pitcher Derek Holland is out of the rotation, according to the beat guys on Twitter, who are reporting that Holland will be pitching out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Jeff Banister apparently wants to see if he can be a bullpen option for the playoffs, with Evan Grant tweeting that Banister says he’d like an eight man bullpen for the ALDS. Holland out there for the playoffs would allow the Rangers to have both someone who could match up against lefties late in games, and someone who can go multiple innings as a long man.
With Holland out, the Rangers have Colby Lewis starting tomorrow, followed by Martin Perez on Monday and A.J. Griffin on Tuesday. It also means the competition for the final two rotation spots in the playoffs is down to those three candidates, although you would have to think that Lewis and Perez have a pretty significant edge at this point.
Meanwhile, the decision to put Holland in the pen, combined with the promotion of Andrew Faulkner yesterday, reinforces that the Rangers aren’t exactly thrilled with their lefty bullpen options. Jake Diekman has pitched just twice in the last ten days, and had trouble throwing strikes in both games...his situation and performance the rest of the way will be something to keep an eye on.