Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #49: 5/21 vs. Rockies
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 15: In an aerial view, the downtown skyline is seen during a heat wave on July 15, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Weather forecasts today are expecting temperatures to reach 115 degrees. The Phoenix area is grappling with record-breaking temperatures as prolonged heat waves continue soaring across the Southwest.
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) | Getty Images Today’s Lineups ROCKIES DIAMONDBACKS Willi Castro – 1B Ketel Marte – 2B Tyler Freeman – RF Corbin Carroll – RF Hunter Goodman – C Geraldo Perdomo – SS Ezequiel Tovar – SS Nolan Arenado – 3B Kyle Karros – 3B Ildemaro Vargas – 1B Jake McCarthy – CF Lourdes Gurriel – LF Braxton Fulford – DH Gabriel Moreno – C Troy Johnston – LF Adrian Del Castillo – DH Chad Stevens – 2B Ryan Waldschmidt – CF Keegan Thompson – RHP E. Rodriguez – LHP If you look at the chart above, you’ll notice something a little unusual. There’s eighteen bullpen outings in total above, and in none of them has a D-backs reliever thrown as many as twenty pitches.
This appears to be something of a trend. Indeed, excluding Brandon Pfaadt for obvious reasons, no Arizona reliever has gone past 20 pitches in a game this month. The last to do so were Philip Abner and James McCann on April 30th, who threw 34 and 24 pitches respectively.
Taylor Clarke’s last five appearances have averaged just 8. 8 pitches, and Juan Morillo is lower still, at just eight pitches per outing over his previous five outings. All told, the D-backs bullpen has thrown 681 pitches this month.
That’s the lowest in the majors, and it’s not close. It’s 245 pitches fewer than the 29th-ranked Braves: they’re nearer the 12th ranked Cubs, than to the 30th place D-backs. The average Arizona relief appearance in May has lasted just 13.