(670 The Score) First-year Cubs manager David Ross gave struggling closer Craig Kimbrel a chance to regain his form and confidence Tuesday night, but his patience was short.
After Kimbrel allowed two of the first three Royals to reach base as the Cubs led by three runs in the ninth inning, Ross pulled him in favor of reliever Kyle Ryan, who allowed the two inherited runners to score before closing the door for the save in Chicago's 5-4 win at Wrigley Field.
It was an example of the difficult situation that Ross has on his hands. His primary responsibility is putting the Cubs in the best position to win each night as they carry championship hopes, but he also knows if the club is to contend for a title, it's going to need more from Kimbrel and also stability in the bullpen.
So for now, the Cubs have turned to a closer-by-committee approach and are plotting how to get Kimbrel to perform better after a miserable start in which he has allowed six earned runs in three appearances while recording a total of just five outs. He's now set to be used in lower-leverage situations.
The Cubs hope the 32-year-old Kimbrel can benefit from a holistic approach as he looks for a turnaround -- from working with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy to the research department to mental skills coach John Baker.
"We are looking for consistency from everyone we work with," Hottovy said. "The key, in general, is consistency in mechanics and consistency in delivery. All of those things add to better stuff -- better velo, better spin, ultimately better command."
Hottovy then got more specific with his analysis.
"His stuff is trending in the right direction," Hottovy said Wednesday. "The breaking ball was better yesterday, and fastball life is coming back. In the end, however, in this game we are facing professional hitters.
"We are continually working on getting his arm path and release point in the same position. At the same time, we are trying to accomplish execution of pitches. We will keep trying to find his opportunities and work."
What will be the signs that Kimbrel is becoming more effective?
"He must be able to establish his curveball for strikes," Hottovy said. "You saw (Franchy) Cordero take two breaking balls in the zone for strikes. You must get the hitter to honor that. You have to be able to throw that pitch consistently in the strike zone. After that, you can attack with the fastball. When you have a two-strike mix and haven't shown consistency with one of them, teams and gear up for that other pitch. He need to be more unpredictable."
For his part, Kimbrel views his struggles as self-inflicted.
"All I'm really worried about right now is getting back in a comfortable spot where I'm out there competing against the batter in the box, not against myself on the mound," Kimbrel said.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
