Needing 1 more strike, Bucs' bullpen instead on dubious pace

PITTSBURGH – The Pirates' need for consistent relief pitching has reared its ugly head. Needing just one more strike for a comeback victory on Saturday at PNC Park, the bullpen reached its darkest hour.

Gregory Soto delivered a 2-2 fastball over the middle of the plate rather than the inner third to Eugenio Suárez with the Pirates leading by one in the ninth. The Reds’ slugger belted the ball just over the right-field fence, putting Cincinnati in front.

Pittsburgh’s 17th blown save in 34 opportunities resulted in a 9-7 loss, dropping it to one game under .500. Another bullpen collapse puts the Pirates on a historic pace. In a full season since saves became an official stat in 1969, their worst save rate ever is 29-for-60 (48.3%), which came in 1985.

“We've got to get better in games like that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said postgame. “We have to find a way to win them, and that comes in a lot of different ways.”

One way would be an outside addition. Pittsburgh attempted to go that route in the offseason, bringing in Soto on a one-year, $7.75 million deal. The two-time All-Star is 11-for-15 on save opportunities.

Soto reached 33 pitches in the ninth inning. Cincinnati smartly saved both of its ABS challenges for the frame, using it three times and winning twice. Soto allowed a single and walked two to put the pressure on. After getting to two strikes with Suárez, the Reds’ designated hitter shortened his approach and attempted to at least put the ball in play to score the tying run at third. Instead, he plucked it out.

In June, Soto has a 12.15 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. Before the horrid month, Soto was dominant in his role, building a 1.95 ERA with a .109 BAA and a 0.76 WHIP.

“Definitely, it's frustrating,” Soto said through translator Stephen Morales. “But at the end, that's part of our job. We're gonna continue to go out there and do our job, and it's gonna happen sometimes, but just trying to minimize it.”

Pittsburgh’s bullpen issues climb far beyond Soto. The Pirates rank 19th in baseball with a 4.41 bullpen ERA. They have four losses when leading after seven innings and three when leading after eight. Even the most consistent arms have slipped at times, including Evan Sisk on Saturday.

Sisk allowed two runners on in a 4-4 game in the sixth inning. Yohan Ramírez was forced into mop-up duty and allowed two runs on a single from eight-hole hitter Jose Trevino.

The bullpen seemed to be turning a corner midway through the series opener on Friday night. In the three games to open the homestand against the Mariners, and then the sixth and seventh innings on Friday, Pittsburgh produced 11 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. The Pirates have been leaning heavily on their bullpen of late, with no starter reaching the eighth inning since Braxton Ashcraft on May 21.

Then came this series against Cincinnati, in which neither Paul Skenes nor Jared Jones could reach the sixth inning and the bullpen couldn’t hold on. Reinforcements are expected with Wilber Dotel’s return from the injured list looming, and while Dotel pitched well before injury, relying on a rookie to solve severe issues isn’t ideal.

With 17 blown saves through 83 games, it’s only fair to play the what-if game. Converting on less than half of those opportunities would result in the Pirates holding a record of 49-34. The tally would place them firmly in the top National League Wild Card spot, and just a few games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Even with one of the best offenses in baseball, opportunities continue to slip away as Pittsburgh falls further. Saturday was yet another example.