Bucco Brew: Same Old Bucs? A Rough Opening Weekend for Pirates in Miami

The Pirates are off to a brutal start in 2025, dropping 3 of 4 in Miami thanks to bullpen blowups and defensive misadventures. We break down David Bednar’s back-to-back blown saves, Colin Holderman’s struggles, and Oneil Cruz’s wild weekend in center field. Is this just early-season rust or a sign of more pain ahead? Plus, we look ahead to the Pirates’ upcoming series vs. the Rays. The 2025 Pirates season is officially underway… and it already feels a little too familiar. In today’s episode of Bucco Brew, we recap a frustrating 1–3 series loss to the Marlins and ask the question on every fan’s mind: is this just early-season rust, or are we in for another year of Pirates pain? We break down: ⚾ David Bednar’s shaky start — two appearances, two blown saves, and plenty of questions ⚾ Colin Holderman’s struggles in Game 1 — not injured, just ineffective ⚾ Oneil Cruz’s boom-and-bust weekend — monster offensive performance paired with defensive misadventures in center field ⚾ Bullpen trust tree — who can this team actually count on late in games? ⚾ Series preview vs. the Rays — how the Pirates match up and what we need to see this week From blown leads to positional experiments, it was a rough opening weekend — but we’ve got thoughts, reactions, and just a little bit of optimism (maybe). Use Promo Code NS9 for 30% off your first order at https://www.gritily.com Use Promo Code NORTHSHORENINE for $20 off your first order at https://www.seatgeek.com LIKE and SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS ON if you enjoyed the show! NS9 MERCH: https://northshorenine.myshopify.com ►Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NorthShoreNine ►Website: https://www.northshorenine.com ►Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/northshorenine ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@northshorenine ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northshorenine ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northshorenine ►Discord: https://discord.gg/3HVYPg544m ►BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/northshorenine.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.