The Pirates may not be without Felipe Vazquez for long.
Vazquez, who was removed in the eighth inning of Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals Sunday, was diagnosed with minor irritation in one of the flexor muscles in his left arm and is day-to-day, Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates' director of sports medicine, told reporters Monday morning.
Vazquez was playing catch on the field at PNC Park prior to first pitch against the Cubs Monday and will be reevaluated Tuesday.
"I’m not a doctor, but the reports we got back were very encouraging," Clint Hurdle said. "He felt very encouraged, which is a big part of the situation. His mind is cleared that there’s no damage. That being said, I think we want to do what’s best for him and backing away from him for a day could help. We’ll reassess tomorrow."
Vazquez said moments earlier: "They are going to give me a day off, just to set it up and see, have my throwing program today. ... I am going to feel good anyway but they just want to make sure that I can come back strong tomorrow."
The injury appeared to be troubling, though. Trailing 4-3, the Cardinals loaded the bases on Michael Feliz with a single and two walks in the eighth inning Sunday. Feliz, acquired from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, struck out Tyler O’Neill before Hurdle called on Vazquez to attempt a five-out save. Vazquez allowed a bloop single to Harrison Bader, walked a batter to give the Cardinals a second run and allowed the third run to score on a fielder’s choice. Vazquez then walked another batter before he was pulled from the game.
He threw only five of his 16 pitches for strikes, and the final two pitches he threw were 98-mph four-seam fastballs that missed well out of the zone arm side. The Pirates’ closer was seen rubbing his left elbow before leaving the dugout. Vazquez told reporters Monday that he felt a "little pop" in his left arm and was rubbing his elbow to try to "shake it off."
Vazquez added that he could not move his ring finger, which hindered his ability to throw strikes. Vazquez also indicated the discomfort was similar to the injury he suffered in 2014, which forced him to spend six weeks on the minor-league disabled list.
Tomczyk, though, said Vazquez was put through a battery of tests that determined the injury is not serious.
"The subjective findings, the subjective history the player has presented is important," Tomczyk said. "That’s what they felt. Through all the evaluations our doctors have put him through now, we’re fairly confident it is minor flexor irritation at this point."
Vazquez, signed by the Pirates to a four-year contract extension in January, has a 3.54 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 20 1/3 innings this season. Nine of his 12 inherited runners have scored, and the whiff rate on both his four-seam fastball and curveball are down from last season.
He allowed only one run in a stretch of 18 innings from April 1 to May 17, but he’s struggled to command his four-seam fastball and changeup over his past three appearances. Vazquez first blew a save on May 20, when he threw 24 pitches against the Padres without recording an out, allowing three earned runs on four hits in an 8-5 loss. Then, he gave up two hits in 1 1/3 innings against the Reds earlier this week, allowing both of his inherited runners to score.
It was the sixth time this season Hurdle deployed Vazquez in a five-out save situation, and it was Vazquez's third consecutive blown save. Hurdle, though, said the Pirates have always been cautious with how often they've used Vazquez.
"We've been very cautious about how we've used him all along," Hurdle said. "We've gotten a lot of suggestions about how to use him and increase his opportunities and pitch longer and pitch more. This all speaks to our first thoughts with him on monitoring the times he pitches because of these situations. Most relievers run through these types of sequences physically. So we'll continue to get feedback from him. ... I do think he's really refreshed with where he is today compared to what he might have felt momentarily or for a little bit yesterday. We'll rely on our training staff, we'll rely on him and monitor his usage as we have."
Sunday was Vazquez's third consecutive blown save. His velocity is down from last season, and he's relied mostly on his four-seamer and changeup after mixing in a slider and curveball for most of his career. However, Vazquez expressed confidence his velocity will increase as the season goes on and that he will be ready to pitch Tuesday.
"I'm good," Vazquez said. "I'm ready to go."