HOLLAND RETURNS TO K.C., WHERE HE MATURED INTO ALL-STAR RELIEVER
MO.» Greg Holland KANSAS CITY, is fond of saying that he’ll reminisce about his baseball career when his work is done. But it was clear Tuesday afternoon that a return to Kauffman Stadium struck an emotional chord with the Rockies’ closer.
“I try not to think too much about those things, because I try to keep it like a job. It keeps me from getting emotional on the mound,” he said before the Rockies took on Kansas City in the first game of a three-game interleague series. “But I do realize that I was part of something special here, and I’m proud of that. So this is different than going to any other ballpark. But hope- fully, I will keep those emotions in check when I get on the mound.”
Holland, 31, pitched for the Royals from 2010-15 and was an all-star in 2014 and 2015. He posted an 18-12 record with 45 saves and a 2.42 ERA for K.C. and ranks fourth in franchise history in saves. In the 2014 postseason, he converted all seven save opportunities, allowing just one run.
The Royals won the World Series in 2015, but Holland missed the entire postseason with an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. The Royals were one of the teams that expressed some interest in re-signing Holland last winter, but he signed a free-agent deal with Colorado.
“It’s been a good season,” said Holland, who has 35 saves, despite recent ninth-inning stumbles. “We have a good clubhouse, kind of like I enjoyed when I was in Kansas City. When you go to a new team, there is always that anxiousness about what to expect, but it’s been pretty seamless for me.”
Since the all-star break, however, Holland’s ERA has more than doubled, rising from 1.57 to 3.22. In his last five appearances before Tuesday’s game he has blown two saves and been saddled with a loss.
Wolters, Tapia return.
Colorado recalled catcher Tony Wolters and outfielder Raimel Tapia from Triple-A Albuquerque, and placed catcher Ryan Hanigan on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained left groin and optioned outfielder Mike Tauchman. Wolters will work as the backup to starter Jonathan Lucroy. Since Wolters was optioned to Triple-A on Aug. 1, he has batted .259 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBIs in 14 games with the Isotopes.
“We wanted Tony to concentrate on both the catching side and the offensive side,” manager Bud Black said. “He did a pretty good job on both, even though there weren’t a lot of games and a lot of at-bats.”
The speedy Tapia has the ability to provide the Rockies with an added dimension to their offense. He started Tuesday night when Gerardo Parra was a late scratch because of a bruised right thigh, suffered Sunday when he was hit by a pitch. In four previous stints with Rockies this season, Tapia hit .287 with 22 runs, eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBIs and five stolen bases in 48 games.