Neftali Feliz hasn't been very good lately.
He's got an ERA nearing 4.00, he has almost as many walks as strikeouts and he's blown six saves this year, including two in the last two weeks.
But right now, the Texas Rangers need to sit tight with Feliz as the team's closer.
When Koji Uehara and Mike Adams were acquired at the trade deadline, it was to bolster the bullpen in front of Feliz. It wasn't to replace Feliz.
Now, if Feliz continues to struggle, he'll eventually lose his job as the team's closer.
But right now, they need to just tighten the leash a little bit.
If you replace Feliz with Adams, Feliz will not be the set-up man. That would be Uehara. That would be a huge shakeup to Feliz's confidence, which you don't want to destroy just yet.
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Adams looked great on Sunday night, getting his first save as a Ranger because Feliz had pitched three straight nights and was unavailable.
It's not that Adams isn't ready to be, or capable of being, a closer. It's just that Feliz isn't quite ready to be replaced yet.
