For much of the first two months of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen struggled. Injuries to Keone Kela and Nick Burdi were both factors in the struggling bullpen. Arguably the biggest factor of all, however, was the struggles of Richard Rodriguez.
In 2018, Rodriguez was one of the biggest surprises in the National League. After signing with the Pirates as a minor league free agent he went on to log 69 1/3 innings for the Bucs. He posted a 2.47 ERA, 2.60 FIP, and a 31.5% strikeout rate. He allowed just five home runs and owned a strong walk rate of 6.