For the first two months of the season, Wade LeBlanc provided Clint Hurdle with an effective left-handed reliever capable of pitching in any situation.
When the Pirates' rotation often struggled to reach the sixth inning and two of the bullpen's most pivotal pieces — Tony Watson and Daniel Hudson — faltered, LeBlanc was there to pitch multiple innings while preserving the bullpen and escaping high-leverage situations.
That was far from the case in June. Now Hurdle is facing a predicament, with three of his four left-handed relievers struggling.
LeBlanc allowed 13 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings in June for a 9.24 ERA. His line-drive rate was up seven percent from the previous two months, and an inability to keep pitches down in the zone has led to hits such as Brandon Belt's solo home run to lead off the eighth inning Friday night:
The 32-year-old, who was acquired from the Mariners last September for cash considerations, has seen his ERA rise to 4.47 after an impressive two-month stretch, but he isn't quite sure what went wrong.
"Sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on things," LeBlanc told DKPittsburghSports.com Saturday afternoon. "I feel the same physically. I feel the same mechanically. If there was something like an outlier with a month of high walk rate or walk totals then maybe you can point to something mechanical."
He has only nine walks this season. In fact, he threw more of his pitches for strikes in June than the previous two months. But it produced a far different result. In his first 20 appearances this season, LeBlanc allowed just nine runs in 31 2/3 innings for a 2.56 ERA and opponents were batting just .218 against him.
His resurgence came at a perfect time with Watson struggling and Antonio Bastardo, one of the other lefties who made the opening-day roster, placed on the disabled list April 25 after getting pounded for 12 runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Pirates needed a reliable left-hander, particularly one who could pitch multiple innings.
LeBlanc pitched multiple innings eight times over the first two months of the season, including 5 2/3 innings against the Reds on April 10 when Tyler Glasnow failed to make it through the second inning, and his 44 1/3 innings this season are the fourth-most among major league relievers.
He was effective at mixing speeds and keeping the ball low in the zone, but that has not been the case over his last 11 appearances. He has a 1.74 WHIP in that span and left-handers are now batting .306 against him this season.
Hurdle said LeBlanc is simply struggling to execute the way he did when he was at his best.
"More often than not that’s the answer nobody wants to here, but that's the answer that plays out over the plate," he said of LeBlanc not executing. "It’s what plays out on the mound. There’s been some challenges with some left-handers. It’s a work in progress. The game, you never master it. He gave us a really good first two months in a variety of roles. He’s been challenged lately, and I think it comes down to execution."
LeBlanc's struggles have come at an inopportune time. Hurdle's hands are tied with his bullpen, particularly his ability to use a left-hander to play the matchup. Watson has allowed 14 runs his last 19 1/3 innings, though he stranded two inherited runners Wednesday by retiring two batters.
Bastardo, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis Tuesday after exhausting the maximum 30-day rehab assignment, walked the only batter he faced Friday and now has a 17.55 ERA this season while opponents are batting .429 against him.
The other left-hander, Felipe Rivero, is now the acting closer, giving Hurdle some hesitation to use him in a high-leverage situation early in the game. Now, pitching coach Ray Searage is working extensively with LeBlanc, Bastardo and Watson to regain their form, but how does Hurdle manage his bullpen in the meantime?
"That’s part of managing and you rely on your pitching coach, you rely on your guys also to have some patience and find opportunities to get them touches with the ball," Hurdle said.
Bastardo's leash may be somewhat short. Left-handed starting pitcher Steven Brault has been dominant at times with Triple-A Indianapolis, leading the International League with a 2.04 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings.
Hurdle would not rule out potentially using Brault in a relief role at some point this season, though he acknowledged the challenges of converting a starter to a reliever mid-season. The organization is preparing Brault for such a role, having him throw one inning of relief last month.
In the meantime, LeBlanc and his fellow lefties will need to improve. Having him face Belt Friday night was an ideal matchup, as the left-handed-hitting first baseman is batting .202 against left-handers.
He got ahead by throwing a four-seam fastball 87 miles per hour high and outside for a strike, but a hanging 1-1 slider turned into disaster, increasing the Giants' lead to 12-5. Those mistakes have become common over the past month, but LeBlanc said now is not the time to panic, even if the timing of his regression is less than ideal.
"I think it’s more of baseball kind of has a way of evening numbers out here and there," he said. "I think maybe that’s all it was. Now it’s my job to figure out what I need to do to stay where I’m at, I guess, but put up better numbers."