'They owned it': Pirates play to strengths of David Bednar, Chris Stratton in closer role

BRADENTON, Fla. — Anthony Banda joined the Pittsburgh Pirates just days after the trade deadline, when they dealt Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves and created an opening in the most critical role in the bullpen.

Instead of finding talk of using a closer-by-committee approach to replace Rodriguez — who had a team-best 14 saves — Banda walked into a Pirates clubhouse that already had embraced David Bednar and Chris Stratton successfully sharing the duties.

“I don’t think they stepped in; I think they owned it,” Banda said. “Nobody was like, ‘It’s a new role.’ I didn’t hear that, at least. It was just more like, ‘Those are our closers.’ They have the demeanor, the aura around them that, basically, they’re oozing that ‘I’m a closer. I’m a leverage guy.’ It was fun to watch them go about their business.”

The Pirates plan to continue splitting the closer role between Bednar and Stratton this season in an attempt to play to their strengths and take advantage of situational matchups in high-leverage situations. Rather than ordain one the closer, Pirates manager Derek Shelton found it best to rotate Bednar and Stratton and not call one the closer.

Where closers can be quirky, given the high-pressure nature of their job, Bednar and Stratton have a different disposition. Stratton is low key, while Mars native Bednar fully embraces living a childhood dream by playing for the Pirates and being a Yinzer whose entrance music is Steelers anthem “Renegade.”

“I think it’s really important for our entire group to not have an ego, and David does not,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Bednar. “I think the one thing that our group does really well is they understand that we’re trying to put them in the best position for success, and not worry about what their label is.”

Last season, the Pirates took turns using Bednar and Stratton in the eighth and ninth innings, especially when they pitched on back-to-back nights. That way, each one could face different batters than they did the night before. Both pitchers knew to be ready for late-game situations.

“I think it’s extremely productive, just in the sense that our guys know that they are leverage relievers,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “That means that you’re going to be at some point in that back end. What inning, we don’t know. But it’s cool that you have different looks.”

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Bednar was 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and three saves in 60 2/3 innings last season, averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings by mixing a four-seam fastball that sat at 96.7 mph with a curveball that induced a 46.8% whiff rate and a splitter he calls the pitch that was a “big factor” in helping him reach the majors.

The development of his curveball as a secondary pitch made Bednar even more dangerous, as he used it to get ahead in counts and as a putaway pitch that had a higher rate (27.9%) than his heater (24%).

“It played really well off my fastball last year towards the end, so I rolled with it. Being aggressive is the biggest thing that stuck with me,” said Bednar, who did so at the urging of Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. “They were like, ‘Let’s just be more aggressive with it. Who cares if we fall behind? We can get back ahead with any pitch.’ I’m a firm believer I can throw any pitch in any count. …

“It’s good because not only does it have the break and action that I like. The velo change is significant. I feel it gives me more room for error with the speed difference. They can feel the intent with that. Just being aggressive with it is the biggest thing.”

Stratton’s evolution from starter to middle reliever to a high-leverage role has been, in his own words, “a rocky road.” He led the Pirates in both wins (seven) and saves (eight), using elite spin rates on his fastball (2610 rpms) and curve (3123 rpms) to keep hitters off-balance. The confidence Pirates manager Derek Shelton showed in Stratton to finish games provided a new sense of security for him.

“You always hear the last three outs are the toughest to get. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. They’re all hard to get,” Stratton said. “Just having faith in me to keep putting me in situations to succeed, I’m thankful for that.”

The situational use is more about strategy than sharing, as the Pirates plan to put both closers in positions of strength by focusing on matchups and factors like whether runners are in scoring position.

“If a guy struggles with heavy spin, we’re going to go with Stratton in that situation. If there’s a certain part of the lineup that struggles with velocity, the big man’s going in,” Marin said. “We’re playing it like that, what the best leverage situations for our guys are and we’re playing matchups in those situations. It was super productive.

“The people you have in those roles are the most important because those guys didn’t care which inning they were coming in. They just knew that they were going to be in the best spot.”

The Pirates preached the same philosophy last spring, only for Rodriguez to take control of the closer role with a dominant spring and first few months of the season, when he threw a reliever’s equivalent of a perfect game over one eight-game stretch.

Bednar and Stratton sit next to each other in the home clubhouse at LECOM Park, and Banda said their friendship and personalities allow for them to turn the closer role into a profitable partnership.

“It’s always good because you know that you’re getting the matchup for you and the best matchup for the team when you go out there,” Bednar said. “Stratton and I are always pulling for each other. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. We’re pulling for everybody to get some outs and get back in the dugout.”