![\"Pittsburgh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzh4t1mfzx4bq64h5h.jpg\" "\\"Pittsburgh")
<\/p>\nPITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen has been their weakest part of their roster, but recent improvements have made them a formidable unit.<\/p>\n
One player who is a big reason for that is right-handed pitcher Yohan Ram\u00edrez, who has been incredible for the Pirates the past two months.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez had maybe his best outing of the season in the 6-4 loss to the New York Mets, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings from the end of the fifth inning through the eighth inning to give the Pirates a chance to come back.<\/p>\n
It’s not always the most important part of every game, but the consistency Ram\u00edrez has shown recently has been huge for the Pirates.<\/p>\n
What’s Made Ram\u00edrez So Efficient?<\/p>\n
The Pirates have gotten the best from Ram\u00edrez recently, who shook off some tough outings in April and May and has been brilliant since early June.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez has given up just one earned run over his last 21 outings and 29.2 innings pitched since June 6, good for a 0.30 ERA, a .160 batting average allowed and a 1.18 WHIP.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Aug 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Yohan Ramirez (49) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
His last outing before this streak was a poor one, giving up a two-run home run to Isaac Paredes, as the Houston Astros<\/a> mounted a comeback, erasing an 8-3 deficit in the seventh inning and winning 11-9.<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez has had the best season of his career so far, with a 6-3 record in 48 outings, a 2.80 ERA over 64.1. innings pitched, 74 strikeouts to 37 walks, a .199 BAA and a 1,29 WHIP.<\/p>\n His walk rate is quite high, amongst the bottom 7% of all pitchers in baseball, but there’s so much that Ram\u00edrez does well.<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez has a unique arm angle and gets great extension, much like Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk<\/a>, allowing him to mask his pitches and deceive hitters, generating good whiff (27.9%) and strikeout rates (26.6%).<\/p>\n It is almost as if, even if Ram\u00edrez doesn’t know where a pitch is going, the hitter has absolutely no idea either. <\/p>\n What he does best is induce weak contact, with his 84.8 mph average exit velocity tied for seventh-lowest, 30.6% hard-hit rate ranked 24th-lowest and his 5.1 barrel rate 48th-lowest amongst all pitchers in 2026.<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez uses two of his pitches to great success with his sweeper and sinker as his offspeed and high-velocity offering, respectively.<\/p>\n His +7 run value on his sweeper ranks fourth-highest for the pitch in 2026 and his +6 run value on his sinker ranks in the top 13% of his pitchers this season, per Statcast.<\/p>\n All of this has made Ram\u00edrez from a liability to a strength of the Pirates bullpen in 2026.<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez Becoming Integral Part of Bullpen<\/p>\n The Pirates bolstered their bullpen<\/a> at the trade deadline and Ram\u00edrez sticking around shows how they value him going forward.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh added the likes of Luke Weaver from the New York Mets, Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees, Kirby Yates from the Los Angeles Angels and Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins, all four right-handed pitchers.<\/p>\n Jul 3, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Lake Bachar (84) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez is the fifth right-handed pitcher, as Carmen Mlodzinski<\/a> will likely have a starting\/bulk role moving forward.<\/p>\n He can provide outings like he did vs. the Mets, stretching out and taking on some innings<\/a> to ease the workload on the rest of the Pirates bullpen.<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez can also come in high-leverage spots, particularly in extra innings<\/a>, and shut it down late on for a win.<\/p>\n His role is an important one for the Pirates, who have a great deal of high-leverage arms, but really could use someone like Ram\u00edrez, who can go longer and remain efficient.<\/p>\n![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzh77vxxqzdg80gs7d.jpg\" "\\"Miami")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google