Rockies Removing Wade Davis as Closer is Too Little Too Late

Colorado Rockies closer Wade Davis has been on a bit of a rough streak, losing five straight decisions. To go along with that streak, Davis owns a miserable 6.82 ERA through 31.2 innings. Thanks to his recent struggles, the 33 year-old righty is going to see his role in the Rockies bullpen take a drastic turn.

Colorado's manager, Bud Black, announced that Davis has been removed from his familiar closing role. Black and the Rockies are in desperate need for wins, currently sitting in no-mans land in both the NL West and wild card standings. They've struggled heavily in the second half since the All-Star break and Davis has been far from a silver lining in the bullpen.

Before the MLB trade deadline, it seemed as though the Rockies were looking to possibly move Davis. However, it's likely that they couldn't find a suitor willing to take on Davis' shaky performances late in games.

With the demotion of the bullpen, Black made clear that Scott Oberg would take over as the team's closer. Oberg has markedly better stats than Davis, with a 5-1 record and 1.56 ERA through 52 innings in 2019.

Although the move is definitley a smart one for Colorado, it may be too late to climb out of hole they've dug themselves. Black hasn't made any sort of distinction as to when Davis will return to his normal closing role, instead just chalking it up as a temporary switch.

For the time being, Black's experiment will have Davis pitching through the middle innings. Over the next two weeks, the Rockies have a brutal schedule including series with the Giants, Astros, Padres and Diamondbacks.

If the move pays off, it'll only partially solve the Rockies laundry list of issues. Oberg could help them lock down a few late-game wins, but they still have plenty of work to do if they hope to put themselves anywhere near the postseason.