Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bullpen hasn’t suffered
Miami’s reliever deconstruction has come without repercussions
NEW YORK — The Miami Marlins spent the final days of July deconstructing their theoretical super bullpen through a series of transactions, some voluntary and others less so, that robbed the unit of most of its back-end depth. They traded David Phelps, then put Kyle Barraclough on the disabled list temporarily, then put Nick Wittgren on the DL indefinitely, then — just hours later — traded AJ Ramos.
And in the three-plus weeks since, the on-field repercussions have been essentially nonexistent. With a group that includes four players who have spent most of the year in the minors and three others who have been on the DL in 2017, the Marlins’ bullpen in recent weeks has been just as good — arguably better — than the earlyseason version that was supposed to dominate.
That development, keyed by veterans pitching to the degree of effectiveness the Marlins knew they could and a couple of relative youngsters filling holes, is a good sign for whatever this summer surge up the standings turns into, as well as for 2018.
“I can’t say that’s a big surprise,” manager Don Mattingly said.
Since July 29 — the day Brad Ziegler came back from the DL and was installed as closer, and the day after Ramos was traded to the Mets — Marlins relievers have a 4.37 ERA. In the nearly four months prior, that
mark was 4.17. Both of those are middling among other major league teams.
Other numbers even suggest slight improvement. The group’s WHIP is 1.28 since July 29, down from 1.42 before it. And opposing batters are hitting .243 with a .324 OBP and .378 slugging percentage. Before, those numbers were .250/.339/.398.
How does a bullpen lose its top pieces but pitch just as well?
Start at the back. Ziegler, who struggled before spending a month on the DL with a back strain, has tossed eight scoreless innings since returning. He is 6-for-6 in save chances, and opponents are slashing .258/.281/.258 against him.
Mattingly said closing, a role in which Ziegler’s workload can be more easily controlled, is the best spot for the 37-year-old side-armer. And Ziegler said the down time to get his back healthier has made a big difference.
“I went too long without saying anything,” Ziegler said. “It’s made it to where I feel a lot freer on the mound.”
And then there are the call-ups who have stepped up. Right-hander Brian Ellington has allowed two earned runs in 10 innings (1.80 ERA) while walking four and striking out nine during the window in question. And rookie righty Drew Steckenrider, before a defense-aided breakdown Saturday, had dominated in August: no runs, no walks, three hits in 8 2⁄3 innings. He struck out 13 out of 27 batters.
When Phelps and Ramos were traded, it created opportunities for those two to get an extended chance in the majors.
“There’s a lot to be said for the idea [of] security. ‘You know what? I belong here,’” Ziegler said. “It gives you some confidence to go out there and not have to always be looking over your shoulder, like, are they going to send me out tomorrow?”
Ellington has experienced first-hand the benefits of peace of mind and the accompanying extra ability to focus.
“If you’re out there worried — and I’ve done this before — about stuff you can’t control, it’s not as easy to get the hitter out,” Ellington said. “That’s a little bit of maturity that everybody goes through.”
Ellington and Steckenrider join left-hander Jarlin Garcia, who could be activated from the DL as soon as Tuesday after dealing with a left biceps strain, as young relievers who could comprise the core of the Marlins’ bullpen next year.
Those efforts combine with what has mostly been a continued turnaround from Junichi Tazawa and the recent return of Barraclough to form a strong group. And then there is right-hander Dustin McGowan, the only member of the bullpen to be active all year, and his steady 3.21 ERA.
It’s worth noting that the 21 games of the post-Ramos era are a very small sample size, so the statistics are subject to rapid change. A few games ago, for example, ERA, WHIP and slash line all showed noteworthy improvement — before a couple of down days Saturday and Sunday evened things out.
Mattingly noted that “[bull]pens are so volatile,” and it can be hard to put the right pieces in the right order.
“Before, Donnie always talked about how he had so many guys at the back end, he didn’t know how to use them exactly and was trying to find the right mix,” Ziegler said. “Now that a couple of those guys are gone, it’s a little easier for him to figure out OK, this is what I want to do at the back end.”
Said Ellington: “I know when I was up the first time [in May], there were some expectations that everybody was feeling out of the bullpen a little bit. Maybe put some pressure on themselves to do things they didn’t need to do.”
With less pressure now, the relief corps has been at least as good.
“Our ’pen, that was one part of the organization we felt like, going into spring, there was more depth, that we could live with losses in the bullpen and we could fill those holes,” Mattingly said. “They’ve done a nice job.”