A surging offense and elite starters have the Pittsburgh Pirates dreaming of October, but a volatile bridge of right-handed relievers threatens to dismantle the team's best start in years.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the look of a potential contender despite not even having a winning season since 2017.
The hitting has dramatically improved following an offseason makeover and is fueling a 22-19 start. The Pirates are scoring 5.02 runs per game, which is seventh in the major leagues, after finishing last in that category in 2025.
Pittsburgh’s 3.73 ERA is also seventh in the big leagues, which is the same spot it finished in last year.
Fielding has not been a strength as the Pirates stand 21st in that category. Yet what could keep Pittsburgh from being a serious contender is a bullpen whose 4.14 ERA ranks 17th and is 7-for-17 in save opportunities.
The three left-handed relievers have been very good. Gregory Soto has a 1.50 ERA in a National League-leading 20 appearances. Evan Sisk (1.80) and Mason Montgomery (2.87) have also shone.
Yet it has been a different story for the right-handers: Dennis Santana (3.63), Yohan Ramirez (4.17), Issac Mattson (4.67), Justin Lawrence (6.46), and Cam Sanders (10.80).
Sunday’s 7-6 loss in 12 innings to the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco illustrated the bullpen’s combustibility. The bullpen twice gave away two-run leads to a team that is last in MLB in runs scored as the Pirates lost two of three in the series.
Manager Don Kelly may have gone to his relievers too soon, calling on Mattson to start the sixth inning with the Pirates leading 4-2. It’s fair to wonder if Kelly could have gotten one more inning from rookie Bubba Chandler, whose pitch count was 87.
Mattson retired one of the four batters he faced as the Giants used doubles by Rafael Devers, Heliot Ramos, and Matt Chapman to tie the score at 4-all.
“Just kind of wearing it on the chin more than anything else,” Mattson told reporters after the game. “Didn't execute as much as I'd like to, as far as the pitches I wanted to throw. I still feel like I could have done better in that spot.”
Pittsburgh pulled back ahead 6-4 on Spencer Horwitz’s two-run double in the top of the 10th. However, Ramirez gave up a two-run single to Willy Adames with two outs in the bottom half of the inning that drew the Giants even.
The Giants then won it in the 12th when rookie Jesus Rodriguez hit a walk-off single off Lawrence. That was the last of the five runs that the bullpen allowed in six innings.
“I don't want to speak for everybody, but I think as a bullpen we definitely left some things on the table that we can get better at," Mattson said. "Just being able to focus on the day that we have right in front of us. Try not to get too sped up, take it day-by-day and get better."
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