After Paul Sewald blew his first save of the season by allowing two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, resulting in a 5-4 Dodgers victory, Arizona’s bullpen stepped up with back-to-back masterful performances to help the Diamondbacks secure a series win over Los Angeles.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In Game 2, following Cristian Mena’s three-inning start, Bryce Jarvis, Joe Mantiply, Kevin Ginkel, and Thyago Vieira combined for seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and only one runner to reach scoring position.
In Game 3, after Zac Gallen exited following the fourth inning—marking his shortest start of the year—Justin Martinez, Ryan Thompson, and Thyago Vieira combined for five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out eight batters.
Justin Martinez was particularly impressive. Tossing three innings for just the second time this season, Martinez allowed a pair of infield singles in his first inning of work but then retired eight consecutive batters.
Overall, here is how the Diamondbacks’ bullpen performed during the final two games of the series:
Bryce Jarvis: 2.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER
Joe Mantiply: 1.1 IP, 0 hit, 0 ER
Kevin Ginkel: 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER
Thyago Vieira: 2 IP, 0 hit, 0 ER
Justin Martinez: 3 IP, 2 hit, 0 ER
Ryan Thompson: 1 IP, 0 hit, 0 ER
Combined, that is a complete game shutout with just four hits allowed across six relievers against one of the best offenses in baseball.
When you get that type of effort from your bullpen, it allows the offense to heat up. This is exactly what happened, as the Diamondbacks scored 12 total runs across the two games after the starting pitchers were taken out.
The Diamondbacks will look to continue this team effort as they gear up for a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday. The D-backs, 3-4 against the Padres this season, are hoping to secure their third straight win for the first time since early June. Additionally, they have a chance to bring their record back to .500, with National League Wild Card implications as Arizona sits 2.5 games back from a Wild Card spot.
