Pittsburgh Pirates v. Chicago Cubs – The Bullpen

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

In preparation for the upcoming Wild Card game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, we’ll be comparing the two teams position by position to see where the advantages lie. In our third segment, we’re taking a look at the bullpen for both teams.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs are not that different when you break it down. Both teams have a steady mix of young players and some veterans to balance things out. It’s no wonder these two teams had the second and third best records in all of baseball. We’ve already recapped the infielders and outfielders of these two outstanding teams, now we’re going to take a look at their bullpens.

Both the Pirates and Cubs have fantastic bullpens and as we saw with Kansas City in 2014, that can be a huge game changer. If by some weird chance the Wildcard game becomes a battle of the bullpens, who has the advantage? I’ll break it down piece by piece.

Next: Long Man

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Long Man:

Pirates: Joe Blanton

Cubs: Trevor Cahill

Joe Blanton has been absolutely outstanding since he was picked up by the Pirates right before the trade deadline. Since he joined the Pirates he’s pitched to 1.57ERA/2.11FIP and 10.2 strikeouts per nine. If it wasn’t for J.A. Happ, Blanton would probably be the biggest pitching surprise of the deadline. He’s been a fantastic long man for the Buccos and can even be an effective single inning guy if need be.

Trevor Cahill is similar to Blanton in a lot of ways. He’s an ex-starter that wasn’t great with his previous team, but a change of scenery did wonders for him. In his 11 games with the Cubs he’s got a 2.11ERA/3.13FIP and 11.6 strikeouts per nine. Cahill has been an effective big league starter with Oakland and Arizona before going to Atlanta and it looked like his career was completely stalled. Since he’s been in Chicago, he’s been an effective weapon for Joe Maddon out of the bullpen when needed.

Verdict: I am going to give this one to the Pirates mostly because Joe Blanton has double the innings that Cahill has. He has the better ERA and FIP, which to me says that Blanton has been more effective in his role. However, I don’t think either Blanton or Cahill will play much of a part in the NL Wildcard Game, but that’s the beauty of October, you never know who the hero is going to be.

Next: Middle Relief

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Middle Relief:

Pirates: Arquimedes Caminero, Jared Hughes, Antonio Bastardo

Cubs: Travis Wood, Clayton Richard, Justin Grimm

Arquimedes Caminero has had an up and down season for the Pirates. At times he’s looked absolutely dominant, but he hit a stretch midseason where he was completely ineffective and he appeared to be a DFA candidate, but the Pirates kept their faith in “The Snowman,” and it paid off as down the stretch he’s been super effective. Overall he’s been solid with a 3.62ERA/3.80FIP and 8.8 strikeouts per nine. His fastball often hits 100MPH, but can be flat at times and hittable, however when he’s on, he’s a very effective weapon.

Jared Hughes has been Mr. Fix It for Clint Hurdle as he’s often been used to get hitters out with men on base and he’s been outstanding in that role as he’s stranded 81 percent of runners he’s inherited. His overall numbers are great too pitching to a 2.28ERA/3.81FIP and he has a ground ball rate of 63.7 percent. His sinker is his how he attacks hitters with men on base and he’s been great at it. There’s almost no other pitcher I’d rather see in the game with men on base than Jared Hughes. If Cole leaves mid-inning, Hughes could be the difference between winning and losing and that’s fine with me.

Antonio Bastardo was a whipping boy for much of the season and was a living embodiment of numbers vs. narrative. If you had asked the average fan in August if Bastardo was good, they’d likely tell you no, despite the fact that after July he’s been one of the best left handed relievers in baseball. Since the All Star Break he’s pitched to a 2.32ERA and his overall numbers have been very good 2.98ERA/3.11FIP while striking out 11 per nine innings. He’s also been fantastic at getting left-handed hitters out. Holding them a .138AVG/.233OBP/.215SLG/.448OPS split. If there’s a situation late in game and you need to get a tough left handed hitter out, Bastardo could be Hurdle’s man.

Pirates Middle Relief Totals: 2.96ERA/3.57FIP

Travis Wood started the season as the Cubs fifth starter, but throughout the course of the season he lost his job and was moved to the bullpen. He’s had a very up and down season, but since mid July his ERA has gone down each month and he was very good in September, pitching to a 0.65ERA, which brought his season numbers down to a more than respectable 3.84ERA/3.40FIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine. He’s been a much better pitcher out of the bullpen down the stretch for the Cubs and has even saved four games in four attempts. The move to the bullpen has done wonders for Wood as he was very poor as a starter in 2014 and the beginning of 2015.

Clayton Richard is a name that should be familiar to many Pirates’ fans as he was in the organization during Spring Training and the beginning of 2015. He spent all of this time at AAA-Indianapolis and used his opt out to sign with the Cubs on July 3^rd, 2015. As a starter he was solid, but unspectacular. When he was moved to the bullpen he became much more effective and has done mostly solid work for the Cubs. He was okay in September pitching a 3.97ERA, which followed a fantastic July. His overall work is good with a 3.83ERA/3.58FIP and a much improved walk rate of 1.5 per nine innings. Richard hasn’t been amazing for the Cubs but he’s been a very steady contributor, which is all you can ask from a spot starter/middle reliever.

Justin Grimm has been fantastic ever since he joined the Cubs in 2013 and this season was no different. He was a mediocre starter for the Texas Rangers, but upon coming to Chicago he was converted to a reliever and has been super effective. This season has very much been his best of his career as he has a 1.99ERA/3.11FIP and has struck out 12.1 per nine innings. No matter how you slice it, Grimm is a very good reliever. He’s been a middle inning guy and a late inning guy for the Cubs this year. He’s basically used whenever Joe Maddon needs a big out and he’s done it more often than not.

Cubs Middle Relief Totals: 3.22ERA/3.36FIP

Verdict: I don’t think either team has a clear advantage here, fairly similar ERA and FIP. Pirates have the slightly better ERA, but the Cubs have a better FIP. So to me this is a push. If the game does come down to middle relief, it would likely be a situational advantage depending on which part of the lineup they’re facing.

Next: Late Inning/Setup

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Late Inning:

Pirates: Tony Watson, Joakim Soria

Cubs: Pedro Strop, Fernando Rodney

Tony Watson has been one of the absolute best relievers in baseball since 2013 and made the All Star Team in 2014 and honestly he’s been even better this season. The matter of fact lefty just takes the ball and does his job every time he’s called upon. He had a rough first appearance in 2015, but since then he’s been outstanding. He has a 1.91ERA/2.84FIP with a minuscule WHIP of 0.956. There is no setup in baseball better than Tony Watson and he could easily be a closer on almost any team. He’s a great arm out of Clint Hurdle’s bullpen and has been as close to automatic as anyone in the game.

Joakim Soria was brought over in a trade with the Tigers and despite making some of his outings a little nerve-wracking, he has been more than solid in the seventh, eighth and sometimes ninth inning for the Pirates. As a Pirate, he’s pitched to a 2.03ERA/1.93FIP with 9.5 strikeouts per nine. His 2015 totals are also very good with a 2.53ERA/3.71FIP. He’s mostly been a closer in his recent career, so he gives Clint Hurdle a fantastic extra arm out of the pen since he can be used comfortably in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning.

Pirates Late Inning Totals: 1.97ERA/2.38FIP

Pedro Strop has been a tremendous setup man for the Cubs this season and has been great ever since he put on a Chicago uniform in 2013. However in 2015 especially he’s been fantastic, pitching to a 2.91ERA/3.16FIP and striking out 10.7 per nine. He’s appeared in 76 games and has been effective in shortening the game for Joe Maddon and could definitely be a closer on a lot of teams in the league. Strop has also saved three games for the Cubs in 2015 and has just been a reliable and consistent arm.

Fernando Rodney was one of the best closers in the league during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, but upon going to Seattle, he was very up and down and didn’t seem worth the money he was paid, however since he’s put on the Cubs uniform he has been tremendous and pitched his way into a valuable late inning role. He has a 0.75ERA/3.47FIP with the Cubs. The ERA is a far cry from how he pitched for Seattle when he put up a 5.68ERA/5.27FIP. A change of scenery did wonders for Rodney and he’s rewarded the Cubs by pitching even better than he did when he was with the Rays.

Cubs Late Inning Totals: 1.83ERA/3.31FIP.

Verdict: Pedro Strop and Tony Watson are both so ridiculous good for their respective teams and if it was just these two, I’d be very hard pressed to give this a push, but I have to go advantage Pirates since Joakim Soria has been much more consistent than Fernando Rodney this season. I just trust Soria and Watson to bridge the game than I trust Rodney and Strop.

Next: Closers

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Closers:

Pirates: Mark Melancon

Cubs: Hector Rondon

Mark Melancon had a very rocky start to 2015 as he had a noticeable decrease in velocity, but he rebounded nicely to become the top closer in the National League this season with 51 saves. Saves aren’t the only reason Melancon has been outstanding this season, he’s pitched to a 2.23ERA/2.82FIP and a 0.926WHIP. The formula for the Pirates this season has been simple, have a lead after six innings and let Soria and Watson bridge the game to Melancon and it has worked way more often than it hasn’t. If the Pirates can manage a lead after six innings, they have a great chance to win the ballgame with Melancon closing it out.

Pirates Closer Totals: 2.23ERA/2.82FIP/51 saves

Hector Rondon has been absolutely ridiculous in 2015 for the Cubs. He’s been a terrific closer for Joe Maddon’s team converting 30 saves with a 1.67ERA/2.68FIP and 1.000WHIP. The Cubs bullpen has been extremely good in the second half of the season and Rondon has been the leader of it. The 27-year-old has been fairly effective since he made his big league debut in 2013, but 2015 has clearly been his breakout season. He won the Closer job out of Spring Training and has not relinquished it for obvious reason. It’s best the Pirates avoid him in the Wildcard Game.

Cubs Closer Totals: 1.67ERA/2.68FIP/30 saves

Verdict: This one is very difficult for me because both closers have been absolutely tremendous for their teams, but the key for me is Rondon has blown four saves this season in 34 opportunities while Melancon has blown two in 53 opportunities. Both pitchers are absolutely fantastic, but you have more of a chance to get Rondon to blow a save than Melancon. However, I wouldn’t want to take my chances with Rondon has he hasn’t blown a save since August 12^th. This is very close, but if I was managing a game in the ninth inning and needed three outs, I’d choose Melancon over Rondon.

Next: Conclusion