Bradley owning his new role in bullpen
BOB MCMANAMAN
Archie Bradley hasn’t just embraced his new role this season as a key late-inning relief pitcher in high-leverage situations for the Diamondbacks. He’s owned it. And now, they’re even selling T-shirts to celebrate it in the team’s gift shop.
“Bring in the Beard,” they read, featuring Bradley’s bearded likeness on the front.
But as bright as Bradley has been out of the bullpen – he has a 12-game scoreless streak and owns a 0.56 ERA with eight holds over his last 17 appearances – he’s not quite ready to give up his dream of being a starting pitcher again.
That’s what he was entering spring training, hoping to nail down the No. 5 starter’s job, but he lost out to the nowinjured Shelby Miller. Knowing his arm was too valuable to not have on the 25man roster, the decision was made to use him as a reliever. And Bradley’s role continued to get more and more pivotal with each passing week.
That doesn’t mean he’s going to want to remain a reliever, however.
“For this year, I’ve kind of accepted staying down there. I understand it. It’s working for us,” Bradley said Monday. “Our starters have thrown the ball unbelievably. And not to look too far ahead, but I don’t think you give up on that yet.
“I feel like the way I’ve thrown the ball, my attitude and my tempo has kind of opened my eyes to what I can do again as a starter.”
Bradley, though, sounded as if he might be open to the idea of staying in the bullpen if the Diamondbacks were to eventually tab him as their future closer. Fernando Rodney, who has 20 saves in that role now, will become a 41year-old free agent after this season.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Bradley said, considering the idea. “I think we’re looking too far ahead for me to be really thinking about that. I mean, I don’t know. Yeah, kind of.”
Bradley said what he’s learned out of the pen will make him a better and more efficient starter, should he move back into the rotation at some point.
“Everyone’s different,” he said, “but for me you when you think as a starter, you have to do all this long toss and stuff to get ready and you do need that to condition yourself and be ready. But in the bullpen sometimes you get six throws and you have to be in the game. So to know I can do that and I can be ready that quick, it just made me realize some of the stuff I can cut out as a starter to be more prepared and ready to go.”
Fans attending the team’s four-game series against the Phillies may have noticed higher temperatures inside Chase Field. That’s because there were. Gametime temperatures inside were 84 degrees on Friday night, 83 degrees on Saturday night and 81 degrees on Sunday afternoon.
According to Josh Rawitch, the Diamondbacks’ senior vice president of content and communications, this is why:
“There were leaks in our cooling and A/C system due to excessive heat and the power outage downtown so as a result, we had hotter than usual temperatures in (the) ballpark,” Rawitch said in an email.
Things were back to normal on Monday with the game-time temperature announced at 78 degrees.
Center fielder A.J. Pollock is scheduled to play in another rehab game for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday as he makes his way back from groin and quad issues, but it remains uncertain if he will be activated off the disabled list in time for any portion of the Diamondbacks’ series against the visiting Cardinals.
“I don’t want to go that far,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt was given the day off on Monday and although he was available to pinch hit or come in as a defensive replacement, Lovullo wanted to stay away from using him at all.
“We have a number of games that are coming up without an off day and I felt like it made a lot of sense to get him off his feet and give him a good push for some important series that are coming up,” Lovullo said.
Some numbers of interest by Diamondbacks hitters against the Cardinals, who visit Tuesday: Jeff Mathis is a lifetime .357 hitter against them, going 10 for 28. David Peralta is a career .333 hitter against them, going 15 for 45. Goldschmidt has five doubles, six homers and 20 RBIs in 30 games vs. St. Louis. And Brandon Drury had three homers and five RBIs against the Cardinals last season.