There has been a lot of discussion about the Pirates' relievers during the 7-6 start because of the extraordinary number of innings that they have had to pitch.  Although the team has only played 13 games, every reliever on the staff as made at least four appearances.  What this means, for better or worse, is that we really do have a chance to evaluate what we have across the board even though the sample size in terms of games is relatively small.

Let me get my opinion out there right up front.  The Pirates bullpen is much better than people generally think it is.  Before looking closely at the Pirates relievers I think it helps to take a look around the majors at the back end of other bullpens so that fans have a frame of reference.  The most loudly voiced complaint seems to be that the Pirates lack depth--that guys like Evan Meek (who has gotten off to a poor start) and Phil Dumatrait are terrible and therefore we don't have enough good arms to have a good bullpen.  Take a look at the relievers on the perceived better teams in the majors.  Virtually every team has a couple of guys who have questionable major league talent, guys most fans have never heard of.  Also, I think it is illustrative to look at the Arizona Diamondbacks last year.  The Snakes were the rare team to make the playoffs while scoring fewer runs than they gave up.  How did they do it?  Their better pitchers pitched the high leverage innings and were very good.  The back end of their pen gave up a lot of runs in blowouts.

Because the Pirates have played so many extra inning games, and multiple extra innings at that, guys like Meek and Dumatrait have had to pitch high leverage innings that they generally would not be expected to pitch.  What should normally be expected is to have Meek pitch two innings in a 7-3 loss to the Cubs as he did last week, but to never see the mound in a game in a game like the 6-4 win over the Dodgers last night.  In the course of 162 games the Pirates will play 40-50 that are generally decided by the seventh inning.  Innings need to be pitched but they aren't high leverage innings.  These are the games where we should expect to see the Meeks and Dumatraits of the world get their work.  Unfortunately, in the first two weeks, the back end has had to be used in high leverage situations that you wouldn't normally anticipate.  Sure it will happen ten times a seaon, but you don't expect it four or five times in the first two weeks.

So let's take a look at what we have.

Matt Capps: Capps has shown that he can be an above average closer who could develop into an elite one.  His best attribute is his ability to consistently throw strikes.  Because he has yet to develop a second plus pitch, he will still blow the occassional save, but you never expect him to not have command of his fastball, which is why his season-opening appearance was so surprising.

John Grabow: I think Grabow is quickly developing into one of the better lefty relievers in the game.  While at the beginning of the season it appeared Grabow might often pitch the seventh and Marte the eighth, those roles may now be flipped.  Grabow has two plus pitches, good command and is not just a situational lefty--he can give you more than one inning if needed.  He has been lights out since last August and has not allowed a run in nine appearances this season.  (This is what Pirate fans can dream Sean Burnett becomes.)

Damaso Marte: Seemingly impossible for lefties to hit.  Lefthanders have a .194 career batting average and .571 OPS against him through last night's game in LA.  The biggest issue with Marte is his command, but he can get a strikeout at any time.  The early success of Tyler Yates means that Marte is more likely to be used as a situational lefty going forward, with Yates taking the ball in the seventh.  There is no chance Marte is on the club in September.  He will be traded at the deadline.

Tyler Yates: The most pleasant surprise of the early season, Yates has been fantastic.  Huntington gets high early marks for getting a power arm on the cheap.  Yates has yet to show he can command his fastball every time out, but he appears to have a decent sinker/slider and his best attribute may be his ability to pitch almost daily.

Franquelis Osoria: What Osoria has going for him right now is that he is 26 and has a plus sinker.  He lacks great command and has had some trouble keeping the ball in the park.  Expect to see him often in the fifth and sixth innings, but he is at best a tiny piece of the puzzle.

Phil Dumatrait: I have no idea.  I have yet to see him pitch live and he clearly is on the bubble.  The Pirates view him as their long man and spot starter as needed so we really haven't seen him fill that role expect in the extra inning game against the Cubs.  A 26 year old lefty with 11 major league appearances, Dumatrait is a commodity the Pirates can keep around for the moment.  He must clear waivers to be sent down, which he may, but there doesn't appear to be a need to do that yet.

Evan Meek: This is where I'm ready to get into a literary fistfight with the average poster on this site.  Meek is 24 and has never pitched above AA before this year.  The Pirates acquired him from the Rays in the Rule 5 and has to be kept on the roster or offered back to the Rays, or clear waivers, in order to be sent down.  So, he is on the roster or gone, most likely.  After his appearance against the Cubs last week when he issued 5 walks (2 IBB) and was only hitting 85 on the gun, many were calling for his immediate release.  This is beyond shortsighted.  Look, I'm the first to admit Meek will most likely not develop as hoped and will thus not be part of the organization's plans a year or two from now.  But, wow, when every Pirate fan in the world acknowledges the Pirates aren't going to contend this year, don't you think it is worth seeing a bit more of a 24 year old power arm that maybe can become someone like Tyler Yates?  Don't expect Meek to pitch many high leverage innings.  That he has to do so against the Cubs so early in his career was unfortuante, but occassionally it is going to happen.  Let's see where we are on June 1 after he has made 12 appearances.  Expect to see Meek when we are down five in the latter half of games as we did in his nice outing last week.

Sean Burnett: Where to start?  Sean Burnett has become a cult hero because of the Post-Gazette coverage of him.  Clearly Burnett appears to be an all-around nice guy, who just had a baby, who everyone likes, who has comeback from arm surgery, who is a fierce competitor.  But really, Sean Burnett?  The guy has zero history of success in the majors.  He didn't give up a run in spring training last year and bitched about not making the club.  He then went down to AAA and got shelled, giving up 83 hits and 39 walks in 70 1/3 innings.  This year he gets moved to the pen in spring training, pitches nine scoreless and doesn't make the club.  However, in the Post-Gazette coverage they emphasize how the players see no accountability because it shows how performance doesn't matter.  They emphasize a throw away line by Huntington to further rile the masses.  To Burnett's credit, he has pitched very well thus far in Indy, even apparently hitting 93 on the gun, which would be faster than his pre-surgery days.  But, the Pirates want to see him pitch back to back days and show consistency out of the bullpen.  Let's see him do it for two months.  Having Sean Burnett come up in April and fail doesn't help anyone.  Let him build his confidence in Indy.  Inevitably someone will go on the DL and Burnett will get his chance.  Just remember, Grabow is his ceiling, but Dumatrait is much more likely.

The Key: The answer with the Pirates' bullpen lies with the starters.  If the starters only go five innings every night, this bullpen, like any other is going to wear down and not live up to my high expectations.  However, if we can get seven innings three times through the rotation and five twice, this sets up to be a very effective group.  No bullpen is built to throw 30 innings a week and this one is no exception.  But if they only have to throw 15-20, this will prove to be a Pirate strength (just like it was in 2006),  and will be one of the better pens in the majors.