The Pirates' bullpen: Touted in the spring, terrible all summer

ST. LOUIS -- On a night where David Bednar and Jalen Beeks combined to allow six runs on four hits and three walks in the seventh inning of the Pirates' 10-5 loss to the Cardinals Wednesday night at Busch Stadium, Derek Shelton pinpointed one particular area in which the team's relievers have struggled mightily throughout the season. 

"We can’t walk guys," Shelton said. "We got into the seventh with no walks and then we had three in that inning and one the next inning. It cannot be free passes ... We can’t give away outs or put guys on base when they’re not getting base hits. It seems like when we give up runs, it’s because of the fact that we’re giving away extra bases.” 

Consider the frequent command issues that have led to Pirates relievers walking the sixth-most batters (238) in Major League Baseball as one of a many factors that have led to the bullpen's ultimate implosion this season. Once believed to be an area of strength heading into spring training has now become a weak link known for inefficient performances and late-game meltdowns like the one Bednar and Beeks were at the forefront of Wednesday night. 

A group that added veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman to a mix of talented arms including Bednar, Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski was so highly-touted this spring that MLB slotted them in as the No. 3-ranked bullpen in all of baseball, using FanGraphs WAR projections to compile their rankings: 

Those were simpler times. So much optimism for what many thought could be an elite group of relievers. Instead of reaching their full potential, the inconsistencies of individual pitchers have led to the group collectively allowing the ninth-most hits (524) as well as the fourth-most runs (317) among bullpens in all of baseball. 

When looking at individual cases, it's hard to ignore the fact that the issues have seemed to stem from the consistent struggles of high-leverage relievers in Bednar, Chapman and Holderman. The trio has combined to account for 17 blown saves -- seven for Bednar, five apiece for Chapman and Holderman -- and 18 losing decisions this season. 

Bednar has had the most up-and-down season of the trio, following up a rough first month of the year with a three-month stretch in which he was reliable in his closer role, picking up 14 saves over 27 appearances. In 26 1/3 innings, he allowed just seven runs, walked seven and struck out 21 batters while holding the opposition to a .198 batting average. That's clearly the work of an All-Star closer. 

However, the same type of results haven't been produced over the last two months, a period in which Bednar has made 19 appearances, blowing three saves and suffering five losses. In between the lengthy stretch of miserable performances, Bednar was removed as closer, shifting into lower-leverage opportunities. 

Bednar's struggles continued on this particular night in which he faced four batters. He surrendered a game-tying home run to Masyn Winn and, after registering an out, saw two baserunners reach on an error and a walk before being replaced by Beeks. Shelton was asked postgame if any consideration has been given toward the possibility of shutting Bednar down for the season, a question to which he replied, “No, we haven’t had any conversations like that. As long as he is healthy, we’re going to continue. I think it’s important to figure out how to get him right. His last outing was good and two outings before was good, so I think we just need to find some consistency there. That would be really important.” 

Looking at another key bullpen piece, it'd be fair for one to consider Chapman as a bit of an outlier when discussing the struggles of these late-inning arms, considering he's allowed 26 runs and struck out 92 batters in 57 innings. He's been more effective than not this season, but the 39 walks in his team-high 63 appearances have made for some interesting late-game scenarios. There have been times where he's been his normal dominant self and other instances where he's simply struggled to throw strikes. 

Holderman was incredibly reliable over the first three months of the season, allowing a minuscule four earned runs over his first 29 2/3 innings. He struck out 33 batters and walked 13 during a span of 31 appearances in which he held opposing hitters to a .160 batting average. At that time, he was hands down the best arm in the bullpen. Once the calendar flipped to July, Holderman's season took a turn. In 19 appearances not counting his scoreless showing Wednesday night, Holderman allowed 15 runs (13 earned) over a 17-inning stretch in which he allowed 22 hits and walked 12. Opponents were hitting .328 against him. 

Bednar, Chapman and Holderman have all had a hand in this unit's downfall. But they're not alone. There have been plenty of other rotating pieces that have helped attribute to the group's lousy numbers. Even guys like Beeks, Mlodzinski, Dennis Santana, Hunter Stratton and Kyle Nicolas, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain Wednesday, experienced their share of obstacles, despite providing overall stability to a group that has ultimately failed in coming close to meeting their high expectations

“I think we thought it was going to be a strength," Shelton said. "We’ve battled some injuries there and we’ve battled inconsistency there, for sure. It’s something we have to look at because we did think that was going to be a strength of our club.”