Pirates bullpen has been shaky at times to start the 2026 MLB season
The Pittsburgh Pirates came into 2026 with high expectations on their pitching staff, and while their starting rotation has lived up to them, the bullpen has been very shaky to start the season. The Pirates bullpen has an ERA of around 3. 68, which is up there for being the best in the National League.
However, that stat could be deceiving with how inconsistent some of the top reliever guys have been for Pittsburgh. The Bucs bullpen have allowed 85 hits, which is tied for third in the National League. They also allowed 11 home runs which is also tied for third in the national league.
Outside of Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto, the bullpen has been looking a little light and inconsistent at times. Pittsburgh’s bullpen problems became obvious in their series vs. the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, April 10-12, where the starting pitching was strong, but the bullpen issued too many walks and blew two leads in the final two games of that series.
The Pirates bullpen walked 15 batters over their 12. 2 innings for a 10. 66 BB/9 with five earned runs.
There is a lot of potential for this bullpen to be really good. Pittsburgh called up both Evan Sisk and Wilber Dotel, who are two young guys with a lot of promise. We have also seen some highlights from Yohan Ramirez, Mason Montgomery, and Issac Mattson.