There is probably not a manager in baseball more loyal to his players than Tampa Bay Rays skipper Joe Maddon, but even he has a breaking point. The Rays will go with a closer-by-committee approach to replace struggling right-hander Grant Balfour in the role, Maddon said Monday.
“We’re going to go by committee right now,” Maddon told reporters.
The move comes after Balfour’s latest meltdown allowing five runs with two outs in the ninth inning yesterday, in game that was a 0-0 tie with the Seattle Mariners. The Rays lost 5-0.
“I think I upset the baseball gods or did something wrong,” Balfour said Sunday, when he struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up four hits and two walks. “I’ve never given up five runs in my career in an inning and I’ve done it twice this year.”
While we cannot be sure about the baseball gods, we know Maddon has seen enough.
“It just hasn’t worked out,” Maddon said, adding that he expects Balfour will get a chance to close some games later this season.
Balfour entered Monday 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA in 24 games and had nine saves in 11 opportunities. He has walked 20 batters in 23 2/3 innings.
Jake McGee, Joel Peralta and Juan Carlos Oviedo figure to be among the candidates who could get regular time in the role of closer.
Balfour was signed to a two year deal in January that will pay him $12 million. The 36-year-old Australian native had a stellar 2013 campaign, posting 38 saves and a 2.59 ERA for the AL West champion A’s, but has struggled in his return to Tampa Bay this year.
