Diamondbacks Bullpen Struggles against the Brewers
The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the second half of the season with a five-game road trip to St. Louis and Texas. In St. Louis, they dropped two of three, beating themselves in both losses. Then they went to Texas and put on a hitting clinic. This set them up nicely for a crucial four-game series at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. The teams were even in the Wild Card standings. A solid showing here would have set the Diamondbacks up nicely going forward, as their next six games were against last-place teams. However, the opposite is what happened – the Brewers took three of four, thanks to two things. First, the Brewers bullpen was lights-out. Secondly, the Diamondbacks bullpen was abysmal.
(Statistical Note: This article will include a stat invented by Nate Silver from Five Thirty-Eight – the Goose Egg. Named in honor of Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage, it refers to a clutch, scoreless inning of relief. Specifically, it occurs in the seventh inning or later of a game where the pitcher’s team is either tied or leads by two runs or less. No runs can score in the inning, either charged to the reliever or inherited. It also will include the broken egg, analogous to the blown save.)
Diamondbacks Bullpen Performs Disastrously
In two of the four games, the starting pitcher was outstanding. Game One saw rookie Merrill Kelly pitch well, as he allowed only three hits, one earned run, and no walks while striking out six. Game Three saw Zack Greinke scatter six hits across seven innings while striking out nine, walking one, and allowing two earned runs. When Kelly left, the game was tied; Greinke, meanwhile, left in position to earn the win. Both games resulted in losses. Game Four saw starter Alex Young have one bad inning, spoiling a strong start that saw him retire 12 of the first 15 batters of the game without allowing a run. He left after four innings with the game tied at four. That game also resulted in a loss. These losses all occurred because the Diamondbacks bullpen allowed 16 runs during the series. 16 earned runs over 14 1/3 innings of work translates to a nightmarish 10.05 ERA, drawing the ire of Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who said after Game Four, “That’s not who we are.”
Bright Spots in the Diamondbacks Bullpen
Not every reliever had a bad series, as four of them pitched shutout ball. Greg Holland closed Game Two and did not allow a baserunner, striking out one en route to the save. Archie Bradley pitched in two games and recorded the following: 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 HR, 5 K, 2 BB, and a 1.200 WHIP.
Stefan Crichton finished Games Three and Four, throwing 2/3 of an inning in Game Three and an inning in Game Four. Both times, the Diamondbacks were behind when he entered the game. He had mixed results. In Game Three, he inherited two runners and allowed both to score, although he didn’t have any runs charged to him. In Game Four, he pitched a hitless ninth, notching a fly out, a walk, and two more fly outs. His final line for the series: 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 K, 2 BB, and a 1.800 WHIP.
Yoshi Hirano pitched in Games Two and Four, throwing an inning in each. He was the definition of lights out, as he struck out every batter he faced. His final line: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 HR, 6 K, 0 BB, a 0.000 WHIP, and a goose egg.
Struggles in the Diamondbacks Bullpen
Five Diamondbacks relievers allowed earned runs, with three of them allowing three or more.
T.J. McFarland
T.J. McFarland entered the series having pitched only twice since the All-Star Break, pitching shutout ball each time. That streak did not last. In Game One, he entered with a runner on first, one out, and his team down by three. He struck out one, intentionally walked a batter after the runner on first stole second, and then induced a 4-6 force play on a grounder. In the ninth, he served up a leadoff home run before retiring the next three batters on a grounder to third, a strikeout, and a grounder to short.
In Game Four, he entered in the eighth with a runner on second, two out, and his team trailing by three. Two runs had already scored in the inning, and the man at bat was the sixth hitter of the inning. The first hitter hit an RBI single, but the next hitter grounded into an inning-ending 6-4 force play. He turned the ball over to Crichton in the ninth. McFarland’s final tally: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 HR, 2 K, 1 BB, and 1.500 WHIP. He inherited two runners and allowed one to score.
Andrew Chafin
Andrew Chafin’s lone inning of work did not go well, and that’s putting it mildly. He relieved Greinke in Game Three to open the top of the eighth holding a 3-2 lead. Then he gave up a single to Christian Yelich, walked Ryan Braun, and served up a home run to Mike Moustakas, giving the Brewers a lead that they did not relinquish. He then notched a strikeout, a pop to short, and another strikeout, but the damage had been done. His final line: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 HR, 2 K, 1 BB, a 3.000 WHIP, and the trifecta nobody wants – a loss, a blown save, and a broken egg. Ouch.
Matt Andriese and Zack Godley
Matt Andriese and Zack Godley each appeared in only 1/3 of an inning and struggled mightily. Andriese opened the top of the seventh with a 10-4 lead. He gave up a single then committed a throwing error on a pickoff, moving the runner to second. He then gave up a groundout off his foot – something that later put him on the IL – that moved said runner to third. Next, he served up a dinger and two consecutive doubles before manager Torey Lovullo mercifully gave him the hook. His line: 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 HR, 0 K, 0 BB, a 12.000 WHIP, and a foot contusion. That translates to an ERA of 81.00.
Godley opened the ninth in Game Three with two straight walks, a strikeout, and a one-run double. Crichton then relieved him and allowed both inherited runners to score. His outing was not as disastrous as Andriese’s, although he had the same ERA. Godley’s final tally: 1/3 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 0 HR, 1 K, 2 BB, and a 9.000 WHIP.
Yoan Lopez
Yoan Lopez had perhaps the most surprising weekend of all the relievers. He entered the series riding a wave of success, holding an ERA of 1.50, an opponent BA of .181, and a WHIP of 0.944 over 36 innings. He had solidified his role as the go-to setup man, only allowing two earned runs in June and July. His record over that stretch was 1-1 with seven holds.
In Game One, he opened the eighth in a tie ballgame and only retired one of the five hitters he faced. He allowed a double, two singles, a sacrifice fly, and a single before exiting the game. Game Two saw him fare much better, as he entered the game in the seventh with a 10-7 lead and a runner on second. A foul fly and a strikeout later, he put out the fire. He then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth before handing the ball to Holland. Game Four went much like Game One. He entered the game with it tied at four. After a triple, an RBI single, a runner-advancing grounder to third, an RBI double, and a fly to left, he exited the game with a two-run deficit. The runner he bequeathed ended up scoring, giving him a final kick to the shins. His final line for the weekend: 2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, a 20.25 ERA, 0 HR, 1 K, 0 BB, a 2.625 WHIP, a hold, two losses, and two broken eggs.
Moving Ahead
This type of performance will not cut it for a team in the Wild Card hunt. Even the best teams go through slumps, as it is a long, grueling season. However, good teams can bounce back. With the Diamondbacks facing two straight last-place teams this week, this is their best chance to do so. If they don’t, they might continue to fade.
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