CHICAGO - For all the attention on Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler, the Pirates have quietly built something useful out of the unglamorous side of pitching: the bullpen game.
The placeholder on the lineup card - TBA, “to be announced” - has turned into a real weapon for Pittsburgh this season. On days when the Pirates go that route, they’ve been tough to beat.
They’re 6-4 in bullpen games, and those outings have produced just 2.6 runs allowed per game. In every other game, the number jumps to 4.8.
"It’s been a selfless attitude of the guys in the ‘pen to pitch whenever they’re needed to pitch,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “They’ve done a really good job in those opener games.”
The setup against the White Sox on Wednesday at Rate Field fit the pattern again, with TBA becoming Lake Bachar. And Bachar has become the club’s go-to opener after Mason Montgomery handled the role earlier in the year.
Bachar has made four opening assignments, covering 9 2/3 innings and giving up only two earned runs for a 1.86 ERA. He has struck out 10, and the Pirates have won three of those games. Twice, he has handed things off to Khristian Curtis, Hunter Barco and Carmen Mlodzinski.
“It’s fun,” Bachar said. “I just like to go out there and throw. So, any time I can be out there and competing for the guys is amazing.”
Montgomery had already established the template before shifting into a shutdown closer role. In five games as the opener, he never allowed a run and struck out eight over five innings.
The Pirates have also used Yohan Ramirez as an opener once, while Justin Lawrence and Evan Sisk have each worked in what was effectively a second-opener role. Put those 12 appearances together, and Pittsburgh pitchers have posted a 0.96 ERA across 18 2/3 opening innings, with 10 walks, 24 strikeouts and one home run allowed.
The strategy only works if the follow-up innings are handled well, and the Pirates have gotten that part right, too.
Carmen Mlodzinski has been the most reliable bulk arm, posting a 2.59 ERA in 17 1/3 innings when he comes in after an opener. Pittsburgh is 3-1 in those games.
There have been other examples of the model paying off. Wilber Dotel threw four scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts on April 27 against the Cardinals in a 4-2 win. Bubba Chandler also benefited from a different look and turned it into 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball with seven strikes against the Braves, a stretch that marked a turning point in his season.
Overall, the Pirates’ bulk relievers have done plenty of heavy lifting in opener games, combining for a 2.95 ERA in 42 2/3 innings. They’ve walked 19, struck out 38 and allowed only one home run.
“You need to have a number capable pitchers,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “Then it’s really about planning and being ahead of it.
"We need to make sure either on our roster or in Triple-A we’ve got a combination of pitchers who can go and not just cover the innings but actually give you a chance to win
“Once you get to the [bullpen game], it’s just about planning things like, ‘OK, which parts of the lineup do we want to set different guys up for?’ It’s a combination of all of those things.”
That kind of pitching stack can help the Pirates attack a lineup in different ways, whether that means neutralizing left-handed hitters or keeping opposing hitters from seeing one arm too many times.
And with a young rotation that’s getting close to innings limits, it has also given Pittsburgh a practical way to create rest while still staying competitive. With Curtis, Dotel, Barco, Antwone Kelly or Thomas Harrington in the mix, it would not be a surprise to see the Pirates lean on it again. Cherington said the team is in a good spot because it has multiple arms who can handle the job.
“We’re lucky right now to have a bunch of capable, multi-inning Major League pitchers,” Cherington said. “Not just who can [execute the opener-bulk strategy] but do so effectively and get guys out.”
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