Lots of people losing their minds over #Pirates bullpen performance. Been a rough couple wks, but expectations of high-leverage relievers always being perfect are unrealistic. Different guys have had their bad moments & it’s added up to some brutal losses, but all is not lost. Quick assessment of Bucs relievers:
Gregory Soto: Rough last night. No concerns.
Dennis Santana: Amazing for almost 2 seasons, but the magic appears gone. Lack of swing-and-miss even more of an issue. Concern very high.
Mason Montgomery: Electric. No concerns.
Isaac Mattson: Results good, but a one-pitch guy living on borrowed time. Moderate concern.
Yohan Ramirez: Jack-of-all-trades. Versatility key. No concerns.
Evan Sisk: Surprisingly good. Low concern.
The rest are replaceable fodder.
Team needs Santana & Mattson to be good or an issue now turns into a big problem.
No way around it, this was a disastrous series that erases a ton of good work from the prior month. The only positive is that the good position they were in has them at .500 after this mess, not well below it.
It’s still so early but stopping the bleeding this weekend is big.