After retiring 13 consecutive San Diego Padres, Andrew Heaney allowed two doubles in a span of three batters before Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly turned to the bullpen in the sixth inning.

With two outs, a runner on second base and the Pirates protecting a two-run lead, Chase Shugart came into a situation he’s learned to embrace as one that best suits his personality as a relief pitcher: put out the fire.

The Padres countered by having the left-handed Tyler Wade pinch-hit for Brandon Lockridge. That intensified the matchup against the right-handed Shugart, who threw a first-pitch cutter down the middle for a called strike then a four-seamer above the zone for a ball. Shugart’s third pitch was another cutter that Wade hit for a fly out to right field to end the inning, once again dousing a dangerous situation.

Shugart’s success was overshadowed when the Pirates allowed four runs on four walks and three hits in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 6-4 loss, a performance that got veteran righty reliever Tanner Rainey designated for assignment Monday.

But it showed the trust Kelly has in Shugart, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the offseason and has embraced the opportunity to become the Pirates’ fireman.

“No doubt,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s really impressed me with his mentality and the way he comes in and fires strikes and gets after guys. He’s able to control his fastball and his offspeed. In those moments, to be able to control your heart rate, too … you can get amped up a little bit in those moments. He’s shown that he can handle that. He can come in and slow things down, stay within himself and get big outs for us.”

The 28-year-old Shugart has pitched multiple innings in seven of his 22 appearances this season but has thrived in tough situations in his past three outings for the Pirates.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I’m trusted in that situation,” Shugart said. “But I’m also trusted to get multiple outs.”

Against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 24, Shugart replaced lefty Caleb Ferguson with the bases loaded, two outs and the score tied 1-1 before a crowd of 24,651 at PNC Park. Shugart needed only three pitches to get Jackson Chourio to fly out to right field, earning the win in the 2-1 victory.

The next day, he entered the game with two outs and a runner on second base after lefty Ryan Borucki allowed three runs in the eighth inning. Shugart got Joey Ortiz to line out to right field, then retired the top of the order in the ninth inning of a 6-5 loss.

“I think it comes down to wanting the ball in any situation, in any given moment, whether it’s (that) we need you for six outs here or we need you for one out or we need you for three. It’s pitching until you’re done,” Shugart said. “I’m just taking the ball, doing what I can to make the most of that opportunity and slowing things down in a way that I know I can control.”

Shugart’s success comes from inducing weak contact. Per Statcast, his 86 mph average exit velocity ranks in the 94th percentile and his 4.2 barrel percentage ranks in the 91st percentile. Shugart has a five-pitch mix but relies primarily on his sweeper and cutter, the latter of which opponents are batting .048 (1 for 21) against this season. Both pitches have positive horizontal break numbers to the glove side.

“It varies on the day, how I’m feeling and taking that with me. It’s like, ‘OK, that pitch is really working today. Let’s get with that,’ ” Shugart said. “The cutter’s always been a strike pitch for me and also a weak-contact pitch, so executing the cutter and hoping how good it is and having faith in that pitch and confidence and conviction will get me the type of results that I need.”

It’s a short sample size, but the Pirates are getting the type of results from Shugart they had come to expect in the fireman role from Dauri Moreta in 2023 before he underwent Tommy John surgery. Shugart is embracing the chance to put out fires, believing it suits his style.

“It’s really just having the mindset that my job is to get somebody out,” Shugart said. “It doesn’t matter if there’s runners on. The score doesn’t matter. It’s just executing pitches, trusting the defense and not trying to do too much with the pitch because of the moment. You can’t let the moment get bigger than what it is.”

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