Clutch yet again, Bednar’s becoming one of the game's best relievers

CHICAGO -- Not all saves are created equal.

David Bednar's been getting the much tougher ones of late. Four of his team-leading eight have required him to pitch more than an inning. That includes getting the final six outs of the Pirates' 3-2 victory over the Cubs Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. 

"I don’t care," Bednar said with a smile after the game when asked if those multi-inning saves are sweeter. "As long as we get the win, that’s all I care about."

That's Bednar. The guy more or less has been used as closer -- and even now has the closer entrance video -- but is more than willing to come in earlier to pitch in the biggest spots.

"He’s an exceptional human being," Ben Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show Sunday. "A lot of fun to be around, incredible competitor but also doesn’t take himself too seriously all the time, and that’s a nice combination.”

Add "really good pitcher" on top of that too. Cherington said during that same radio hit that the Pirates thought Bednar was undervalued by the Padres, which is why they were able to get him in the Joe Musgrove trade without having to make him the headliner of the deal.

He just might still be undervalued. In fact, that performance Wednesday was just another indicator for why he should be considered among the sport's best at that position.

Perhaps this reporter is biased, being the only person to include Bednar on their rookie of the year ballots a year ago. But ask yourself, how do you want to evaluate a relief pitcher?

Stats? He's got those. A 0.90 ERA. A 0.60 WHIP. A 38% strikeout rate. Just three walks allowed over 20 innings. A perfect 8-for-8 on save attempts. The highest whiff rate on pitches inside the strike zone than any other pitcher with as many innings as him.

"He goes right at people and attacks," Derek Shelton said.

I could go on. 

Stuff? He's got it. That high-90s fastball is among the league's best, getting movement. Batters have yet to record a hit against his curveball this season.

Then the splitter. Yeah, remember that pitch? The Hideo Nomo splitter that was the talk when the Pirates made that trade? The one that he talked about on the air in the YouTube stream of Wednesday's game? He hadn't been throwing it as much this season before punching a couple tickets and getting the game-sealing fly out with it.

"I think tonight's the best split we've seen in awhile. Split had been something he hadn't used as much, and tonight he threw probably the best splits he had in awhile."

Clutch? I mentioned save attempts, but let's examine one advanced stat: Win Probability Added (WPA). What were your team's chances of winning before you take the ball vs. when you handed it off or the game was over. It's arguably the best way to quantify how a player does in the clutch.

In that category, Bednar is second in all of baseball, only behind Josh Hader of the Brewers, who has more consistent opportunities to pick up saves.

Here are the top 10 in WPA in baseball, as measured by FanGraphs:

Find a way to evaluate relievers and Bednar is almost certainly among the league's best. 

But what he cared about Wednesday was that his team got the win and avoided the sweep.

"It’s always good, especially when you have two tough ones to come out on top in that third one and right the ship," Bednar said. "Hopefully come home and have a good weekend series."

MORE FROM THE GAME

• For the first time in his major-league career, Mitch Keller came out of the bullpen rather than starting the game. After Wil Crowe tossed the first two frames, Keller came out in the third, going 2 2/3 innings with one run allowed on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

"It’s definitely different," Keller said. "I did it when I got sent down last year. That was really controlled. I knew exactly what inning I had. This time was a little different circumstance. I didn’t know exactly when I was coming in. Once I got out there, it was kind of the same thing, the same game, fill it up, attack."

Shelton said postgame that the team hasn't made any decisions on how Keller will be used going forward, but this hybrid role that pitchers like Crowe, Dillon Peters and Bryse Wilson have been used in seems like a possibility, especially since Keller has had poor results so far this year.

"Initially it sucks, but it’s just how you move forward," Keller said on how he handled the change to the bullpen. "It’s just taking this opportunity to get better and navigate through some hitters without really having to worry about the whole lineup or thinking about a scouting report or anything like that. It’s more, ‘Go use your nasty stuff and get people out.’ I thought I did that more tonight than I have in the past."

• After Michael Chavis and Daniel Vogelbach finally plated a couple runs in the third after the Pirates were shutout the first two games of the series, Chicago native Jack Suwinski crushed what would end up being the game-winning homer to right-center.

His parents were among the many people in the crowd for him today, and his dad's reaction says it all:

"It's definitely something that you think about for a long time and then you still don't believe it when it happens," Suwinski said about homering in his home city. "You got over it so many times in your head and then it happens and you still basically get chills."

• There was a lot of injury news to parse through today, including confirmation that Roberto Pérez will need season-ending surgery on his hamstring. Read about it here.

• Quick news bullet: Andrew Knapp, who was designated for assignment Monday, cleared waivers and declared himself a free agent.

• A tip of the cap to Pirates' director of communications Jimmy Trdinich, who just completed his final road trip with the team this series. After 33 years of service time, he's transitioning to a position as the team's historian in the near future.

The Cubs' media relations staff commemorated his work by giving him a scoreboard tile:

• That was a rough first two games of the series. Wednesday was a much better, complete game, getting timely hitting, good pitching and a couple good defensive plays from Ke'Bryan Hayes at third.

They needed one like that.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: OF Jake Marisnick (thumb), SS Kevin Newman (groin)

• 60-day injured list: OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery), Roberto Pérez (hamstring, out for season)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Michael Chavis, 2B
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Rodolfo Castro, SS
6. Diego Castillo, RF
7. Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
8. Tyler Heineman, C
9. Jack Suwinski, LF

And for David Ross' crew:

1. Rafael Ortega, CF
2. Willson Contreras, C
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Seiya Suzuki, RF
5. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
6. Frank Schwindel, DH
7. Jonathan Villar, 2B
8. Christofer Morel, 3B
9. Andrelton Simmons, SS

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates get a day off Thursday before returning to PNC Park for a couple of series. First up is the Cardinals. Zach Thompson (2-3, 5.47) will take on Adam Wainwright (4-3, 3.15) in the opener Friday, with first pitch coming at 6:35 p.m.

THE CONTENT

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