Derek Shelton’s defense of Pirates’ bullpen after Opening Day meltdown will enrage fans

The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted a strong start from Paul Skenes, and the bullpen blew a three-run lead to lose a winnable game in the ninth inning. Stop us if you've heard this one before.

Pittsburgh's Opening Day disaster against the Miami Marlins essentially confirmed what most fans already knew — the Pirates did not do nearly enough in the offseason to resolve any of their glaring issues from 2024.

Skenes, who enters the season as the frontrunner to win the National League Cy Young Award, pitched well in his first Opening Day start. He struck out seven over 5 ⅓ innings, but walked two and incurred a pair of earned runs. None of it ended up mattering, though, as Pittsburgh's relief corps imploded to lose the game.

The Pirates led 4-1 in the sixth inning when Dennis Santana came in and allowed a run to score before loading the bases with a pair of walks. Ryan Borucki came in to relieve him and worked his way back from a 3-0 count to throw three straight strikes and get out of a jam.

Pittsburgh then got a solid performance from offseason signing Caleb Ferguson, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning. But Colin Holderman, who came in to pitch the eighth, walked his first batter and proceeded to allow two more runs to score and tie the game at 4-4.

Then, David Bednar reminded all of us why he was demoted from the Pirates' closer role last year. Bednar gave up a triple and an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the Marlins to walk off with a 5-4 win.

Derek Shelton’s defense of Pirates’ bullpen after Opening Day meltdown will enrage fans

The worst part of Thursday's loss for the Pirates was the fact that it was all too predictable. The same bullpen cost them countless wins in 2024 and finished the season with the fourth-worst ERA in the league (4.49).

Manager Derek Shelton, for his part, seemed a little too unbothered by the late implosion in Thursday's game against the Marlins. “It’s one game in," Shelton said after the game. "We have guys that have to perform and I have faith that our guys will get it done.”

Here's the thing, though; it wasn't just one game. This game followed the same script from last season. It's also worth noting that Shelton still hasn't named a closer for 2025, and the fact that Bednar and Holderman are his top choices is rather telling.

If Thursday's game – and Shelton's response – are any indication, Pirates fans are in for another calamitous season.

More Pittsburgh Pirates content from Rum Bunter