Like it or not, the Pittsburgh Pirates got some valuable assets in the Gerrit Cole trade.
While Cole has a 1.29 ERA and 49 punch outs through five starts, the Pirates are playing the waiting game with what they got in return.
A lot will depend on how Joe Musgrove pitches when he eventually returns, but Colin Moran and Michael Feliz could turn into nice players for the Bucs in time.
For Feliz, that time will come when he stops pitching scared.
Season to date
Overall Feliz has been very good for the Bucs.
The numbers don’t look great, sporting a 5.00 ERA in 11 appearances, which spans nine innings of work.
Feliz has a 2.85 FIP and has allowed eight hits and four walks while striking out 14.
Look closer and Feliz has been very good in nine of his 11 appearances.
He allowed four earned runs on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers and went unscored upon for his next eight appearances before allowing a three-run homer to Rhys Hoskins on Saturday.
While Feliz was only tagged with the one earned run on Saturday, he allowed two inherited runners to score, costing Steven Brault a chance at a win.
That can’t happen.
The two appearances Feliz was hit had one things in common.
Scared of the Slider
In his nine scoreless appearances, Feliz has allowed a total of four hits.
The common theme there is the slider.
When Feliz is pitching aggressive he is attacking with the fastball to set up the slider.
As you can see in the chart below, on Opening Day when Feliz gave up four runs against the Tigers, all 17 of his pitches were fastballs.
After that Feliz slowly started working the slider in more and started having better results.
So far this season his slider has only been put in the air twice and hasn’t given up much hard contact.
In his 11 appearances, Feliz has only given up one hit off his slider.
The table below looks at what the league is hitting off his fastball and slider so far by game.
What happened against Hoskins on Saturday?
Quite simply Feliz was scared to go to his slider.
Feliz got ahead of Hoskins 0-2and the slugger was set up beautifully for the slider and Feliz delivered.
Except he hung the pitch and Hoskins crushed one foul.
That’s when Feliz and Francisco Cervelli got scared to go back to his best pitch.
What followed where three straight heaters. The third of which was right down the middle and you know the result.
Hoskins’ three-run home run (00:59)
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You can’t pitch scared in the big leagues.
That’s what happened and hopefully Feliz learns from the mistake.
Going Forward
Clint Hurdle did the right thing on Saturday.
Steven Brault was in a jam in the sixth and Hurdle went to his best reliever not named Felipe Vazquez as he didn’t hold Feliz for the seventh inning.
Before the Hoskins at bat I would have suggested that Feliz becomes the eighth inning guy sooner rather than later.
I still feel that way, but Feliz has a little more to show in situations like the one he was in against Hoskins.
He has the stuff to perform well in that role and eventually I think you will see him as the eighth inning guy.
It was encouraging that the next day Feliz got back on the horse and tossed a scoreless frame, striking out the side in between giving up a triple.
Two of the punch outs came on his slider.
He wasn’t scared with a guy on third.
Hopefully Feliz learned his lesson.
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