PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A day after the Pirates used five pitchers to hold the Rockies to two runs the bullpen showed some of the recent struggles in the 11-9, 10-inning loss to the Phillies. Over the last week the Pirates dropped seven spots in bullpen ERA and Friday night gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings.
It was the Pirates 10th blown save of the year, while they had only lost one game before Friday when leading after eight innings, that is a bit deceiving. The bullpen has given up at least a run in seven straight games.
Gregory Soto had become the recent closer, but has given up four runs (three earned) in two innings on four hits and two walks with no strikeouts.
Dennis Santana started the season as the closer, in May he is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA.
Justin Lawrence is having an awful start to May, seven hits, seven runs, three earned (although his error allowed a couple of unearned runs), two walks and one strikeout in 2.1 innings this month. His season ERA is now 6.06.
Isaac Mattson was really solid last year and the first month of the season, but has given up seven earned runs in his last 1.1 innings.
"We need to just keep getting after it, keep working and find a way,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “During the course of the season, when you get, individually, or sometimes even as a group, understand that there's opportunity to go out there and stay within yourself and not press. I think that that's the thing that sometimes can end up happening. You start trying too hard and then stuff isn't what it can be."
Granted the Phillies are a good hitting team with a couple of white-hot bats, but it’s been more than just Friday night. Pirates GM Ben Cherington said the answers are there internally and believes in the group they have. The plan isn’t to go looking for new options, he thinks it’s early to do that.
But early is getting late with the Pirates finishing the 45th game of the season.
“We know that the guys are going to continue to work through the month to go out and continue to do what we've seen them do in the past,” Kelly said. “I think that's the biggest thing, finding a way to have that confidence when you go out there, individuality and collectively.”
As for dealing with a loss like this, leading 6-0 and 8-5 in the ninth, with 29.998 fans against an in-state rival.
“You get back to work,” said Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft. “Come in tomorrow, it’s a new day, it’s a fresh day. You can’t stew on good ones and bad ones, like there’s always a new day and there’s 26 ultra-professionals in this clubhouse and there’s going to be 26 guys that come in (Saturday) with a fresh perspective and a positive outlook on the day and go about their work in a good way and we’re going to put in a good body of work and come into the game prepared and hopefully come out with the win.
“I’ve said it over and over again, we have confidence in the 26 guys in this clubhouse (and the guys have) the most confidence in each other.”
“You are never going to win 162, you are going to lose ballgames,” said infielder Brandon Lowe. “You’d love to win these ones, but when it happens, it’s a loss. It sucks. It hurts. You got to move past it. There’s no sense in dwelling on it.”
“It’s done, it’s over, it’s 10:30p, you can dwell on it for about another hour-and-a-half, but once that day turns, let’s get out of here and focus on the next game.”
‘It’s done, it’s over, let’s focus on the next game’
‘It’s done, it’s over, let’s focus on the next game’
