Pittsburgh Pirates: Grading the Series Split Against the Reds
By Marty Leap
The Bullpen
Friday evening and into the night, the Pittsburgh Pirates got excellent work out of their bullpen. In the double header, the bullpen allowed two hits, walked a pair and struck out four in 5.2 scoreless innings of work.
Saturday night, the Pirate bullpen continued their strong work. Derek Holland pitched 2 innings, he did not walk a batter, he struck out three, and the lone hit he allowed was a solo home run. Kyle Crick then followed with a scoreless 9th inning, which included a strikeout. While Crick’s velocity continues to be down, his spin rates remain high giving his pitches plenty of movement.
Sunday afternoon the great bullpen work continued. Geoff Hartlieb struck out a pair in 2 scoreless innings of work, and this was followed by a 1-2-3 inning from Sam Howard. Chris Stratton then fired a scoreless 7th inning. Nik Turley and Richard Rodriguez each pitched a scorless inning as well.
The Verdict
Over the weekend the Pittsburgh Pirates got terrific work from their bullpen. In 14.2 innings of work, the bullpen allowed just 1 run on four hits, six walks, a home run, and 13 strikeouts. You can not ask for better than that.
Grade: A+