Giants closer Camilo Doval is having a rough 2024 MLB season, and broadcaster Mike Krukow believes the team might need to take drastic action with its 2023 All-Star.
A day after Doval blew a save in the Giants' eventual 3-2 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday at Oracle Park, Krukow went on KNBR 680 and shared his honest thoughts on what he has seen this season.
"Where we go from here?" Krukow said to Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. "I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know if he's the guy coming out of the break. Quite honestly, you have to have a more confident arm in that slot. Do you put in Ryan Walker? Do you put anybody else? What has Tyler Rogers done in the high leverage situation pitching the eighth inning? He's been great.
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"So there are other options there and there is concern and really if you're Bob Melvin, you might even consider that this is something that he needs to go down [to the minor leagues]. Work on a few things. Kind of a head slap, calm down, find out what is really important in certain situations, what you have to do with a two-run lead when you're facing a guy who really should have no business in that batter's box against you. There's a couple of changes that he has to make to be able to get back to where he was and right now he's not the same guy he was a year ago."
Doval was called upon Sunday to protect a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth inning, but he walked Diego A. Castillo to lead off the inning and allowed a double to Trevor Larnach, putting runners at second and third. He struck out Matt Wallner but gave up a two-run game-tying double to Manuel Margot.
Melvin came out and removed his struggling closer from the game in favor of Walker, who managed to get the next two outs, stranding Margot at second.
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Krukow didn't hold back when addressing how Doval pitched against the Twins.
"I'm pissed off," Krukow said. "That two-nothing lead and that walk, especially when he had the 1-2 count [Editor's note: The count was 2-1], that's unforgivable for a closer.
"He's better than what he's shown. He's better than this. He had a little bit of a lazy slider there for a while and he picked it up. These last couple of outings he got that slider. But what I don't like about it is the arrogance when they've asked him to come in there and pitch when the whole bullpen has been gassed and he didn't want to go and pitch that game. What was it, like a 9-1 game and he gives up three runs or whatever it was. There's [little] things like that that you cannot have and he needs to rise above that and he needs to mature in his position because they need him to make a run. He is a key and he needs to grow up a little bit."
Krukow likely is referring to the Giants' 13-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on June 16 when Doval came into a 13-2 game and proceeded to allowed four hits, four earned runs and two walks in 1/3 of an inning.
When Doval was taken out of the game, he returned to the Giants dugout, angrily spiked a water cooler and yelled an obscenity as he walked down the stairs to the clubhouse.
At the time, Krukow was a fan of Doval's actions. But things appear to have changed.
Between that June 16 outing and Sunday, Doval had allowed just one earned run and struck out 13 batters in nine innings over nine outings.
After his ERA skyrocketed to 4.88 because of the outing against the Angels, he managed to lower it to 3.93 over those nine outings, only to see it jump back up to 4.38 after Sunday's game.
Walker (2.32 ERA in 50 1/3 innings) and Rogers (2.58 ERA in 45 1/3 innings) both are having good seasons and would be solid options to close if the Giants decide to make a change with Doval.
But the Giants probably are hoping the All-Star break serves as a reset for Doval so that he can find his All-Star form in the second half.
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