Astros pitcher Scott Feldman adjusts to moving from starter to reliever.
Righty accepts relief role while Devenski gets look as a starter
SEATTLE — Come Friday night’s series opener at Oakland, Scott Feldman will be available to pitch out of the Astros’ bullpen.
Feldman hasn’t pitched in relief since 2012, the last of his eight major league seasons with the Rangers. The 33-year-old righthander was moved to Houston’s bullpen for at least one turn in the rotation as the Astros take a longer look at Chris Devenski.
“Obviously, I see myself as a starting pitcher, but for the time being I just want to do what helps the ballclub,” Feldman said Wednesday, a day after manager A.J. Hinch notified him of his role change.
Feldman, making $8 million in the final season of his three-year deal, recorded a 4.58 ERA through his first four starts and pitched into the sixth inning only once. His average of 19.3 pitches per inning pales in comparison to his career average of 16.7.
A reason for his high pitch counts stems in part, not surprisingly, from Feldman’s trouble putting batters away. Even in twostrike counts, the opposition is hitting .294 with an .890 OPS against him. He has also issued 11 walks, compared to 13 strikeouts.
Regardless of count, lefthanded hitters are batting .387 with a blistering 1.177 OPS against Feldman. Batters of either hand have a .353 mark against his sinker, which through four starts averaged 89.99 mph, exactly 1 mph slower than his average over last season, according to BrooksBaseball.net. “I think the stuff is fine. It’s the same, if not better, as it was last year, when I was throwing the ball well,” Feldman said. “It’s been pretty much the same for the last three or four years. I think that I’ve just got to do a better job of commanding the baseball.
“I’m sure if you look at four-start stretches over the course of anybody’s career, you’ve just got to ride the wave and check back in at the end of the year and see what kind of year you’ve had. Four starts is a very small sample size for me to say I’m good or I’m bad. I’m probably the same guy I was the last few years.”
Feldman was perhaps in some ways a victim of the starting staff’s struggles as a whole. If the Astros were playing .500 ball, it would be difficult to see them making a change like Tuesday’s this early in the season. But with the worst record in the American League — 6-15 entering Wednesday — they needed to shake things up.
Feldman pitched in relief for the Rangers over his first three seasons in the big leagues. It actually wasn’t until his fourth season, in 2008, when he became a major league starter. He owns a 4.69 ERA over 1512⁄3 career innings of relief.
“This kind of stuff has happened to me before in my career,” he said. “I’ll be rooting for Devo to do well and at the same time make sure I’m ready when I’m called upon and just try to do anything I can to help the team win.”