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Photo provided by Matt Lynch\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto provided by Matt Lynch\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
PITTSBURGH \u2014 Entering the current homestand, Wilber Dotel had been a stabilizing force in an otherwise inadequate bullpen.<\/p>\n
Through the first seven appearances with the Pirates between two stints after he was first called up in April, Dotel had a sparkling 1.08 ERA, having only allowed two runs on seven hits with 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.<\/p>\n
But the 23-year-old experienced his first nightmare outing on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he didn\u2019t retire any of the six batters he faced in the seventh inning and was charged with six earned runs. The end result was a 10-run inning for the Dodgers and a 12-3 loss for the Pirates.<\/p>\n
Dotel\u2019s first appearance since was was better, but not by much. The right-hander took the loss on Thursday night against the Miami Marlins after allowing four runs and walking three batters in 1.2 innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the beginning of the outing, it looked like his fastball velocity was down a little bit,\u201d manager Don Kelly said following the 8-3 loss<\/a>. \u201cHe regained some of that throughout the outing. It just looked like the command was not there.\u201d<\/p>\n As he did on Tuesday night, Dotel entered the game with the score tied 2-2. He worked around a leadoff double and a walk in the sixth, but it was the seventh inning that again gave him fits.<\/p>\n The Marlins loaded the bases with no outs, and Xavier Edwards hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Heriberto Hern\u00e1ndez followed with an RBI single to left before Owen Caissie hit a two-run double off the center field wall to give Miami a 6-2 advantage. <\/p>\n \u201cOff the top of my mind right now, I can\u2019t tell you one thing why what happened\u00a0today,\u201d he said through coach\/interpreter Stephen Morales. \u201cI definitely\u00a0went out there to compete and it did not go my way.\u201d<\/p>\n Many first-year players inevitably hit the infamous \u201crookie wall,\u201d when teams start to make adjustments as they become more familiar with the league\u2019s newest players. It\u2019s one possible explanation for why Dotel has not been nearly been as sharp his last two times out.<\/p>\n \u201cThe league is always going to make adjustments against you. He\u2019s learning,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cI thought he threw some better offspeed pitches tonight. But we just need to keep working with him to help him make the adjustments back.\u201d<\/p>\n The bigger concern for the Pirates right now is the performance of the bullpen as a whole. Following Friday\u2019s loss, Pittsburgh now ranks 22nd with a 4.57 bullpen ERA on the season. In June, their relievers have combined for a 7.34 ERA.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re trying to simplify everything and get back to executing pitches, getting ahead, doing the things that we talked about in spring training,\u201d Kelly said of the bullpen\u2019s focus. \u201cTonight, seventh inning with the two walks, it didn\u2019t work out that way. Key to pitching is getting ahead and being able to put guys away, induce early, soft contact earlier in the count.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Dotel, the Pirates are undoubtedly hoping he\u2019s able to get back on track. Although the sample size was limited, he had been emerging as one of the only reliable arms for Kelly to call upon. <\/p>\n The rookie is trying to ensure he keeps his confidence high, so that he\u2019ll be able to get back to who he had been to start his career.<\/p>\n \u201cJust go out there and compete, because that\u2019s who I am, a competitor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> Wilber Dotel<\/a> <\/p>\n