David Bednar meltdown deserves more scrutiny after Pirates heartbreaker vs. Padres

As David Bednar came trotting out of the bullpen at PNC Park before the start of the ninth inning on Wednesday, the same thought likely crept into the minds of Pittsburgh Pirates fans everywhere:

"Oh no."

The Pirates were just three outs away from evening a critical series against the San Diego Padres, thanks to a two-run single from Andrew McCutchen in the sixth inning that put his club back on top. Clinging to a one-run lead heading into the ninth, their one beacon of hope was Bednar, their closer with a deceptively high save count (20) that doesn't reflect his bloated ERA (5.06 heading into Wednesday's appearance) and shaky performances of late.

Any fears surrounding Bednar's ability to close out this game were certainly warranted, and those fears quickly became reality. He retired Padres first baseman Donovan Solano before outfielder Jackson Merrill came to the plate and tied the score with a solo shot to center field.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Bednar proceeded to get into more trouble with a hit-by-pitch on Jake Cronenworth and a walk by David Peralta. To his credit, he was able to bounce back with consecutive outs to send the game to an extra inning – though the extra inning wouldn't have been necessary had Bednar not blown his first save since April 9.

The blown save was Bednar's fourth of the season, which on the surface doesn't sound bad, especially compared to his 20 successful saves. But the aforementioned concerns about Bednar's effectiveness center around quality rather than quantity; coming off back-to-back All-Star Game appearances in 2022 and 2023, he hasn't been nearly as sharp this year, as evidenced by his 5.17 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 38.1 innings.

Pirates squander another opportunity in a critical series with major postseason implications

Of course, the blame doesn't rest solely on Bednar for Wednesday's 9-8 loss. After Merrill's game-tying bomb, the Pirates still had a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth. They loaded the bases on a single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, an error that allowed Connor Joe to reach and an intentional walk to Ke'Bryan Hayes. But Ji Hwan Bae followed by grounding into a force out, and Oneil Cruz grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Padres proceeded to score three runs in the top of 10th off Colin Holderman, who has had his own struggles as of late, before the Pirates answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a bases-loaded walk to Bryan Reynolds and a wild pitch that allowed Michael A. Taylor to score. But they just couldn't get it done, recording three straight outs with a runner in scoring position to squander yet another opportunity.

As the National League wild card race heats up, the Pirates appear to be cooling down. They have posted an 8-9 record in 17 games since the All-Star break to remain just under .500 on the season, and they are technically still alive in the playoff race. Still, if they want to salvage their season and remain a contender, the Pirates – and their bullpen – need to start remembering how to win games again.

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