Bednar gains confidence as Bucs win on walk-off homer

Thomas Harrington was nervous before his first spring training start, even though the right-hander ranked the Pittsburgh Pirates’ No. 3 prospect was thrilled to still be in big-league camp.

David Bednar was more relieved after his performance as the two-time All-Star battling to keep his closer job relied on his curveball to retire the side in a clean fifth inning.

“Absolutely,” Bednar told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “This last week is the time to put it all together and get ready for the season.”

The Pirates rallied with three runs in the ninth, capped by a two-out walk-off solo home run by Javier Rivas for a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in a Grapefruit League game Tuesday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.

Nick Castellanos hit a solo home run off Harrington in the first inning and added an RBI double off Kyle Nicolas in the sixth to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

In the ninth, Nick Solak hit a leadoff single off Devin Sweet, advanced to third on DJ Stewart’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Nick Yorke to cut it to 2-1. Stewart scored the tying run on Bryce Johnson’s sacrifice fly to center. The Phillies brought in Josh Hejka to face the 22-year-old minor-league call-up Rivas, a 6-foot-6 shortstop who hit 12 homers at Low-Bradenton before finishing last season with High-A Greensboro.

The Castellanos homer was the lone hit allowed by Harrington, who was otherwise impressive in giving up one walk with one strikeout while throwing 38 of his 62 pitches for strikes in 3 2/3 innings.

“It was good to get out there and get a start,” Harrington said. “It’s always exciting when you get a start in spring training as a younger guy. It’s good when you get out there and compete and let the defense work.”

But Bednar’s performance was pivotal for the Pirates, given he had allowed seven earned runs on six hits and two walks in a combined one inning over his previous two appearances. It didn’t help that Pirates manager Derek Shelton declined to name Bednar the closer, calling it a decision that has yet to be determined.

Following a season in which he struggled at times and lost his closer job in August, Bednar is trying to rediscover the dominance of 2023. He converted 92.9% of his save opportunities and tied for the National League lead with 39 saves, numbers that dipped to 76.7% and 23 saves last season as his ERA ballooned from 2.00 in 2023 to 5.77 in 2024.

“It’s just reminding myself that I am good,” Bednar said. “It’s that confidence that whenever I attack hitters in the zone, just be in the zone. It’s just as easy as that sounds, just having that confidence to go after guys.”

That confidence was shaken when he was pulled after one-third of an inning against the Minnesota Twins last Thursday after allowing five runs on three hits and two walks. Bednar was the victim of sloppy defense against Baltimore on Saturday, when he gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

Against the Phillies, Bednar threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes as he sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a groundout. He got Garrett Stubbs swinging at a 95.9 mph fastball above the zone, Christian Arroyo to hit a curveball outside for a groundout to third and Cal Stevenson to swing at a curveball inside.

“One of the things is just keep refining what we had worked on the entire offseason.” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin told SportsNet Pittsburgh from the dugout. “That’s making sure he’s getting the breaking ball in zone. Whenever hitters have to respect that slow breaking ball when he throws it and then follow it up by a 98 mph fastball, that’s a hard separation to get.”

And separation is what Bednar is seeking in the final week of big-league camp. He knows it’s a chance to reclaim his role as the closer, which could require another impressive outing.

“Now is the time to put it all together and feel good going into the season,” Bednar said. “You want to be good at the right time and get everything together as the season goes. I’m feeling good, feeling strong.”

Notes: Lefty Andrew Heaney is scheduled to start against righty Zack Littell when the Pirates visit the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday in Port Charlotte. … The Pirates optioned catcher Jason Delay to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned INF Darick Hall, INF Alika Williams, INF/OF Nick Solak, INF/ OF Matt Gorski, C Abrahan Gutierrez, OF Bryce Johnson and RHP Yohan Ramirez to minor-league spring training. That leaves 42 players at major- league spring training.