Back end of bullpen remains as solid as ever

Charlie Morton is like most starting pitchers. He wants to finish his work. He wasn’t especially thrilled about leaving the game Monday night against the Miami Marlins after seven innings. In his first start since Sept. 16, he had thrown just 87 pitches and was cruising toward a 4-2 win at PNC Park, the Pirates’ fourth in a row. But Morton took great comfort from knowing he was giving the ball to Tony Watson in the eighth inning and that Mark Melancon would get it in the ninth. The back end of the team’s bullpen has been terrific. If the Pirates are leading after seven innings or even six with Jared Hughes out there, you have to like their chances of winning.

“I have complete trust and confidence in those guys,” Morton said. “I think it was the right call. There’s nobody better.”

That last part might be a bit of a stretch. But not by much.

“Both know how to pitch and they’ve got weapons,” manager Clint Hurdle said of Watson and Melancon. “When you’ve got guys like that to close things down, it shortens the game. It makes it easier for everybody.”

Watson needed just nine pitches to get three outs in the eighth inning, although he allowed a broken-bat single to Marcell Ozuna and nearly allowed a home run to $325 million man Giancarlo Stanton. Melancon, despite feeling “weak” after a 24-hour bug Sunday and not being a typical hard-throwing closer, needed 13 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances.

“That last pitch he threw [to Christian Yelich] to end the game was just nasty,” an appreciative Hughes said. “A backdoor cutter. Unhittable.” Translation: Melancon doesn’t have to throw 100 mph like the Cincinnati Reds’ Aroldis Chapman to be effective.

“Velocity is just one of so many different tools that you have to get guys out,” Melancon said. “It’s nice because it’s on every stadium — the mph is out there — and everybody knows what that means, so they get excited about it. But it’s not everything.” Yelich can attest to that. “That pitch must have moved this much,” Hughes said, holding his hands a foot-and-a-half apart.

Much was made of Melancon’s drop in velocity from 93 mph last season to 88 early in this season after he allowed three runs in a win against the Detroit Tigers April 13 and three more in a blown-save loss to the Chicago Cubs April 21. Hurdle even was asked about the

possibility of replacing Melancon as his closer. Since then, Melancon has converted nine saves in a row and allowed just one run in 14⅔ innings. He hit 91 mph Monday night, by the way.

“He had one bad week. He had never had one bad week since he’s been here,” Hurdle said. “Everybody wanted to hang him. We live in a society, ‘What have you done for me now?’ We choose to stay with him and let him pitch because we believe in the guy.”

Melancon said he appreciated the support from the boss but wasn’t surprised by it.

“Skip’s awesome. He’s a players’ manager. He’s got our backs all the time. He understands how hard the game is …

“So much of it is mental. Your mentality is a big part of what you do out there. I want to be in pressure situations. That’s why I’m here, to do this stuff.”

Melancon has converted 60 of 70 save chances since taking over the closer’s job from injured Jason Grilli midway through the 2013 season.

Watson has been even more effective as the eighth-inning set-up man. He took the loss on opening day, giving up a three-run home run to the Reds’ Todd Frazier. Since then, in 22 appearances, he has been nearly unhittable, allowing just 1 run, 10 hits and 5 walks in 24 innings.

“He’s a closer in waiting,” Hurdle said. “There’s going to be a day when you give him the ball late.”

Hurdle knows there will be rare games when Watson and Melancon fail. “They’re human,” he said, jokingly adding, “we all know it’s against the law to blow a save or give up a three-run home run in the eighth inning.”

But Hurdle also knows those bad days will be few and far between for Watson and Melancon. “Absolutely, I feel that way. I’ve been the manager on the other side when you’re hoping at the end of games. That’s not a comfortable place to be …

“I don’t have to hope with those guys.”