Pirates' Hurdle not concerned about Melancon's diminished velocity

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon stumbled through his worst outing of the season Monday, allowing three earned runs in an ugly ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers while once again failing to generate the fastball velocity he's enjoyed in recent years.

Manager Clint Hurdle refused to sound any alarms when broached Tuesday about the veteran right-hander's diminished velocity.

"Concern is not a word I’m going to use," Hurdle told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune. "I think we just need to evaluate and have conversations."

Through his first three outings this season, Melancon's cutter - his primary pitch since 2013 - has averaged only 89.49 miles per hour, a significant decrease from last season.

(Courtesy: Brooks Baseball)

Small sample caveats apply, but the 30-year-old has generated empty swings on less than five percent of his cutters thus far in 2015 after posting a 13.39 percent whiff rate with the pitch last summer.

Melancon revived his career in 2013 following a disastrous season with the Boston Red Sox, crafting a career-best 1.39 ERA with an 8.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 72 appearances for the Pirates. His 2014 campaign was equally impressive, as he authored a 1.90 ERA with a 0.87 WHIP while collecting a career-high 33 saves.