PHILADELPHIA — The Pirates didn’t have a great series in the Philadelphia, getting swept by the Phillies. The Pirates’ bullpen in particular was victimized as the team lost each of the final three games after the starting pitcher was removed with a lead or with the game tied, only to lose at the hands of a relief pitcher.
On Friday, set-up man George Kontos was the victim. On Saturday, it was Michael Feliz that gave up a three-run homer in the seventh. On Sunday, Richard Rodriguez gave up a walk-off hit in the 11th inning.
The individual blowups are symptoms of a larger problem, as the Pirates have a 5.