Pirates newcomer Jalen Beeks sees blueprint for success after pitching in 3 straight games

When the Pittsburgh Pirates returned home to open a key series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend, lefty reliever Jalen Beeks already had debuted for his new club after being acquired from Colorado a day before the trade deadline.

As for his potential role with the Pirates, Beeks was unsure.

The Rockies had utilized him as a closer for a chunk of the season, and he owned a proven record of being able to retire left-handed batters.

Beeks was content to wait and see how new manager Derek Shelton would deploy him.

“I’ll be ready whenever they call me, whether that’s fifth inning — whatever,” Beeks said. “Don’t matter. I’ll be ready.”

Any questions Beeks had to that end were promptly answered, as Shelton used him in every game of the series against Arizona, which the Pirates dropped 2-1.

Beeks entered Friday’s loss to the Diamondbacks in the sixth inning, relieving starter Luis Ortiz with the Pirates facing a two-run deficit.

The 31-year-old was then plugged into a bases-loaded, no-outs jam Saturday after fellow reliever Dennis Santana’s disastrous start to the fifth.

Then on Sunday, Beeks came on for the eighth inning.

Beeks gave up runs Friday and Saturday (with both charged to the pitchers he relieved) and was only able to record two outs Sunday before Shelton replaced him with Jake Woodford.

So even though the results were mixed, using him in some tight spots reaffirmed what the Pirates thought they were getting.

“The fact that he’s pitched in those situations is one of the reasons that we liked acquiring him, because there’s a different heartbeat for the leverage,” Shelton said.

Observers of Beeks quickly notice his unique delivery, featuring a tightly cocked throwing arm kept very close to the hip.

Beeks, originally a Boston Red Sox draft pick in 2014, said he adjusted his delivery while with the Tampa Bay Rays (2019-23).

How about old friend Jalen Beeks? He has 14 strikeouts and 2 walks in 6.2 innings so far this year with 27 swings and misses in 113 total pitches. Here's a look at his new arm mechanics. pic.twitter.com/HVwleu8US6

— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) July 31, 2020

“I used to be really big with my back arm, and then when I was with the Rays, they were like, ‘Hey, let’s shorten that up,’” he said. “So I think (my arm) just slowly creeped up to where I felt really comfortable with it riding my hip.”

Beeks’ best moment thus far with the Pirates came Saturday.

In the Pirates’ 4-2 win, Santana began the fifth inning after a rain delay ended starter Mitch Keller’s night prematurely.

Santana, coming in with a 1-0 lead, allowed two straight singles before plunking Geraldo Perdomo to load the bases.

In came Beeks, who faced the top of Arizona’s lineup with zero outs.

Beeks used three pitches (all fastballs) to get Corbin Carroll to pop out.

He then struck out Ketel Marte swinging, also on only three pitches.

But Beeks’ luck ran out against Joc Pederson, whom he walked following a nine-pitch at-bat, with a run scoring from third to tie the score.

With two outs and the bases still loaded, Diamondbacks slugger and former Pirate Josh Bell came to the plate.

Beeks took a fastball-changeup approach and struck him out swinging to end the inning.

Jalen Beeks strikes out Josh Bell with the bases loaded pic.twitter.com/bIoMEg8ID7

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) August 4, 2024

The run that scored was charged to Santana, but Beeks suffered a blown save.

Still, within that appearance, Beeks was pleased with how he was able to use his fastball, changeup and gyro slider, offering a blueprint for future successful outings.

“I’ve talked to the (Pirates pitching coaches), and that’s the goal here — if I can get all three pitches going, I feel very confident against both sides of the plate,” Beeks said. “That’s when I’m at my best, when I’m able to throw all three pitches in the zone and challenge guys.”