Holmes earned a hold against Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing one hit in an inning of work.
After New York rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, manager Aaron Boone turned to Holmes to face the heart of the Rays' order in the bottom of the frame. He gave up a leadoff single that was quickly erased on a double play and needed just seven pitches overall to get through the scoreless inning. However, rather than being kept in the game to go for a multi-inning save, Holmes was relieved by Ian Hamilton, who closed things out for his first career save. There was no changing of the guard here -- if anything, it was a testament to Boone's faith in Holmes that he brought him in to face the toughest part of Tampa's lineup -- but the outing was a reminder that Holmes won't always work the ninth inning. He had been struggling of late, so a positive spin is that the effective performance against MLB's top team could help the closer regain any diminished confidence.