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Wade Davis is named new closer for Royals

Posted at 5:49 PM, Sep 22, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-22 18:49:31-04

The Royals are shaking things up before the postseason begins.

Tuesday afternoon, manager Ned Yost announced Wade Davis will take over as the closer for the remainder of the season, including the post-season.

Davis will be replacing Greg Holland.

Holland has struggled as the team's closer since the All-Star break. He's racked up a disappointing 5.50 ERA, and his velocity is down 10 miles per hour.

Yost knew he needed to make a change.

"You know what you got with Wade," said Yost. "With Holland, you don't know from one day to the next how his elbow is going to react. If it's going to be tight. If it's going to be sore. Or if it's going to be stiff. We have to have built in backup. If Holland does get out there and run into trouble, we're able to bring another guy in to get him out of trouble. In the closer's role you don't have that."

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The Royals are in a great spot right now to clinch the division.

It will likely happen this week at Kauffman Stadium.

Their magic number is three. This means any combination of Royals wins and Twins losses that add up to three, and the Royals will clinch their first division championship since 1985.