Frank Francisco has allowed runs in each of his last four appearances and was yanked from Sunday’s save opportunity with two outs remaining in the ninth inning, but manager Terry Collins is sticking with the struggling right-hander in the closer role.
“I just told him yesterday was one of those days, that he’s still the closer here and to be ready to pitch when we get him back out there,” Collins told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
Collins also revealed that Francisco wasn’t happy to be removed mid-save situation, but added that “I certainly don’t blame him ... if I was in his shoes, I’d be mad too.”
Jon Rauch has served as Francisco’s primary setup man and would be the obvious choice to replace him as closer if Collins decides to make a switch, but for now the manager is blaming sporadic work for some of the struggles and a two-year, $12 million contract signed this offseason gives Francisco quite a bit of job security.