The Pirates placed starter Chris Archer on the 10-day injured list Saturday as he continues to deal with thumb inflammation on his pitching hand.
Archer has been bothered by the thumb since his start against the Giants on April 21, but pitched through the problem. But in his start Friday against the Dodgers, Archer had his worst outing of the season, giving up six hits and six runs in four innings. He said his inflamed thumb kept him from throwing his slider.
“My slider was bad,” he told reporters afterward (via MLB.com). “I kept trying to throw it, kept trying to force it, that’s really what happened tonight. If I have my slider working like it normally is working, then I’m able to (put batters away). Tonight, I didn’t. ... That feel just never came.”
The 30-year-old Archer, acquired by the Pirates before the trade deadline last season, entered Friday's game with solid numbers through four starts, a 2.74 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a .205 batting average against.
To fill Archer's roster spot, the Pirates recalled right-hander Michael Feliz from Triple-A Indianapolis. He had a 5.66 ERA in 47 2/3 innings (47 games) with Pittsburgh last season.