Don Kelly Gets Bullpen Wrong When Pirates Needed It Most
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CHICAGO — The Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to win a big game against the Chicago Cubs, but manager Don Kelly's bullpen management prevented them from doing so.
The Pirates lost 4-3 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 12, as left-handed relief pitcher Gregory Soto gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Soto gave up a leadoff double, got two big outs, then lost control, hitting two batters and walking two others, as two runners scored with the bases loaded.
Pirates manager Don Kelly, who now has one of the best bullpens since the trade deadline, made the wrong decision and it cost him and the team dearly.
Don Kelly Should've Taken Soto Out Sooner
A leadoff double is never a great sign when a pitcher comes in, but Soto settled in after that, getting outfielder Tyrone Taylor to pop out and then striking out Cubs All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Kelly acknowledged that the Pirates brought in Soto for Crow-Armstrong, a left-handed batter, but then left him in and along for his struggles over the next few batters.
Soto hit third baseman Alex Bregman on his second pitch of the at-bat, walked pinch-hitter Seiya Suzuki on six pitches, throwing all four of his sliders for a ball, walked pinch-hitter Matt Shaw on five pitches, two sinkers and two sliders, tying the game, then hit shortstop Nico Hoerner on a first-pitch slider.
It only took 14 pitches for Soto to go from getting that final out to four baserunners and two runs scoring, giving the Cubs the win.
Kelly mentioned they liked Soto against right-handed batters, which all four of those hitters were, so he did stick with his strategy.
Soto came into this game with better figures against right-handed batters, .186/.276/.283 for an OPS of .559, than left-handed batters, .195/.295/.364 for an OPS of .659, so Kelly was right about that.
The issue is that Soto was clearly unraveling, and the Pirates needed someone else in the bullpen, warming up and getting ready in case Soto struggled, especially in a one-run game.
Right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez did warm up in the bullpen, but the Pirates never brought him on, letting Soto, who Kelly acknowledged, "just couldn’t find the zone there at the end," spiral and suffer a tough defeat.
“No," Kelly said on if he thought he should take Soto out for Ramírez. "We had gotten Yohan up in case he got out of it, but Suzuki was 0-4 with three strikeouts, Shaw 0-2 with a strikeout and Soto has been really good against right-handed batters too.”
Pirates Bullpen is Made For These Kinds of Moments
The Pirates made four additions to their bullpen at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and it's turned them into one of the best units in baseball since then.
This includes the likes of middle reliever Lake Bachar (Miami Marlins), setup man Luke Weaver (New York Mets), former star closer Camilo Doval (New York Yankees) and 39-year-old Kirby Yates (Los Angeles Angels).
All four have played a big role this season, and the Pirates had Weaver available for this game, as he last pitched on Sept. 10, with a day of rest.
The Pirates should've gone with Weaver, who has struggled at times recently, as he has the experience to come in those moments and get the win.
Weaver is also the Pirates' big trade acquisition, and they will pay $5 million next season, so they should have made him the big man for this moment.
“Yeah, there’s no doubt, this one hurts," Kelly said. "I think that when we’re sitting there looking at it, maybe hindsight, I should’ve had Weaver up and to come in. Just something with Soto; he’s been so good and has made some big pitches that the wheels haven’t fallen off like that. He’s been really good for the most part for us..."
The Pirates also can't afford to lose games like this, as they are now 74-75 with just 13 games left and came into this game 5.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race.
Another NL Wild Card team, the Cubs (83-66), showed much better bullpen management than the Pirates did.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell took out right-handed starting pitcher Clay Holmes after he loaded the bases in the sixth inning, and right-handed pitcher Jacob Webb got Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz to ground out to end the inning.
Counsell then took out left-handed pitcher Ryan Rolison for the last out, bringing in right-handed pitcher Ryan Zefejahn, who struck out Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds to win the game.
That management wins you games, as Counsell didn't wait for things to get worse and immediately snuffed out the issues, which played a big role in the Cubs winning.
Kelly has earned unfair criticism for his bullpen usage this season, but with a much better pitching staff, he must take responsibility for this loss and learn from it quickly.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.