The comedic impressions, the all-around goofiness and even the recent "Wild Thing" haircut have become staples of Derek Holland's public persona during his seven-year career.
It has made him a beloved player within his own clubhouse, a well-liked man within the game, a go-to interview for media members and a favorite for Texas Rangers fans. It has also made him marketable, gaining him television appearances and endorsement deals.
None of that would matter if Holland could not produce on the mound, though, and through most of his career, he has. But his downfall has been that over the last two seasons, injuries are associated with him as much as his fun-loving personality.
This season, it was a torn muscle behind his left shoulder that cost him more than four months on the disabled list—last year it was an off-field knee injury that sidelined him for the first five months of the season—but he has pitched mostly like a front-line starter since his return. That is a key reason why the Rangers, if they hang on to make the postseason as a wild card or winner of the American League West, can match their rotation with any in the Junior Circuit.
Holland talked about what he needs to do to help the team down the stretch, via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
It sucks that I am as fresh as I am, but I need to use this to my benefit and help these guys. I don't know what the [innings] plan is from here on out, but I'm just happy they let me have the chances to go out there for nine innings.
I feel like everything is good. My job is to be prepared every five days. Now, it's go time.
.@Dutch_Oven45, meet @charliesheen: http://t.co/S8evbGX3ne pic.twitter.com/RGqg1hCm4H
— Cut4 (@Cut4) September 8, 2015
It has been since his return on Aug. 19. Aside from a few so-so outings, Holland has been a shutdown part of the rotation, compiling a 3.13 ERA in six starts. His best of those came three turns ago when he threw a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles. He followed that with eight innings of one-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels. He gave up only three hits in each of those starts.
The numbers should not be shocking. In his five September starts last season after he returned from the microfracture surgery on his left knee, he had a 1.31 ERA and pitched less than seven innings in only one of those.
"What he did last September was eye-popping," pitching coach Mike Maddux told Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after the Baltimore start. "What he did [against the Orioles] was like what he did last September."
There will likely be some mild innings limits on Holland for the rest of the month—he threw 116 and 113 pitches, respectively, in those starts against the Orioles and Angels—but he feels good right now, and whatever limits exist, they should not affect him pitching in the playoffs.
His next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Houston Astros and their ace, Dallas Keuchel, easily the most critical series the teams have played against each other since the Astros moved to the league in 2013.
"We know he's been out to 116," manager Jeff Banister told reporters. "I don't know if we'll be as liberal with that number. That's not to say that we don't go to that number. We haven't taken the gloves off just yet."
The Rangers' postseason hopes are still delicate at this point. They are 13 games over .500 in the second half and have pulled themselves to within a half-game of the Astros in the AL West, though their lead for the second wild-card spot is at just one game over the Minnesota Twins.
If they manage to hold on and earn a berth, their rotation stacks up with any the league will throw against them. In a one-game playoff, they have an ace in Cole Hamels, who pitched seven innings and allowed three runs against the Astros on Monday. That is the kind of experienced, reliable arm any team would take in a do-or-die situation.
If the Rangers find themselves in a series, they can run out a trio of Hamels, Holland and Yovani Gallardo. That could be potentially as good as any threesome in the league, and they can use Colby Lewis, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Martinez or Martin Perez as a fourth. Those aren't bad back-end options to have.
Over the previous 30 days, just before Holland's return and going into Monday, Texas' rotation had the fourth-highest FanGraphs WAR in the AL in that time frame, and its 3.67 ERA was third-lowest. And even though wins aren't a great way to gauge effectiveness, the group was tied for the most wins (15) in that span.
"We've got some different animals out there," Maddux told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News on Aug. 30. "Our rotation has been improved. We're in a good spot."
It is possible that spot could become great if Holland continues giving them run-preventing starts through this month and into October.
All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.
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