Manager Clint Hurdle said Friday that the Pirates are not considering removing Vazquez from the closer's role, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

He will not be available to pitch Friday, after pitching three days in a row, and Kyle Crick, who would be an option to close, is also unavailable after pitching in five games over the last week. While Hurdle can claim they aren't considering removing Vazquez from the ninth inning, the closer will still need to perform better going forward, as he has four blown saves in his last six appearances. Vazquez's fastball velocity was down from 100.8 mph Sunday to 97.2 mph Thursday.