3 Takeaways From Pittsburgh Pirates Series Victory Over The St. Louis Cardinals

(Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 10: Trevor Williams #34 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on May 10, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 10: Trevor Williams #34 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on May 10, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles stepped up when needed

Entering the series the Pirate bullpen was a mess. Things only got worse on Thursday night when Joe Musgrove issued a career high five walks and failed to get out of the 3rd inning.

On Friday, the team desperately needed innings out of Trevor Williams, and this is what they got. Despite a 30 pitch 1st inning, Williams settled in to hold the Cardinals to 1 run in 7 innings of work.

Entering the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon the Pirate bullpen still needed rest. Like Williams the night before, Jordan Lyles needed 30 pitches to get through the 1st inning. However, again, like Williams, Lyles settled in and gave the Bucs innings. He would go on to allow just 1 run in 6 innings of work.

When the team needed them to, Williams and Lyles both put a foot down this weekend and pitched their backsides off. Their ability to combine for 13 innings on Friday and Saturday played a big role in Sunday’s victory as well. Those two saving the bullpen made relievers such as Montana DuRapau, Richard Rodriguez, and Francisco Liriano available in Sunday’s victory.

The team’s starting rotation is the main reason some folks, myself included, were bullish on the Bucs entering the season. A rotation as good as the one the Pirates have rarely allows their team to have more than two or three long losing streaks during the season. The way Williams and Lyles pitched this weekend were examples of this.