Pirates Must Fix Bullpen Issues Before It's Too Late
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't gotten the efficiency needed from the bullpen and that came to the forefront of their most recent defeat.
The Pirates held an 8-2 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the top of the seventh inning, following right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft departing with two outs, but the bullpen would allow seven runs and five earned runs over 3.1 innings to lose 11-9 in extra innings.
It was an incredibly disappointing defeat for a Pirates team, who took a 6-0 lead in the third inning and had almost 30,000 fans in the stands ready to see a big win over their crosstown rival.
But it's also something that the Pirates have dealt with all year, as their bullpen has struggled with consistency and closing out games.
Pirates Bullpen Issues in May, 2026 Overall
The Pirates starting pitching has been effective this month, with 25 earned runs over 69.0 innings pitched for a 3.26 ERA, with some great performances from Ashcraft, Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and even better outings from Bubba Chandler and Carmen Mlodzinski.
Pittsburgh has not gotten that same level of pitching from its bullpen, as they've combined for 26 earned runs over 39.2 innings pitched, a 5.90 ERA.
Pirates Bullpen Game Logs in May
Date (Team) | Innings Pitched | Earned Runs |
|---|---|---|
May 1 (Cincinnati Reds) | 2.0 | 0 |
May 2 (Reds) | 3.1 | 2 |
May 3 (Reds) | 1.1 | 0 |
May 5 (Arizona Diamondbacks) | 3.0 | 7 |
May 6 (Diamondbacks) | 1.0 | 0 |
May 7 (Diamondbacks) | 3.0 | 0 |
May 8 (San Francisco Giants) | 2.0 | 3 |
May 9 (Giants) | 2.0 | 2 |
May 10 (Giants) | 6.1 | 3 |
May 12 (Colorado Rockies) | 1.0 | 1 |
May 13 (Rockies) | 3.1 | 1 |
May 14 (Rockies) | 8.0 | 2 |
May 15 (Philadelphia Phillies) | 3.1 | 5 |
The Pirates bullpen has given up an earned run in seven straight games and not given up a run in only four of the 13 games they've pitched in this month.
This defeat vs. the Phillies saw reliable left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery give up a two-run home run to designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, fellow southpaw Gregory Soto wasting a 8-5 lead by giving up three runs in the top of the ninth inning for a blown save and then right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana giving up three straight hits and three earned runs in the top of the 10th inning.
It's not the first time the Pirates have blown a big lead, technically having 10 blown saves, but they came into this game with 20 wins and just one loss after leading following eight innings, 20-2 while leading after seven innings and 19-3 while leading after six innings.
The issue Pirates have is that they posses an 18-11 record when they scored at least four runs and they've also lost seven games when they've scored at least six runs.
Their defeat against the San Francisco Giants on May 10 was emblematic of their bullpen struggles, being up two runs three times at 2-0 in the second inning, 4-2 in the sixth inning and 6-4 in the 10th inning, but were never able to hold onto the lead and fell 7-6 in 12 innings.
Another loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 12 was also like this, where the Pirates took big leads of 5-0 and 6-2 early on, but still lost 7-6.
Both losses should've easily been wins for the Pirates, but instead, are two big losses on their resume.
Pirates Pitchers Struggling So Far After Strong 2025 Campaigns.
The Pirates have had a few pitchers struggle out of the bullpen that excelled last season, particularly Santana most recently.
Santana went from the Pirates de facto closer, to someone who hasn't struck out any of the last 31 batters he's faced and has given up eight earned runs over his last 5.1 innings pitched.
Fellow right-handed pitcher Isaac Mattson has a 4.76 ERA, but has given up seven earned runs over his last 1.1 innings pitched over three outings.
Another right-handed pitcher in Justin Lawrence has struggled as well, with a 6.06 ERA and hasn't been as dominant as he was in his injury-shortened 2025 campaign, with a 0.51 ERA over 17.2 innings pitched.
Fellow right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez has had some fantastic outings, but also some poor ones, and has a 3.96 ERA.
It's not the situation that the Pirates expected to find themselves in, but it's clear they need to make some changes.
How Pirates Can Address Bullpen Issues
The Pirates need a middle reliever, but also another high-leverage arm they can rely on, especially if they intend on competing for a spot in the postseason.
Pittsburgh will explore options going towards the trade deadline, but that's Aug. 3, almost three months away, and there are simply too many important games to wait until that point.
The Pirates will look for additions via waivers and and find players any way they can, but external additions aren't the most likely at this time.
Pittsburgh has to find pitchers in their farm system to address these problems, until they can look for better arms closer to the deadline.
The Pirates promoted right-hander Brandan Bidois, who actually got all three outs in the 10th inning vs. the Phillies, who could provide that high-leverage role they're looking for, but at just two MLB appearances, that's hard to definitely say.
Right-hander Wilber Dotel had a strong showing with the Pirates in his three appearances and has a fastball that reaches 100 mph, which could see him take on a middle reliever role.
The issue with someone like Dotel is that the Pirates see him as a starting pitcher and are stretching him out at Triple-A Indianapolis in that role. Fellow prospects like right-hander Antwone Kelly and Hunter Barco are also in the same situation.
Pittsburgh has some tough decisions to make when it comes to their bullpen and time will tell if they make them and complete what should be a strong pitching staff.
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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.