Everything Goes Wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Series Loss

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 01: Manager Derek Shelton #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates removes starting pitcher Trevor Cahill #35 from the game in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on May 1, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 01: Manager Derek Shelton #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates removes starting pitcher Trevor Cahill #35 from the game in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on May 1, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 01: Paul Goldschmidt #46 of the St. Louis Cardinals scores on a two RBI double in the seventh inning against Duane Underwood Jr. #56 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 1, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 01: Paul Goldschmidt #46 of the St. Louis Cardinals scores on a two RBI double in the seventh inning against Duane Underwood Jr. #56 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 1, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

A rough weekend for the Pirate bullpen

Through the first month of the season the bullpen was a strength for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The bullpen was due for a poor series, and, unfortunately, that poor series came this past weekend as they were swept by the Cardinals.

Friday night the nearly un-hittable Duane Underwood Jr. got touched up when he allowed a two-out 3-run pinch-hit home run to Matt Carpenter. This made a 3-1 game 6-1 and put it out of reach for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Saturday night, Underwood Jr. allowed a pair of runners he inherited form Sam Howard to score.

Sean Poppen had a disastrous outing on Saturday night. He took the ball in the top of 9th with the Pirates trailing just 7-5, but he allowed 5 runs. This included allowing a home run and a miserable throwing error by Poppen.

While Luis Oviedo, Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez combined to pitched 4 scoreless innings on Sunday afternoon, overall, it was a poor weekend for the Pirate bullpen. In 11.2 innings of work this weekend, the Pirate bullpen allowed 11 runs and a pair of home runs. Hopefully, the reliable Bucco bullpen will bounce back against the Padres.