ATLANTA – Kyle Crick has the stuff to bail himself out whenever his signature wipeout slider turns into a wild pitch, yet it doesn't make a buried breaking ball any easier, as the exuberant 25-year-old described hours before the Pirates' bullpen closed out a 3-2 victory over the Braves Friday night at SunTrust Park.
"Oh, it's frustrating," Crick lamented, "but it's my fault. It's all about how you deal with it."
Crick's handled it well. So have his fellow electrifying, hard-throwing relievers who own the second-lowest ERA in the majors since the All-Star break. But Crick's frustration is shared by Clint Hurdle. After all, his young bullpen has accounted for 46 of the Pirates' league-leading 78 wild pitches this season, and their erratic command has led to 18 hit batters in the second half.
Ray Searage has pressed his pitchers to execute, not overthrow. Tom Prince, the team's bench coach, has his catchers working overtime in the bullpen to prepare for balls in the dirt. However, the Pirates' seven relievers, all of whom are under 29 years old, don't plan on holding back since those mishaps also illustrate their limitless potential.
"Our catchers are some of the best in the league at handling it," Crick told DKPittsburghSports.com. "The tough part for them is we all have nasty stuff, so they have to come in, and we all have different nasty stuff. For them it’s all about keeping it in front of them."
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