PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates’ pitching puzzle has taken another turn.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen entered Friday night with a 4.57 ERA, the fourth-worst mark in the National League. A solution could be coming as the Aug. 3 MLB Trade Deadline approaches. For now, however, the Pirates are forced to play a dangerous game by relying on inexperienced arms.
On Friday against the Marlins, the inexperience shone through. After five innings of two-run ball from starter Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh turned to 23-year-old Wilber Dotel and then 22-year-old Antwone Kelly to close things out. The duo combined for six earned runs and four walks in four innings as the Pirates fell to the Marlins 8-3 in the series opener and, as a result, dropped to .500 on the year.
“It's tough,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of relying on the young arms. “Dotel was so good the first few outings. The last couple haven’t been as good as the first few were. We just need to find a way. I think it’s the free passes. We need to limit the walks.”
Dotel, the Pirates’ No. 11 prospect, emerged as a secret weapon after a promotion in late May, allowing just one run in 10 innings. A clear misstep against the Dodgers on Tuesday proved worrisome, as Dotel faced six batters and didn't record an out. Friday’s performance against Miami proved he is in a clear rough patch.
Dotel entered the game in the sixth with the score tied at 2 and allowed four runs in the top of the seventh to break the game open. Dotel’s sixth inning featured minimal hiccups, a double and a walk, but stranded the threats. He wasn’t as lucky in the seventh.
The Marlins' first three batters reached as Liam Hicks walked and Otto Lopez, the Majors' current batting leader, singled. Dotel’s fastball velocity increased from the sixth to the seventh, but his command again was an issue. The damage peaked when Xavier Edwards ripped a sacrifice fly and Heriberto Hernández hit an RBI single. Owen Caissie then hit a two-run double, and all of a sudden the game was out of reach.
Dotel said it’s possible that teams have adjusted to him, impacting his production. He couldn’t pinpoint a specific avenue to fix. His three walks, however, certainly played a factor.
“It had some effect on the outing, actually being behind in counts and walking guys,” Dotel said through translator Stephen Morales. “Behind in counts, you can always come back and get hitters; definitely the walks will hurt you, and it affected me a little bit.”
Pittsburgh aimed to stop the bleeding by sending in Kelly for his MLB debut. Kelly, the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect, came out firing with a 100 mph fastball that Joe Mack nearly turned around for a homer. But the ball went foul and, two pitches later, Kelly escaped with a popout.
In the eighth, Kelly allowed a leadoff double followed by a two-run homer by Hicks. He then settled in to retire the final six batters in order, recording his first career strikeout in the process. But the damage was already done. The Pirates' manager felt Kelly “lived up to the hype.” His fellow young pitcher, Dotel, felt similarly.
“He can definitely be big for our bullpen, for sure, not just physically but also mentally,” Dotel said. “Today was one of those days that he showed what he can do. The whole thing did not go his way, but I feel like he's going to help us, and I believe his pitching will be huge for our team.”
Don Kelly said postgame that fixing the bullpen comes down to simplifying outings, getting ahead in counts and executing the little things initially discussed in Spring Training. Ashcraft believes confidence in the unit hasn’t swayed.
Pittsburgh has now reached a predicament it must face through the next few weeks. The bullpen is a clear issue, one with needed fixing as the summer rolls on. The unit is not appearing to get any better, recording a 6.53 ERA since May 27. They've also walked 14.2% of batters during that span.
Going after a trade target would be expensive this far out, with the Deadline still over 50 days away. Entrusting a few young guns could dip the Pirates out of contention before the Deadline even hits. Only time will tell. But Friday was a clear indication of where the club needs to improve.