As their bullpen continues to blow leads and rake up demoralizing losses, the Pittsburgh Pirates should look to Kyle Nicolas. This past weekend at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pirates lost two of three. They could have won all three games with effective performances from the bullpen. On Friday night, the Pirates lost, 9-8, when three relievers gave up three runs in the final three innings. In the seventh inning, Aroldis Chapman surrendered a home run to former Pirate Josh Bell. Colin Holderman gave up a run in the eighth, followed by a ninth-inning homer by Ketel Marte against Dennis Santana. Bell and Marte each hit two home runs on that evening. Bell has been a Pirate killer since they traded him to the Washington Nationals in 2020. He’s the 21st-century version of Art Howe, who killed the Pirates with clutch hits after they traded him in 1976.
To add insult to injury, Holderman wasted another solid outing by Paul Skenes on Sunday. Holderman entered that game in the seventh inning with the Pirates ahead, 4-2. He got in trouble right away by sandwiching two walks around a sacrifice bunt. It looked like he might pitch out of it after striking out Marte. Unfortunately, Joc Pederson rained on the Pirates’ parade by launching a three-run home run to deep left-center field when Holderman was one strike away from ending the inning. Arizona went on to win that one, 6-5.
Ready for it? 🐍
The @Dbacks are back in front after a 3-run homer from Joc Pederson. pic.twitter.com/mOHIfZng7S
— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2024
“Another Insult to Loyal Fans”
Nicolas, a right-hander, came to the Pirates from the Miami Marlins in a controversial November 2021 deal that saw the Bucs send catcher Jacob Stallings to Miami. Stallings had just won a Gold Glove Award. The Pirates also got pitcher Zach Thompson and minor leaguer Connor Scott. Nicolas was the key to the deal for the Pirates, although they may not have envisioned using him in the bullpen. Thompson lasted just the 2022 season in Pittsburgh, going 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.512 WHIP. Scott is now in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. In 2020 and 2021, the Pirates had already traded Starling Marte, Bell, Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon, and Adam Frazier, to name a few. Predictably, fans rushed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website and trashed general manager Ben Cherington and owner Bob Nutting:
“So much for having a general manager who is different and will be an agent for change.”
“Nutting is the baseball equivalent of a hedge fund that buys a company and then, instead of making it more viable, sells off all of its assets for cash. He has absolutely no interest in fielding a winning team.”
“Another insult to loyal fans. Once again the Pirates prove that the strongest arm in the organization is the one (they) use every year to throw in the towel.”
“When will you all stop caring? Ownership does not care for your intelligence or for your loyalty.”
Pirates Pitcher Nicolas Should Have More Important Bullpen Role
Nicolas, 25, is in his second year in the majors. In 2023, his time with the Pirates didn’t go well and lasted just four games. Since re-joining the team in late April 2024, he has a 3.11 ERA, 1.274 WHIP, 3.09 FIP, and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings entering Monday’s off day. Opponents are hitting .204/.311/.263 against him. His 2024 season started like it might be a repeat of 2023. However, since June 23, he has a 0.51 ERA and an opponent’s slash line of .161/.264/.194 in 15 games. During that stretch, he’s 2-1 with three holds. The loss came in an extra-inning game when he allowed the automatic runner to score. Generally, however, he hasn’t been used in high-leverage situations.
On the other hand, Holderman, usually the eighth-inning man when the Pirates are leading, is trending in the opposite direction. His 3.07 ERA, 1.341 WHIP, and 10.3 strikeouts per nine aren’t much different than Nicolas’s stats. But from June 23 until now, in 15 games, Holderman’s ERA is 7.53 and opponents are hitting .356/.435/.695 with five homers. He has two holds during that time, but he’s also 0-4 with three blown saves. At the start of the season, he was nearly unhittable. On June 22, his ERA was 0.68. That’s all changed now.
Nicolas features a four-seam fastball, slider, and curveball. The four-seamer is used 57.1 percent of the time and averages 97.6 mph. The slider generates the highest chase and whiff percentages at 37.4 and 20.1, respectively. A starter in the minors, Nicolas has looked like his stuff “plays,” as the saying goes, in the Pirates bullpen.
A Change (Would Do You Good), Pirates
When the Pirates signed Chapman, they envisioned a short game with a lights-out bullpen comprised of David Bednar, Holderman, Chapman, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Ryan Borucki. That hasn’t materialized. Bednar got off to a slow start after a spring training injury. Chapman hasn’t lived up to the hype. Borucki has been on the injured list almost all season. Mlodzinski is currently on his second IL stint. Now Holderman is in the midst of a rough patch. Jalen Beeks was acquired near the trade deadline to shore up the bullpen. That has looked like a good move so far, albeit one that was unimaginable in spring training.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes in his players, even when nobody else does. He stuck with Rowdy Tellez when Tellez looked like a sure DFA candidate in May. He used Bednar and Chapman in high-leverage situations when they struggled. He’s doing the same thing now with Holderman.
Stubbornness is a quality found in many successful managers and coaches. Pittsburgh fans will remember Steelers coach Chuck Noll and his legendary belief in what he was doing. It’s hard to label Shelton “successful” so far in his managerial career. But if his Pirates reach the postseason despite a rag-tag offense and underachieving bullpen, he should receive Manager of the Year consideration.
At this point, however, the postseason can’t become a reality with Holderman consistently blowing leads. With his recent run, Nicolas has earned a more prominent role in the Pirates bullpen. He should step into the role of pitching the seventh or eighth inning with Chapman, who’s been better lately.
The Last Word
I’ve never bought into the notion that it takes a special skill to pitch the ninth inning. Yet, I’ve never seen a team forfeit when they’re leading after eight and their closer isn’t available. Now managers are acting as though pitching in the seventh or eighth inning is an art form, too. I also have trouble believing that a pitcher who’s reached the majors is wetting himself over the prospect of pitching the late innings with his team ahead. For the Pirates, those late innings should belong to Bednar, Chapman, and Nicolas.
None of this is to suggest that Holderman can’t bounce back to be an important late-inning option. But for now, he should work out his issues in less-important situations and earn his way back to the late innings.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
