Colorado Rockies: Closer Greg Holland wearing down

After a great start to 2017, Colorado Rockies’ closer Greg Holland is beginning to wear down on the mound.

Over the winter, the Colorado Rockies executed one of MLB’s savviest moves. They signed closer Greg Holland to a favorable deal which would pay him only $6 million in 2017 with a chance for a lot more in 2018. At first, it looked like this was the steal of the offseason. Lately, it’s looking like short-term glory.

Holland hasn’t been dazzling anyone on the mound lately. His ERA is up to 3.69 on the year. While not horrific, it’s a huge increase from the 1.62 ERA he posted in the first half.

Through his first 33.1 innings of work for the Rockies, Holland only allowed six earned runs. In his 13 innings after the All-Star Break, he has allowed more than double that, and now he’s carrying a second half ERA of 9.00. One has to wonder, is Holland breaking down?

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Holland has been especially bad in August. He has blown three saves and added four losses to his record. The once reliable ninth inning man is struggling. As a result, the Rockies’ postseason hopes are thinning.

After missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, it was remarkable that he was able to return to such elite status in 2017 at all. Pitching for the Rockies certainly didn’t help with Coors Field accounting for essentially half of his appearances. This wasn’t a problem in the first half. Holland still found a way to get outs consistently.

In 2013 and 2014, you’d have trouble finding any closer better than Holland. He saved 93 games for the Kansas City Royals over that stretch while posting a 1.32 ERA. He pitched well for most of 2015 too, until he broke down late in the season. Walks got the better of Holland and many wondered if he could ever return to the closer role.

Regardless, the year won’t turn into a complete bust. Holland still leads the league with 36 saves. The bigger issue for the Rockies might be that they are stuck paying him $15 million next year if he picks up his player option this winter. If he can’t figure things out, this would surely burden their payroll.

As a whole, the Rockies’ bullpen has made this once magical season into nothing more than an average one. Many of their ERAs have inflated over the last few weeks. Early on in 2017, their relief pitchers were a major strength and a reason why they weren’t just winning with offense. The thin Colorado air may have finally caught up to everyone.

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With a little over a month left in the 2017 regular season, Holland has already surrendered a career-high five home runs this season. Even during his breakdown in 2015, opposing batters were forced to settle for less.

This year, batters are not showing any mercy. It would appear that Holland’s luck has temporarily run out.