Everything Goes Wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Series Loss
By Marty Leap
![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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frumbunter-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1232638173-850x560-92b5fe7536452336eabc48d467a991c5.jpg)
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.