One scout believes Bastardo is better suited for a middle-inning role than as a late-inning reliever. "If he comes into the game when you're either two runs ahead or two behind, his stuff is excellent," the scout told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "However, when he comes into a tie game or you're one run ahead, he tries too hard, and he walks everybody. It drives you crazy, and that's why he was available. To me, he's better in the middle (innings) than he is as a setup or closer." There's a dramatic split between Bastardo's numbers in low-leverage (.116 BAA, .353 OPS, 3.83 SO/BB) and high-leverage (.270 BAA, .844 OPS, 1.60 SO/BB) roles. In nine spring outings, the southpaw has allowed five earned runs in nine innings, giving up 12 hits and three walks while striking out 13.