Pirates Bullpen Leading The Way to Current Success
No matter how bad or good the Pittsburgh Pirates record had been over the years, the one constant has been that they have had a good bullpen. From the days of Kent Tekulve to Matt Capps and John Grabow, to Mark Melancon and Joel Hanrahan, the Pirates have always been good in relief work. However, this season, the bullpen is taking things to a new level and is by far the biggest positive to this team. They showed off again yesterday afternoon, throwing the final 7.0 innings of work while allowing just one earned run. The Pirates would reward them with a come from behind, extra-inning win when they beat the Miami Marlins 8-7 in 12 innings to improve to 23-34 on the season.
On the year, the Pirates bullpen ranks 11th in Major League Baseball with a 3.76 ERA over 222.1 innings of work. So far in the series with the Marlins, the Pirates bullpen has combined to allow just one earned run over 17.1 innings of work for a 0.52 ERA. There aren't many household names out there, but they are efficient relievers who get the Pirates back in the dugout quickly. Yesterday, things didn't look good when starter Chase De Jong gave up five earned runs over five innings and the Pirates were down 5-2. However, thanks to the bullpen, the Pirates were able to battle back and eventually win the game in extra-innings. Unfortunately, the only run the bullpen did allow sent the game into extra innings. Today, we look at the work the bullpen did in yesterday's game and who the key contributors have been to their success.
Seven Solid Frames
After De Jong finished his rough outing, and the Pirates were down 5-2, the first man called out of the bullpen was left-hander Sam Howard. He would come in to face the six, seven, and eight hitters and was able to retire the side 1-2-3, getting two pop-outs and a groundout. After throwing just 13 pitches in the sixth inning, Howard came out once again in the seventh inning. It was the first time this season that Howard has pitched multiple innings, but he came through for the Pirates. He retired Adam Duval and Jose Devers to start the inning and allowed his first hit on a two-out single by Jesus Aguilar. He wouldn't let the two-out hit hurt him as he struck out Corey Dickerson to end the inning.
However, the Marlins kept the offense off the board, as David Bednar came in for the eighth inning. Bednar warmed up for almost ten straight minors the night before but wasn't used. However, he came in this time and retired three of the four batters he faced while striking out two. The only hit he allowed was a one-out double to Jazz Chisholm, but he stranded him in scoring position. The Pirates bats would finally break through, scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead, and it looked like the Pittsburgh kid would get his first win. Richard Rodriguez would come in for the save, but after a single and a walk to start the inning he would end up blowing the save on an RBI single by Aguilar.
The game was now headed to extra-innings and the Pirates would have to battle once again. Kyle Crick was the first one out in the 10th and allowed the courtesy runner to score on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-6 Marlins. The Pirates also scored in the 10th and pushed the game to the 11th. It was Crick once again in his first multi-inning outing of the season. This time, he did not allow the courtesy runner to score and gave his team a chance to win. However, it would end up going to the 12th, and Clay Holmes would enter the game. Holmes also held the Marlins off the board with a 1-2-3 inning, and he was rewarded as Jacob Stallings hit a walk-off single to win the game, and give the Pirates their third straight win.
Strong Arms In the Pen
While the bullpen has collectively been strong this year, there are a few names that have stood out among the rest. A couple of them appeared in game three against the Marlins in Sam Howard, David Bednar, and Kyle Crick. Of the three names, Bednar has been the biggest surprise after coming over in the Joe Musgrove trade this off-season. He didn't have a lot of Big League experience and had a career 6.75 ERA with the San Diego Padres. However, in his first 21.2 innings of work, he has a 2.91 ERA and has been thriving in the back-end of the bullpen. He has struck out a career-high 29 batters in 21.2 innings and has an opponent's batting average of .213.
Another strong arm has been Sam Howard, who has been impressing for two seasons now. However, he has taken it to a whole new level in 2021, posting a 2.53 ERA and striking out a career-high 30 batters in 21.1 innings of work. He has been almost unhittable throughout the entire season, with an opponent batting average of just .193, and has yet to allow an inherited runner to score this season. However, if there was a guy who needed a strong season, it was Kyle Crick. Crick struggled mightily the last two seasons but has come out this season on fire. He has a 1.59 ERA through his first 17 outings and has an insane opponent's batting average of .061.
When you're a rebuilding team, the most important thing you can have is a strong bullpen. When you aren't expected to win many games, it is important to have a bullpen that will be able to hold onto the wins they can get. The Pirates bullpen has been more than reliable this season and is turning into one of the strongest in the league. They currently rank 11th in team ERA, and they are only going to go up from here. Richard Rodriguez is struggling as of late, but he has been picked up by his teammates. Even once the Pirates trade some of their key pieces, the bullpen should stay mostly together. they have some strong arms out there, and they are looking to properly the Pirates into the future.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (23-34) look for the four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins (24-33) this afternoon at 1:05 pm. Chad Kuhl (0-2, 6.41) makes his second start off the Injured List when he faces Sandy Alcantra (2-5, 3.68) for the Marlins. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.
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