Pittsburgh Pirates: Bullpen Has Strong Weekend & Other Takeaways From Series Win In Miami

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MIAMI, FL – JUNE 14: Clay Holmes #52 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on June 14, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

It was a good weekend for the bullpen

For much of the season, the bullpen had been a major issue for the Pirates. Keone Kela and Nick Burdi are both on the injured list, Richard Rodriguez’s season has been mostly a disaster, and none of the arms summoned from Triple-A this season have pitched well. Literally none. Against the Marlins, however, the Pirate ‘pen was a strength.

In 11 innings pitched over the weekend the Pirate ‘pen allowed just 1 run. In Sunday’s 1-run victory, three relievers combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings of relief. Their 3 scoreless innings in relief of Steven Brault on Friday helped cap off a shutout.

It was great to see relievers that have struggled this season such as Rodriguez, Michael Feliz, and Clay Holmes post zeroes over the weekend. Kyle Crick also had a bounce back outing he was in need of.

Most encouragingly, the Pirate bullpen pitched well most of the week. After a disastrous Monday night, which, due to the ludicrous Joe Musgrove ejection wasn’t completely their fault, the Pirate ‘pen had an excellent week. In their final 24 innings pitched this week, the Pirate bullpen allowed just 3 runs.

3 runs in 24 innings is a solid week for any bullpen. For a bullpen that has struggled as much as the Pirates has, it’s even better. Let’s hope this week was a sign of the Pirate bullpen started to get things sorted out.

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