Pirates fans owe this reliever an apology after stunning turnaround

There were plenty of Pittsburgh Pirates fans ready to write off Justin Lawrence after Opening Day. Honestly, it was understandable at the time.

Lawrence got shelled in his first appearance of the season, watching his ERA balloon to an ugly 18.00 before many fans had even settled into their seats for the year. For a pitcher already viewed with skepticism because of his inconsistent 2025 season and injury history, the reaction was swift. Some fans wanted him designated for assignment. Others questioned why the Pirates were even giving him meaningful innings in the first place.

A month later, those takes look wildly premature.

Since that disastrous Opening Day outing (and the half dozen outings that followed), Lawrence has quietly become one of the Pirates’ most reliable bullpen arms. After another scoreless appearance Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the right-hander has now allowed just one earned run across his last seven games.

The numbers during that stretch are dominant: 7.2 innings pitched, four hits allowed, two walks, six strikeouts, a 1.17 ERA, and a microscopic 0.78 WHIP. Those aren't the numbers of a pitcher barely hanging on to a roster spot.

Justin Lawrence quietly emerges as one of Pirates' most dominant relievers in recent stretch

Lawrence's season ERA has dropped all the way to 5.14, which still does not fully reflect how well he has been throwing lately because some disastrous early outings continue to weigh the number down. Remove those appearances, and the conversation around Lawrence looks entirely different.

More importantly, the underlying stuff has looked sharp again. Lawrence’s sinker-sweeper combination is generating ugly swings consistently, and he already has 16 strikeouts in 14 innings this season. Hitters are struggling to square him up when he stays ahead in counts, and the confidence that seemed completely absent early in the year has returned quickly.

What makes this turnaround even more impressive is the context surrounding it. Lawrence made just 17 appearances in 2025 because of elbow problems. It would have been easy for him to spiral after a rough opening stretch in 2026, especially while trying to reestablish himself physically and mentally after an injury-shortened season. Instead, he responded exactly the way the Pirates hoped he would.

And while Lawrence is still pitching mostly in lower-leverage spots, that probably is not going to last much longer if this continues. The Pirates bullpen has desperately needed stability, and Lawrence is suddenly giving them another legitimate option as he earns more trust with every outing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow