David Bednar just gave Pirates fans bittersweet reminder at WBC

It's easy to look at the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen and feel like something is missing. Dennis Santana is solid. Gregory Soto is one of the better power lefties you'll find. Justin Lawrence flashed last season and might be in line for a big year alongside Isaac Mattson.

However, with David Bednar toiling in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA, Pirates fans are left to wonder how much more formidable things would be if he were still closing out games in Pittsburgh.

Bednar blossomed into a two-time All-Star with the Pirates but was part of last season's deadline sell-off. The about-face the franchise has done this offseason, actually spending money and bringing in veterans in an attempt to compete, makes you consider that trading Bednar might not have been wise. It seems questionable whether Ben Cherington had any advanced knowledge that things would be refreshingly different with regard to the budget this winter. If he had, would he have made the same choice to trade the 31-year-old away?

However, with Team USA taking on the Dominican Republic in a sudden-death matchup of baseball behemoths Sunday night, the best and the worst of Bednar were on full display. The hefty righty escaped a serious jam and helped preserve the victory, but the pressure cooker he found himself in was one of his own making.

Pirates fans have a familiar feeling watching the good and the bad of David Bednar in the WBC

Bednar and Team USA now await the winner of the matchup between Italy and Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final. The former Pirate pitched big innings for the US in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

Against the Dominican Republic, Bednar had fans around the country on the edge of their seats when he took the mound in the bottom of the seventh. After getting a quick out by inducing a Julio Rodriguez pop-up, he gave up a double to right field to his New York Yankees teammate, Austin Wells. That threatening blow was quickly followed up by a Geraldo Perdomo single, and then Perdomo stole second.

With the top of the Dominican lineup now up, Bednar reached down and struck out both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ketel Marte to escape the jam without surrendering a single run. It was thrillingly impressive — or at least, it would have been if it weren't a somewhat regular occurrence.

For those following the tournament, though, it was déjà vu all over again. Bednar also pitched in the must-win quarterfinal game against Canada and found himself in an eerily similar situation. That time, Bednar began the inning with two straight infield singles and then saw a passed ball create another second-and third jam with no outs. Just like Sunday, Bednar reached into his bag of tricks to pull out three straight strikeouts to end the threat without giving up a run.

Pittsburgh is used to the flirtation with disaster and escape artist ability. When it's working, it's highly entertaining. When it's not, well — the last time that happened, the Pirates sent Bednar down to Triple-A to figure things out.

So if you're riding high on adrenaline and fondly looking back at the good Bednar memories, just remember the rush of blistering frustration for the times he'd let these jams get out of hand. And remember, getting into pickles is not a prerequisite to working the ninth inning.