Armed with a sinking slider, reliever Dauri Moreta brings electric energy to Pirates' bullpen

As much as the Pittsburgh Pirates have embraced the swagger and electric energy that Dauri Moreta has brought to their bullpen, they are marveling at one of the right-handed reliever’s pitches.

While playing catch with Moreta, Duane Underwood Jr. couldn’t help but notice that Moreta’s slider moves two ways, first sliding and then sinking as if it’s an optical illusion controlled by a magic wand.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” Underwood said. “It’s one of the cooler things I get to see. And he can command it. Anytime you bring an outlier pitch like that, that you can bring to the game and control, I feel like it’s just going to help him and the team.”

It’s become the putaway pitch for Moreta, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds last November in a trade for shortstop Kevin Newman. Moreta inherited five runners in three of his first four appearances, with at least one in scoring position each time, and has yet to give up a run.

“The slider is good. We knew that when we acquired him. We gave up a good major league player to get him, and we knew he had some attributes that were going to help us,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The slider has really played, in and out of the zone. We saw it a lot in spring training, because we saw the velocity in the low 90s. Now we see the mid to high 90s. It’s a really good pitch.”

Moreta learned the slider grip from former teammate Matt Pidich last season while at Triple-A Louisville but can’t explain why the ball breaks then sinks. What he can do is repeat the delivery and place the ball where he wants, which has fooled hitters so far this season.

“I don’t know why my slider does that,” Moreta said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s righty or lefty, I just throw it. I know where it’s going to go. I can control my slider, but I don’t know why it does that. It’s going like a normal slider then, at the end, it goes the opposite way. It’s something that, so far, only I can do. I don’t see other pitchers do it.”

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made it a priority to add more of a swing-and-miss element to the bullpen this offseason, and Moreta fit the bill — even if he has a propensity for walks, too.

After being named the Reds’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2021, Moreta bounced between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville five times last season. After June 19, however, he had 17 scoreless appearances in his final 20 outings, with 23 strikeouts, a 2.92 ERA and a .195 batting average against in 24²⁄₃ innings. Moreta returned to the Reds on Aug. 25 and had a 2.25 ERA and .154 batting average against in his final five appearances, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings but 3.1 walks.

Through 4²⁄₃ scoreless innings, Moreta (1-0) has eight strikeouts with one hit and four walks against 19 batters faced. The 26-year-old Dominican has increased his slider usage from 24% of his pitches in 2022 to 57% through four appearances this season, with five strikeouts and no hits, and lowered his four-seam fastball from 55.3% to 23.3%.

“They’re not just looking at me for swing and miss. They’re looking for me to get people out,” Moreta said. “If it happens, I’m OK with that. I’m there to compete and get people out to help this team to win.”

Moreta made an immediate impact on Opening Day, replacing Mitch Keller with two outs in the fifth inning after a Jason Vosler triple. Moreta walked the first two batters to load the bases, then struck out Will Benson to protect the 4-3 lead. He celebrated by stomping off the mound and slapping his glove and screaming. Moreta struck out the first two batters in the sixth before being replaced.

“Wow, that moment was electric, not only for me but for this team,” Moreta said of the 5-4 win over the Reds, his former team. “This team is electric. It felt really good, to face them and to show them that I’m ready to be here.”

Moreta faced another tight situation last Monday at Boston, inheriting runners on second and third before walking Kike Hernandez to load the bases in the fifth. Moreta got Connor Wong to swing at a 1-2 slider low and away for another strikeout in the 7-6 win over the Red Sox.

The following night, he relieved Roansy Contreras with runners on first and third and two outs in the sixth and got Adam Duvall looking at a called third strike on a full-count, belt-high slider to escape the jam.

This time, Moreta rubbed his thumb and fingers together as he walked toward the dugout, symbolic of his Big Bank nickname for flashing money. He made the gesture for cameras to cheers from the crowd during his introduction at the home opener Friday at PNC Park, and his walkout song is “Here Comes the Money” by Naughty By Nature.

“I love it. I love the whole thing,” Underwood said. “I know he gets excited after he gets his outs, but the man’s got a slow heartbeat. The game doesn’t speed up on him too much. You can see him get behind in counts, but he always battles back and does his thing.

“He’s letting his personality come out and be the guy he wants to be. I love him, man. I think he brings great energy. He brings something to our bullpen that not a lot of guys do. He’s exciting to watch. I love watching him throw, get his outs and do good things for the team.”