Lamb’s struggles against lefties costing him at-bats

SAN FRANCISCO – As Jake Lamb’s struggles against left-handed pitching continue, the Diamondbacks seem to be gradually shifting away from him at third base when an opponent starts a lefty on the mound, a trend that could continue into October.

The Diamondbacks have faced 10 lefthanded starters since Aug. 22. Lamb has been in the lineup for only four of them, with the right-handed hitting Adam Rosales getting the other six starts at third base.

“It might be more centered around Adam Rosales and his ability to hit lefthanded pitching that I’m thinking about more than what Jake can or can’t do,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re going to need a complete roster down the stretch. I want to make sure the guys who are going to be counted on down the stretch are getting those types of at-bats and Adam fits right in against left-handed pitching.”

Rosales is hitting a modest .244 off lefties this year, including a .239 average in 46 at-bats since joining the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline.

But that’s a sizeable upgrade from Lamb, who is hitting just .146 against lefties. That’s the second-worst average for a lefty against same-handed pitchers in the majors, trailing only the Minnesota Twins’ Max Kepler (.135).

Lovullo said he hasn’t identified trends in terms of the type of lefties Lamb struggles most against and instead decides his lineup based in part on talks with hitting coach Dave Magadan.

If the Diamondbacks advance past the wild-card game, they’ll likely face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who could have three lefties in their starting rotation in Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Alex Wood. How would Lovullo handle Lamb in a series where potentially four of five games could be against lefties?

“I haven’t got that far,” he said. “I want to put us in the best position to win every game we possibly can.’’

Understanding Fernando

Lovullo said he’s still trying to get a sense for what telltales signs there might be, if any, for when closer Fernando Rodney is going to struggle in an outing.

Lovullo realizes that Rodney’s struggles ultimately come down to strikethrowing, but he’s also seen enough outings this season when Rodney will struggle against a batter or two then quickly find his form.

“It’s a hard thing to grasp,” Lovullo said. “As you’re sitting here in the dugout and you have your closer in the game, you’re trying to figure out what’s going on and dissecting each pitch and each batter, and he might walk a batter and then throw 12 consecutive strikes and the game is over.”