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LH Holland rips Giants after demotion to bullpen

The San Francisco Giants demoted starting pitcher Derek Holland to the bullpen after a bad outing, and he let the team know he isn't happy about the move.

"To be honest, I have no idea what they're doing. And I don't mean that by Boch (manager Bruce Bochy) and them," he told reporters. "It's more for the front office. We keep changing things. I get a fake injury, so I'm not happy about that. But at the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do."

In his last start on Thursday, Holland gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings in what turned out to be a 12-11 loss at Colorado. In his previous start on April 27 against the New York Yankees, he surrendered six runs on six hits in five innings.

On the season, he is 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts.

Holland didn't pitch Saturday night in a 5-4 loss to Cincinnati, but after the game, the Giants announced his shift to the bullpen.

The "fake injury" Holland referred to likely is the bone bruise on his left index finger, sustained during spring training, that continued to bother him. He went on the injured list on April 28 and returned on May 8.

Farhan Zaidi, the Giants' president of baseball operations, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the team ordered an MRI and thought the injury could use some time to heal, but Holland wanted to continue to pitch.

"His use of the word ‘fake' probably comes from him feeling he could continue to pitch with it," Zaidi said. "Players and the staff and front office people sometimes have differences of opinion when they should or shouldn't play."

Holland, a 32-year-old lefty, is in his second season with San Francisco and his 11th overall. He has a career 77-77 record and a 4.50 ERA.

--Field Level Media