Pittsburgh Pirates report card for week of May 8-14

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen

It was not an easy week for the Bucco bullpen.

On Monday, a horrid start from Trevor Williams forced the ‘pen into action early, as they logged five innings of work, all after the outcome was a formality. The next night, what should have been remembered for Felipe Rivero’s clutch performance turned into a crushing 4-3 extra-inning defeat in which defense was to blame (I’m talking about you, Gregory). After an uneventful series finale in LA Wednesday, the bullpen got much-needed rest Thursday in Arizona, when Gerrit Cole logged seven innings.

The worst experience for the Bucco bullpen came Friday, as Glasnow’s shelling led to the bullpen logging 6 2/3 innings of work. Saturday and Sunday were easy either, as the ‘pen logged four innings in each game.

For all that the bullpen had to go through, they did not do a bad job and did not deserve blame for any of the five losses on the trip. They also significantly contributed to the wins on Saturday and Sunday. So overall, there isn’t a whole lot bad to say about the Bucco bullpen. Oh, and that Rivero guy is pretty solid too.

Overall Grade: C+