To PH or not to PH? Lovullo shares rationale

With the game reaching a turning point in the sixth inning of Monday’s series opener against the Cardinals, D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo made an interesting call, potentially one that led to the 7-1 loss at Busch Stadium.

To set the scene, Arizona had the game at a run apiece with a solo shot off the bat of Josh Rojas, his 10th of the year, in the top of the fifth inning.

After Jake Faria tossed four innings of one-run ball in his first start since 2018, the bullpen was called upon yet again -- after tossing 16 1/3 innings over the last three games.

“I wish that I'd been a little more efficient,” said Faria assessing his outing. "Putting guys away a little earlier, not getting so many deep counts and potentially going out for a fifth inning.”

Reliever Alex Young would take the mound in the bottom of the fifth as one of the freshest arms in the ‘pen, having not pitched since June 20. He promptly fired a one-two-three inning on just 12 pitches.

The D-backs’ offense started a rally in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. With the pitcher’s spot on deck, Lovullo had a choice to make: bring in David Peralta off the bench to pinch-hit or keep the fresh arm in the game.

Lovullo opted to let Young hit for himself -- ultimately surrendering a bases-loaded situation -- as Young struck out on three pitches, stepping out of the batter’s box on every pitch he faced. His skipper made it clear that Young was not instructed to take strikes, but to try and create offense.

When asked about the decision, Lovullo explained the rationale simply: "We had three innings remaining in the bullpen today." Lovullo knew his bullpen was taxed from the previous few games, an expenditure that was part of the reason Faria was tapped to start the game in the first place. The plan was to get Faria through a few innings before mixing and matching later in the game.

Young threw another scoreless inning in the bottom, temporarily alleviating any confusion over the top of the frame’s events. However, in the seventh and with Young still on the mound, things began to unravel. He was tabbed for six runs in the inning, including a two-run homer to Paul DeJong, giving the Cardinals a six-run lead and, ultimately, spelling yet another loss for Arizona.

“We were extremely stretched out,” Lovullo said when asked if he regretted the decision to send Young to the plate. “We were keeping the game close enough and we were ready to maneuver on the back end of our bullpen with the guys [we had] available. We just couldn't get there.”

The sixth-inning situation caught the D-backs between a rock and a hard place, with Lovullo knowing that his ‘pen was gassed -- citing just Brett de Geus, Joakim Soria and Joe Mantiply as the only available arms he was comfortable using without risking injury.

“Look, we're in this together,” said Lovullo. “I knew before the day where we were going to be limited. That's part of the game that I love, maneuvering through the available players. Sometimes it works and there's a strategy to it. Sometimes it doesn't. [The bullpen] is getting a lot of quality work and we've just got to be mindful of giving them down days so we don't run them red. No complaints here. It's part of the game.”