Despite another late inning loss Tuesday night at the hands of the San Diego Padres I think Pittsburgh fans have to be encouraged with the way the Bucs have been playing on the road thus far this year.
The Pirates will enter tonight’s contest still tied for the National League lead in road wins with 10. This is no small feat for the Pirates considering their abysmal 17-64 mark on the road all of last year. With already as many road series wins as they did all of last year, the Pirates continue to impress with their ability to finish games on the road.
Many of these road wins have to be attributed to the outstanding efforts of the Pirates bullpen so far this season. With the second best bullpen ERA (2.52) in the NL, this group is as good as any in the majors. It might lack some left-handed depth, but there are several big-time arms out in the pen for the Pirates
Everyone knows about All-Star Evan Meek, but with him on the DL currently, reliever Chris Resop has stepped in nicely to the 8th inning set-up man role. In his last 10 outings he’s thrown 12 2/3 innings only allowing one earned run in that time. It’s these late inning guys that win championships for teams. Not every team can be blessed with a foursome like in Philadelphia or the couple of arms that San Francisco has. The Pirates have five guys who would be middle to bottom of the rotation guys anywhere else. Having that sturdy bullpen is going to solve a lot of problems for this team that becomes offensively challenged at times.
Jose Veras has also been great so far this season. This guy has one of the nastiest breaking balls around. After showcasing his talents on the big stage in New York last season the Pirates acquired a legitimate middle inning pitcher who can come in to get a big strike out and eat up an inning or two.
Lefty Joe Beimel has been good for the most part, too. A “lefty specialist,” he has done a nice job in the spots he’s been given this year (apart from the go-ahead homer to Chris Johnson last night). The veteran should be helpful for this bullpen down the stretch or he could very well serve as trade bait in the summer as teams are always in search of left-handed pitching from the pen.
Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan has been as good as anyone this year. This guy has electric stuff hitting on the radar gun in the high 90’s with regularity. He also sports a tight slider so hitters can’t be sitting just on his fastball. His nine saves in nine opportunities has him in a tied for 3rd right now, just one save behind Colorado’s Huston Street and Florida’s Leo Nunez. With his ability to convert, the back end of this Pirates pitching staff is solidified which hopefully translates into an abundance of wins.
written by Shane McFarland
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