Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar has been stripped of his role in the bullpen. Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced the move on Friday, per MLB.com's Alex Stumpf.

“Derek Shelton says David Bednar will be removed from the closer’s role for the short term,” per Stumpf's X, formerly Twitter. “Pirates will be doing closer by committee.”

Shelton announced the decision before the Pirates' 10-8 loss against the Cleveland Guardians. Friday's loss extended the Pirates' losing streak to four as Pittsburgh's pitching produced a 12.75 ERA, including an 18-8 blowout to the Chicago Cubs, allowing 36 runs throughout this stretch.

And after a dreadful week, which included Bednar's blown save in a 14-10 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday when the Pirates' closer allowed five runs in 2/3 of an inning, the bullpen's ERA is 4.6 — the fourth-highest in MLB. However, the loss pushed the Pirates to 26 blown saves, tied for the most in the National League.

After starting the campaign 9-3 in their first 12 games, Pittsburgh remained above .500 (55-52) while still alive in the NL Wild Card race, but the Pirates have fallen apart since the All-Star break, losing 24 of their last 38 games, including a whopping 10-game losing streak, since July 19.

Derek Shelton searching for consistency from the Pirates' bullpen

Pirates manager Derek Shelton (17) runs back to the doughnut during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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With the Pirates 11.5 games back in the NL Wild Card standings and their bullpen on pace to finish the season with one of the highest ERAs in the NL, Pirates manager Shelton is focused on keeping that number at a minimum between now and the end of the 2024 regular season.

“I think we're looking for consistency from our bullpen,” said Shelton, per MLB.com. “We're looking for consistency. [We] thought it was the right decision to go to Carmen there. His stuff should play there. We get [José] Ramírez 0-2 to start the inning, we don't execute, and then the inning gets away from us.”

After benching Pirates closer David Bednar, Pirates reliever Carmen Mlodzinski took the loss against the Guardians after allowing back-to-back home runs down the stretch of Pittsburgh's 10-8 loss.

Bednar, the Pirates' former closer, is now 3-7 with a 6.32 ERA, 23 saves, and six blown saves. Shelton believes his recent shake-up will help ease the two-time All-Star out of his funk.

“It’s something that will take a little pressure off of him,” Shelton said. “We know that this guy has been really good over the last couple of years. Right now, he’s scuffling a little bit. So, we’re adjusting that up a bit to take a little bit off of him.”

Many speculated the Pirates would make a significant splash at the trade deadline, but it never materialized.