{"id":84487,"date":"2024-08-29T19:39:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T23:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=84487"},"modified":"2024-08-29T19:39:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T23:39:55","slug":"closer-options-pirates-bednar-slumps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/29\/closer-options-pirates-bednar-slumps\/","title":{"rendered":"Closer Options the Pirates Should Explore As Two-Time All-Star Slumps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One wonders how it benefits the Pittsburgh Pirates and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bednada01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Bednar<\/a> to keep him in the closer role any further. The Pirates and Bednar hit a new low in Wednesday afternoon\u2019s 14-10 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. On an oppressively hot, sticky Pittsburgh summer day when it feels like the sun is 10 feet away from the back of one\u2019s neck, the Pirates led the Cubs, 10-3, after five innings with young phenom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/skenepa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Skenes<\/a> on the mound. Although he had thrown just 82 pitches, manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/sheltde99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derek Shelton<\/a>, with one eye on the future, decided to preserve his ace and turn the game over to his beleaguered bullpen. The bullpen proceeded to unravel. Bednar wasn\u2019t the only culprit. But he failed to protect a ninth-inning, two-run lead, surrendering five runs in two-thirds of an inning. It was his sixth blown save and seventh loss of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>One Pirate fan who attended the game told me, \u201cWhat misery. The Pirates are surely the most exasperating team one can root for.\u201d Shelton, who usually hides his frustrations when dealing with the media, said, \u201cI don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;ve been as pissed as I am right now,\u201d according to Jason Mackey of the <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>. Even noted baseball authority Livvy Dunne expressed her frustration on that vicious cesspool known as social media. Her vexation is understandable, but she\u2019d be wise to refrain from criticizing her significant other\u2019s teammates.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"zxx\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pdxyyAGUzm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/pdxyyAGUzm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/livvydunne\/status\/1828885505464750493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Closer Options the Pirates Should Explore As Bednar Slumps<\/h2>\n<p>Meanwhile, returning to Bednar, one is reminded of what erstwhile Pittsburgh Steelers coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/coaches\/NollCh0.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chuck Noll<\/a> once said of his troubled defensive tackle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HolmEr20.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ernie Holmes<\/a>: \u201cHe has problems, and they are many.\u201d Bednar has as many losses and one fewer blown save than in his All-Star 2022 and 2023 seasons combined. That last outing ballooned his ERA to 6.32 and his WHIP to 1.426. His 4.64 FIP indicates he may have had some bad luck, although this is a below-average number, too.<\/p>\n<p>So, what\u2019s wrong with Bednar? It\u2019s doubtful even a team of Sherlock Holmes, Mike Hammer, and Ellery Queen could figure it out. Bednar relies primarily on a four-seam fastball, which he throws 56.7 percent of the time, consistent with previous years\u2019 usage. Its average velocity of 97.2 mph is the highest it\u2019s ever been as a Pirate. Its 39.9 percent chase rate is the same as it was in 2023. Bednar\u2019s 8.4 percent walk rate is higher than it was in his All-Star years, but not alarmingly so. Statistics reveal he\u2019s left fewer pitches over the middle of the plate than in the past. These things must be what Shelton sees that makes him go back to Bednar time and again.<\/p>\n<p>However, the four-seamer has generated a 13.5 percent whiff rate, which is significantly lower than that of the last two years. Overall, Bednar\u2019s strikeout rate is 22.9 percent, his career low as a Pirate by a notable margin. The only conclusion to reach is that the league\u2019s hitters have adjusted to him, and he needs to show them something different. That\u2019s something Bednar should be working on in lower-leverage situations, not as the closer of the Pirates.<\/p>\n<h3>So, What&#8217;s Next?<\/h3>\n<p>Due to an injury, Bednar didn\u2019t have much of a spring training with which to prepare for the season. He <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/10\/pirates-another-role-bednar\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">struggled<\/a> at the beginning of the season. The Pirates hoped that a trip to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/23\/pirates-bednar-injured-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">injured list<\/a> in June would restore Bednar to the previous dominance he\u2019s shown as a closer. Since his return, he\u2019s looked sharp at times, and he does have 23 saves. However, since July 29, he\u2019s 0-4 with five saves, three blown saves, and an ugly 10.80 ERA. During that time, opponents are hitting .352\/.462\/.537 against him.<\/p>\n<p>In light of the fact that the Pirates just gave up 41 runs in the three-game series against the Cubs, 30 of which came against the bullpen, the reader might be surprised to learn that the Bucs have plenty of relievers who are pitching quite well of late. Let\u2019s look at some options as to who the Pirates might look to replace Bednar as the closer or at least use in high-leverage spots.<\/p>\n<h3>The Lefties<\/h3>\n<p>The obvious solution is to use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chapmar01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aroldis Chapman<\/a> to close games. The hard-throwing veteran left-hander has 325 saves in his 15 years. Since <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/01\/22\/chapman-signs-with-pirates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">signing<\/a> a $10.5 million contract with the Pirates, he\u2019s also been frustrating at times with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/29\/chapman-pirates-underperforming-disappointment\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">bouts of wildness<\/a>. But everybody knows that Chapman is streaky, and he happens to be on a good streak now. Since July 20, he\u2019s 4-0 with seven holds and a 2.25 ERA, with opponents hitting .161\/.230\/.250 against him. He\u2019s struck out 27 of 61 batters during that stretch. Of course, games can be lost in any inning. The Pirates need others to step up and handle the late innings.<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/beeksja02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Beeks<\/a> was <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/29\/pirates-trade-jalen-beeks-rockies\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">acquired<\/a> at the deadline, it seemed like the least sexy of general manager Ben Cherington\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/31\/pirates-2024-trade-deadline-grades\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">deadline deals<\/a>. But Beeks has pitched well as a Pirate. Since he arrived in Pittsburgh, Shelton has kept him busy. Beeks has already pitched in 14 games and has a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings. Some of his peripheral stats could be better, but the bottom line is he generally keeps runners from scoring.<\/p>\n<h3>The Kids Are All Right<\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019d previously advocated for an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/06\/pirates-bullpen-nicolas-important-role\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">increased bullpen role<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nicolky01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Nicolas<\/a>. Since July 26, he has a 2.76 ERA. However, that figure was an even more stellar 0.61 on August 24 and is skewed by rough outings against the Cincinnati Reds and the Cubs. We might regard the Cubs series as an aberration. Their bats were hot, and their confidence was at a high. Even their trainers and clubhouse attendants wanted to get in the batter\u2019s box.<\/p>\n<p>Last year\u2019s seventh-inning specialist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mlodzca01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carmen Mlodzinski<\/a>, has pitched well all season long. Despite stints on the injured list, he has a 3.00 ERA and 1.222 WHIP. Since May 31, his ERA is 1.19 and batters are slashing .183\/.269\/.212 against him. Although only in his second year, he has plenty of experience in high-leverage situations. He&#8217;d be a top candidate as a right-handed closer.<\/p>\n<h3>The Ex-Yankees<\/h3>\n<p>When the Pirates plucked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/santade01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Santana<\/a> from the New York Yankees on a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/13\/dennis-santana-yankees-pirates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">waiver claim<\/a>, Adam Weinrib of <em>Yanks Go Yard<\/em> wrote, \u201cWhile Santana&#8217;s 2024 fastball velocity and chase rates indicated the potential for greatness, his sloppy middle-middle breakers and predictable struggles rarely hinted that a breakout was on the horizon. If [pitching coach] Matt Blake and the Yankees couldn&#8217;t find it, it&#8217;s less likely the Pirates will . . .\u201d Well, guess what? The Pirates found it. Santana was roughed up for six runs in his second Pirates appearance on June 15. Since then, his ERA is 1.57 and opponents are hitting a paltry .216\/.270\/.314 against him. The Pirates could stand to give Santana a more prominent role.<\/p>\n<p>Even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/germado01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Domingo Germ\u00e1n<\/a> could be a good option for the Pirates. He\u2019s experienced and won\u2019t be scared of high-leverage situations. He\u2019s appeared in five games as a Pirate, including one start. His ERA is 6.14 and his WHIP is 1.500, thanks to an eight-run explosion against him by the Cubs on Monday. Again, let\u2019s treat that Cubs series as an outlier. Disregarding that game, his ERA is 1.50 and his slash line against is .128\/.292\/.205.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word on Pirates Closer Bednar<\/h3>\n<p>Shelton is getting beaten up on talk shows and social media for sticking with Bednar for so long. Not that it\u2019s not deserved, but it\u2019s also what most managers would do. Too many of them think that pitching the ninth inning is a special talent with which few were blessed. But right now, even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tellero01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rowdy Tellez<\/a>, who pitched twice this week, and his straight slowball might be preferable to what we\u2019re seeing now from Bednar. The Pirates need to install another closer and let Bednar work out his issues in a lesser role.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One wonders how it benefits the Pittsburgh Pirates and David Bednar to keep him in the closer role any further. The Pirates and Bednar hit a new low in Wednesday afternoon\u2019s 14-10 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. On an oppressively hot, sticky Pittsburgh summer day when it feels like the sun is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":84521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1071],"tags":[209,3215,3632,5829,4790,3160,2491,2146,3720,203],"class_list":["post-84487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-mlb","tag-aroldis-chapman","tag-ben-cherington","tag-carmen-mlodzinski","tag-david-bednar","tag-dennis-santana","tag-derek-shelton","tag-domingo-german","tag-jalen-beeks","tag-kyle-nicolas","tag-rowdy-tellez"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}