Limited bullpen leaves Pirates searching for trustworthy leverage options

With one day left in April, the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-19) are a season-worst eight games under .500.

Last season, it was Aug. 14 before the club, which finished 76-86, sunk into that deep of a hole.

The 2023 Pirates — also went 76-86 — made it to July 7 before going eight games under .500.

So what gives manager Derek Shelton faith that the club is capable of digging itself out of things?

“I think, No. 1, at some point offensively, we’re going to get healthy,” Shelton said. “We’re gonna get (first baseman) Spencer (Horwitz) back. We’re going to get (second baseman Nick Gonzales) back. We lost some key people in our bullpen. Losing (right-hander Justin) Lawrence hurts us a little bit because he had really gone into a nice leverage role.

“Then we’ve just got to get some guys on track. I think that’s the big thing: There’s just too much inconsistency.”

Tuesday’s 9-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs — the most lopsided defeat suffered by the Pirates this season — showcased several issues plaguing the team, including a lack of offensive output.

But particularly glaring were the bullpen’s struggles.

Outside of Kyle Nicolas (11.37 ERA), the first man out of the bullpen who threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Andrew Heaney, every Pirates reliever gave up earned runs.

In the seventh, with the Pirates trailing 4-0, Joey Wentz (3.95) entered the game and gave up a pair of hits and a run.

He was removed after recording only one out, and Hunter Stratton (13.50) then took over.

Making his first appearance since Aug. 24, 2024, when he ruptured his left patella tendon, Stratton gave up a two-run homer to Seiya Suzuki.

Lucky 7s ????

Seiya Suzuki's 7th HR of the year makes it 7-0 @Cubs in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/gxny3e8RWs

— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025

In the eighth, Colin Holderman (11.57) was taken deep by Dansby Swanson on the third pitch he threw.

Mallory Swanson's birthday is today ????

Dansby gifts her a home run! pic.twitter.com/VYLYR6zA9C

— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025

Then, in the ninth, David Bednar (6.00) allowed a triple to Suzuki and RBI single to Carson Kelly.

All told, the bullpen gave up five runs on eight hits (two homers), with a pair of walks and no strikeouts.

That was more than Heaney, who allowed four in his abbreviated start.

With lefty Tim Mayza (2.89) on the 60-day injured list, Lawrence (0.79) sidelined on the 15-day injured list and high-leverage man Dennis Santana (1.46) absent on the bereavement list, Shelton’s bullpen options at the moment are limited.

Granted, lefties Ryan Borucki (3.38) and Caleb Ferguson (2.08) plus right-hander Chase Shugart (1.64) have been solid, but the Pirates remain in want of a surplus of trustworthy relievers capable of handling leverage situations.

“I don’t know if concern is the word but the word inconsistent, we have got to find some consistency,” Shelton said. “We’ve got to find guys that can pitch in leverage innings. When you’re a reliever and you have those innings, you have to cover. Realizing we’re not gonna be perfect all the time, but you have to cover innings.

“We kind of got to figure it out because we’re dinged up a little right now with Lawrence being out and Santana’s not here. We have some guys that need to step into roles.”

Holderman’s outing Tuesday, his third since recently coming off the injured list, was not encouraging.

His first outing post-activation from the injured list April 26 saw him falter in a high-leverage situation against the Los Angeles Dodgers, surrendering three runs while taking the loss.

While the Pirates were down 7-0 by the time he took the mound, Holderman nonetheless was unable to craft any personal momentum in a low-leverage setting.

Still, Shelton hopes the version of Holderman who was a lights-out setup man for much of last season is somewhere to be found.

“We just need to continue to build him back,” Shelton said. “He had one tough outing in L.A., then he bounced back, so (we) need to continue to get him reps.”

As for Bednar, his outing Tuesday snapped a streak of four scoreless appearances dating to April 19, when he was recalled by Triple-A Indianapolis.

Bednar, while disappointed in his individual performance, was not discouraged, personally or looking at the Pirates’ situation in general.

“I just wanted to fill (up the strike zone),” Bednar said. “I’ll make some better pitches, get out there, learn from it and get back out there tomorrow. It’s baseball. There’s going to be ups and downs. You’ve got to bounce back out there for tomorrow.”