Watson out as closer, Rivero and Nicasio to split duties

Tony Watson has been removed from his role as the Pirates' closer.

For now, at least.

Clint Hurdle told reporters Friday afternoon at PNC Park that he will 'unplug' Watson from a ninth-inning role, and will utilize him in low-leverage situations to try to correct the problems, giving him an opportunity to regain his job in the future.

Meanwhile, Felipe Rivero and Juan Nicasio will split the role as the Pirates' closer, depending on the situation and lineup the Pirates are facing.



"We're going to use the bullpen to win games," Hurdle said. "There's not a closer; depending on the lineup and depending on the game situation. Felipe could pitch the eighth. Felipe could be in the same role he's been in. Nicasio is going to be in the same role he's been in. One of them will pitch the ninth inning."

The move came after Hurdle said Thursday he would not turn to a closer-by-committee situation, and he insists that remains the case, despite having two relievers sharing the job.

Watson has blown five saves this season, including on back-to-back nights Tuesday and Wednesday in Baltimore. The left-hander hasn’t converted a save since May 21 and his ERA has ballooned to 4.44 after it was 0.96 at the end of April. His latest blown save was the fifth time in 10 outings that he has allowed multiple runs.

Rivero, meanwhile, has made 11 straight scoreless appearances and has been scored upon just three times in 31 appearances this season. He has the fourth-lowest ERA (0.58) in the majors among relievers.

Nicasio is not far behind him. The right-hander has posted a 0.82 ERA in his last 23 appearances, and has been charged with just one run in his last 20 outings. He has a 1.70 ERA over his last 42 games dating back to Sept. 6, 2016.

Hurdle and pitching coach Ray Searage met with Watson Friday afternoon to present a plan to correct the issues he's had over the past six weeks. It is similar to what the Pirates did to help Daniel Hudson, who was signed in the offseason to pitch the eighth inning.

Hudson had a 9.28 ERA on May 1 after allowing seven runs in his previous two outings. Since being moved near the front of the bullpen, Hudson has lowered his ERA to 5.33 and Hurdle said the right-hander is improving enough to be trusted in a seventh- or eighth-inning role.

He is hoping for a similar turnaround from Watson.

"He has work to do and that’s what we talked about: how we best serve to get him back to being the best pitcher he can be and that he’s been," Hurdle said. "I think our bullpen will set up the way we wanted to set it up over the winter — to have Hudson and Tony in the back. We’ve moved those guys forward and we’ve moved the other two guys back. We have a plan that we would like to put back in place."

For now, the job to close games will be handed to Rivero or Nicasio. It is a move Hurdle described as "common sense" since both pitchers have proven to be versatile for the Pirates this season. Neither would be shaken by having to pitch the ninth one night and the eighth the next, and that played heavily into Hurdle's decision.

Rivero was acquired from the Nationals in exchange for Mark Melancon last August with the plan of having him close in the future, but Hurdle would rather deploy him "aggressively," rather than risking not being able to use him in critical situations.

Instead of handing the job to the 25-year-old, Hurdle decided to use two inexperienced closers. Rivero has made 34 appearances in the ninth inning during his career, but has just three career saves.

Nicasio has made 29 ninth-inning appearances since making his major league debut in 2011, but opponents are hitting .283 against him in those situations and he has only one career save.

Hurdle did not go into details on how he plans to deploy the two, but he made it clear this is not a long-term answer. Watson is also on board.

"He’s all in on getting his performance level revved back up and reignited and doing what’s best for the club," Hurdle said.