Pirates' Kyle Crick: Strong start continues

Crick hurled a scoreless seventh inning in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Cardinals.

He's given up just one hit with an 8:4 K:BB in 10 innings covering 10 games. The righty will likely continue to serve as closer Richard Rodriguez's setup man. Crick, who has two holds, has decreased his fastball usage (43.2 percent) while increasing his slider (56.1 percent). He's regained two miles-per-hour (92.9 mph) over 2020, but he's still well below his 2019 fastball level (95.3 mph).