ShareThisTexas Rangers manager Ron Washington seems perfectly content to live and die with Neftali Feliz as his closer the rest of this season.
Two weeks ago with no realistic alternatives, that was fine by me.
Now, I'm not so sure that's the best plan with the Los Angeles Angels breathing down the Rangers' neck.
With 47 games remaining, every win is crucial. The Rangers could have extended their AL West advantage to two games Saturday night, creating a little more separation in a race that could go down to the wire.
Feliz is still a wonderful talent who can zing a 99-mph fastball with the best of them, but he has lost a little of his luster this season.
It's obvious control problems are at the root of his struggles. Feliz's 20 walks are two more than he had in 27.1 fewer innings during his Rookie of the Year campaign.
Saturday's debacle against Seattle -- which might have been avoided if Nelson Cruz had made a tough catch on Kosuke Fukudome's leadoff double -- was his sixth blown save of the season. Feliz only had three a year ago.
When Feliz's off-speed pitches don't find the strike zone, batters can get ahead of the count and wait on his fastball.
That's why Feliz's heater isn't missing as many bats this season. He has a surprisingly low 29 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .223 against him in 2011, 47 points higher than a year ago.
Now that the Rangers' bullpen is bulked up, it would be shortsighted not to consider other options.
Koji Uehera has been a closer before, saving 13 games during a stretch last year in Baltimore. More importantly, Uehera has a much better strikeout/walk ratio (62:8) in almost as many innings as Feliz has thrown.
Since Feliz had pitched three straight nights and Uehera was coming off a heavy workload, Mike Adams closed Sunday's 5-3 win and made it look easy by recording three outs on seven pitches -- all strikes. I'd have no problem turning the gig over to him, either.
Whether it's in the starting rotation or at closer, Feliz's long-term role with the Rangers should be more important than being a setup man. But not the short term.
Washington stood by Feliz after his latest blown save, saying his confidence hasn't wavered in the 23-year-old.
If a couple more outings like Saturday night occur, then the Rangers manager should make a move before it costs Texas a division title.
(Zach Duncan writes for the Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas.)
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