CINCINNATI — Michael Feliz is no longer among Clint Hurdle's most trusted relief pitchers. Instead, Feliz is handed low-leverage innings when the Pirates are either up big or losing. That's why Feliz was so upset with himself last Saturday.
Feliz, the 25-year-old hard-throwing right-hander acquired in the Gerrit Cole trade, stranded three inherited runners in the eighth inning with the score tied, only to allow two runs in the ninth. Although the Pirates scored four in the eighth and Felipe Vazquez recorded the final out in the ninth to secure the win, Feliz thought he let Hurdle down.
That wasn't the case. Hurdle was still beaming Saturday at Great American Ball Park when recalling Feliz getting out of that eighth-inning jam. While Feliz's ERA has ballooned to 5.54, Hurdle insists the best is yet to come for the reliever who was the Pirates' setup man only two months ago.
"Michael’s hard to please and that’s one of the things you appreciate about players," Hurdle said. "He pushes himself extremely hard. He had two of the biggest outs of the game the other day and was just so disappointed in himself he wasn’t able to get the last inning to keep Felipe out of the game. I encourage him to hunt some good because the two outs he got were really big. … We were trying to give him an opportunity to throw some pitches and work through some things."
Feliz, third in line for high-leverage innings when the season began, has allowed 17 earned runs in his last 17 1/3 innings. Opponents have posted a .315 average and .928 OPS against him in that span. He's allowed two or more runs on five occasions.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander's fastball velocity is down from last season, and he's no longer able to consistently command his slider. Feliz pitched two innings twice in three days last month before landing on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. He and the Pirates' staff used that time away from the field to clean up his delivery and take a closer look at game tape.
Yet, there was no secret as to why Feliz was struggling. His elevated fastballs were getting hit hard. The pitch has produced a .267 opponents' batting average and its whiff rate has dropped eight percent from last season. There was no deception. Hitters often knew exactly which pitch Feliz was going to throw, no matter the count. After all, his shoddy command had him behind in the count often, and his inability to throw a slider for a strike put him in survival mode.
"I can’t just rely on the fastball," Feliz said. "I have to be more consistent. Throw the ball over the plate. I know I was struggling, but at the end I was competing. There was nothing too concerning."
As a result, Feliz's opponents' batting average is a team-worst .264 and his WHIP has risen to 1.57. The Pirates' hope when acquiring Feliz was that Ray Searage and Euclides Rojas could help him rediscover what he lost for the Astros in 2017. Feliz was outstanding as a rookie the previous season, posting a 1.18 WHIP with 95 strikeouts — the fifth-most among American League relief pitchers — to 22 walks in 65 innings, setting a franchise record for strikeouts per nine innings for a rookie relief pitcher.
However, he had a 5.63 ERA and 1.56 WHIP for the Astros last season. Feliz had a 2.10 ERA through June 3, only for his command to become erratic. He was optioned to Double-A after allowing six earned runs in two innings against the Phillies on July 26, and he was placed on the disabled list a week later with an injured right shoulder.
Feliz missed 33 days and pitched only four more times before being shut down for the rest of the season. "Those struggles weren't like what's happening now," Feliz said. "I was injured there. That's all that was. I'm healthy."
The Pirates' staff is still brimming with optimism that Feliz can be a formidable arm in their bullpen. After allowing four runs on opening day this season, Feliz posted a 0.90 ERA with 26 strikeouts to six walks over his next 20 innings. That earned him an audition for the setup job when George Kontos was demoted in May.
Feliz has struggled ever since, and Kyle Crick has taken hold of that role. However, his past two outings have Hurdle hopeful. Feliz struck out two when entering with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of Game 2 last Saturday against the Brewers. He was tagged for two runs on three hits and a walk in the ninth. Then, with the Pirates leading by six runs Friday against the Reds, Feliz retired the side in order on 13 pitches, including two strikeouts, in the seventh.
"His breaking ball has been better since he’s come back," Hurdle said. "His split-finger pitch is better. He’s put that in play. He got some really good fastballs down and obviously we all know his elevated fastball is one of his strengths. I think he’s still a work in progress. I think his confidence should have jumped after [Friday]. That’s why we wanted to put him in position to get one inning and see where it went."