Hazen, Lovullo mull WC roster
D-Backs seeking tips around MLB
Since his team assured itself of a wildcard spot on Sunday, manager Torey Lovullo has sought opinions from far and wide, soliciting opposing managers, coaches and his own players who have been in the do-or-die game for their thoughts and strategies on how best to approach it.
Diamondbacks outfielder Gregor Blanco, who played on both San Francisco Giants teams that survived the wildcard round in 2014 and 2016, was among those to lend Lovullo his insights.
“Gregor said, ‘Two words for the two games: Madison Bumgarner,’” Lovullo said, laughing.
The Diamondbacks will not have the luxury of writing the era’s most dominant postseason pitcher into their lineup. They could get their own masterful performance from starter Zack Greinke, but they’re preparing for other possibilities.
That is, they’re preparing for every other possibility they can imagine, an exercise that has them considering a wide array of pitchers and position players for the 25-man roster they’ll take into the one-game playoff on Wednesday.
It has caused Lovullo to use the word “confusing” on a number of occasions since the Diamondbacks clinched. During his years as a bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, Lovullo has been involved in postseason runs, including one that ended with a World Series title. But he has never been a part of a wild-card game.
“I’ve been a part of playoff teams,” Lovullo said. “And this one is probably just a little bit different. I don’t want to make anything more of it; it’s a baseball game. But I want to make sure we’re prepared, and we will be.”
The biggest issue hindering preparation is that the Diamondbacks still do not know for certain whom they will face, though it looks increasingly likely that it will be the Colorado Rockies, who took a 2 1/2-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers into Thursday.
General Manager Mike Hazen said the Diamondbacks are expecting to carry either 15 or 16 position players on the 25-man roster. That gives them ample room to put a player on the roster in hopes of a specific matchup or skill set.
For example, both Hazen and Lovullo seem intrigued by Christian Walker, the slugger who captured MVP honors in the Pacific Coast League and, as a September call-up, has two homers and a walk in 12 plate appearances.
“We need a right-handed hitting sniper,” Lovullo said. “He’s shown a lot. Strong consideration for me.”
Infielder/outfielder Chris Owings could be a sniper of a different sort. Because his fractured right middle finger has been slow to heal, he isn’t expected be able to contribute at the plate. But Owings is fast and a good baserunner, and the Diamondbacks seem to be considering him as a possible pinch-runner.
Catcher Jeff Mathis’ situation could
sort itself out in the coming days. Working his way back from a fractured right hand, Mathis was hopeful he’d be able to return from the disabled list and play on Friday in Kansas City.
“I’m still going in the right direction,” Mathis said.
As for the pitching staff, there are a handful of players who appear to be locks, though several spots appear up for grabs. Greinke, Robbie Ray, Archie Bradley and Fernando Rodney will -- or almost certainly will -- have spots. Relievers Jimmie Sherfy, Andrew Chafin and Jorge De La Rosa seem assured of spots, as well.
The club will have to decide not only which but also how many of the remaining starting pitchers to put on the roster. Lefty Patrick Corbin and right-hander Zack Godley seem like the most likely options, since both have somewhat recent relief experience and because the club is planning to use them out of the bullpen in Kansas City.
“How many innings you prepare for pitching-wise, that’s probably the trickiest one,” Hazen said. “Typical baseball games don’t go 15, 16 innings, but you also need to be prepared if something were to happen in that scenario. You have to prepare (for playing matchups and handling emergencies). I think the roster is big enough for one game to be able to accomplish both.”
Lefty Anthony Banda, who has thrown well in a pair of relief appearances, might also work his way into consideration along with veterans David Hernandez, J.J. Hoover and T.J. McFarland.
One resource for the organization in preparing for the game is analytics director Mike Fitzgerald, who was a part of three wild-card games during his time in the Pittsburgh Pirates front office.
“I think when there are unknowns you tend to steer more toward the conservative because you want to protect the downside,” Hazen said. “But (with Fitzgerald) it wasn’t just once -- they went through it three times. Just listening to how they constructed their roster at times, it’s helpful. It’s helpful hearing how other people with experience with it thought through the process.”
And while the Diamondbacks are putting their wild-card roster and pitcher-usage strategy together, they’ll be keeping in mind the fact that, should they win, they’ll have to sort out their roster for the division series two days later.
“We have to keep some focus on it, but we know what’s at stake Wednesday,” Hazen said. “It’s all hands on deck. You have to win Wednesday. The way we look at it, you gear everything for Wednesday and you readjust any and every plan you have to moving forward. Anything we had even thought beyond Wednesday will be subject to complete revision. It’s all in pencil.”