Just two nights after Clay Holmes coughed up a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning, Aaron Boone when back to his struggling reliever in the ninth inning on Wednesday, to the same result.
Holmes promptly gave up two hits to allow the Guardians to take the lead, only this time, the offense was able to bail him out thanks to a walk-off single by Jose Trevino.
Despite Monday’s outcome, Boone said he had “no hesitation” going to Holmes in the ninth, with the Yanks looking to lock up a much-needed series win.
“No hesitation going to him,” Boone said. “He’s coming in the game. That’s where we’re going, whether it’s with two outs there or in the next inning. Zero hesitation going to him.
“The only hesitation was, do I squeeze one more out from [Ron] Marinaccio and go to Holmes to start the next inning?”
Boone understands the frustration with Holmes, who looked so dominant through the first half of last season but has struggled ever since, but he noted the bloop single by Oscar Gonzalez to give Cleveland the lead as one of a few instances where Holmes hasn’t had the best luck, and he will continue to trust the righty.
“With Clay, obviously there’s been a couple outings, but let’s look at what’s going on a little bit,” Boone said. “It’s a little bit the Bermuda Triangle. That’s baseball sometimes. We've got to get him to where he's the Clay we know. But he's a lot closer to that than the noise.”
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