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Kyle Crick needs removed from high leverage situations
During the All-Star Break, I wrote about the struggles of Crick. These struggles continued in his first outing after the break.
On Friday, Crick inherited a 3-3 game in the 8th inning. He would allow the winning run on a hit and a pair of walks. He now owns a 18.8% walk rate this season. His walk rate is the worst among qualified MLB relievers this season. Not good!
Until he gets back on track, Crick needs removed from high leverage situations.
The Pirates still have Felipe Vazquez at the back of the bullpen. Francisco Liriano continues to pitch well and can be a high leverage guy. Richard Rodriguez, who has not allowed a run since May 16th, is back on track and can help in high leverage situations. Furthermore, Keone Kela appears close to returning from the injured list.
At this point, Crick can not be pitching in high leverage situations. He simply does not throw enough quality strikes. It’s up to Hurdle to address this situations. However, there is no reason to expect him to change anything. Hurdle is the king of sticking with players in roles they should not be in for too long.