The Diamondbacks completed the three-game sweep over the Cleveland Guardians, who entered the week with the best record in Major League Baseball. However, it was Arizona who came away with the series sweep in three well-played games. After a 5-3 win that capped off a doubleheader sweep, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talked with Todd Walsh on the postgame coverage on Dbacks TV.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“The heart of this team, their character, and their drive, desire to be really good every single day,” said Lovullo. “It branches out individually. I don’t know who to pick first, it was a great day for a lot of people.”
Eduardo Rodriguez’s return
The series finale ended up being an emotional lift for the club, with Eduardo RodrÃguez finally back on a major league mound. Despite a strict pitch count of 65, the left-hander went above and beyond the call of duty in the second half of a doubleheader. He pitched himself into the sixth and gave the team a chance to win.
“I was really excited and happy for Eduardo, it’s been a long runway for him,” said Lovullo. “The fact that he came in and went 5 2/3 and made quality pitch after quality pitch. On a day where you need a little bit of length from your bullpen, and you knew he hit his number of 65 pitches, I was grateful that he went into the sixth inning. Gave me a chance to maneuver.”
RodrÃguez and Pfaadt combined for 12 innings on a doubleheader, allowing Lovullo to use his bullpen more aggressively to win both games. The left-hander was very efficient in his start, attacking the edges of the strike zone to induce soft contact early in the count for outs.
“It’s what I remember, it’s a very clean and easy delivery. He knows right where it’s going, he can really paint the edges of the plate. He takes it personal when it doesn’t go where he wants, he’s very very good at it.”
Pitching at Progressive Field was a big target for RodrÃguez due to how much he likes to pitch there.
Adrian Del Castillo debut
It can be a tough situation for a rookie catcher to debut on the road against a very good team. Adrian Del Castillo was up to the challenge, doubling in a run and reaching base twice to contribute to the offense. The most important part is the stage didn’t look too big, as he exhibited the skills that made him such a valuable prospect to the organization.
With a young catcher, it can be a struggle to make sure he’s dialed in and capable of handling the responsibilities of the position. In his debut, there was nothing noticeable about Del Castillo’s ability to handle the position, which in itself is a good sign.
“He was so good,” said Lovullo. “After the second inning, I took my eyes off of him. The first inning and a half, you’re watching everything he’s doing hoping it’s working and he’s engaged. Innings 3-9 I didn’t even think about him once. Maybe some nonverbal communication with hand signals, we’re addressing things from the dugout without going out there and talking to him. He was right on and did a great job.”
The big moment for Del Castillo came in the second inning. With a runner on second and two outs, he got a changeup on the low-outside corner and smoked it off the wall in left center for his first hit and RBI. That type of hit is not shocking for those following the young catcher in Reno, where it seemed like he was banging balls off the wall on a nightly basis.
“It couldn’t have worked out any better for him. When you win the game by a couple of runs, they all matter. I think to be a successful major league hitter you can’t be afraid to hit with strikes on you, and you can’t be afraid to hit with two strikes on you. You have to have an approach for that. We know that he did, he had been showing us that through all of his work habits and game reps that he was capable of doing that. When you have a good two-strike approach, it really defines what pitch you can look for prior to that because you’re not afraid to go deep into counts.”
Justin Martinez the new closer?
For the second straight save opportunity, Lovullo sent out rookie right-hander Justin Martinez. Unlike Monday’s impressive finish, it was a bumpy ride with more excitement than the Diamondbacks would have liked. Ultimately, it was a scoreless appearance and his second straight save despite Cleveland loading the bases.
Martinez was greeted with a bloop single that landed just beyond the outstretched Geraldo Perdomo in shallow center. Falling behind 3-1 to the next hitter, he induced a pop-up for the first out. What happened next was a series of young pitcher mistakes, but a talented young pitcher overcoming those mistakes. He mishandled a comebacker and spiked the throw to second into the outfield and then walked another hitter on a badly misfired pitch to load the bases. However, he also got strikeouts of Bo Naylor and Lane Thomas to pitch out of his jam.
“I think he grows with each outing,” said Lovullo. “When it’s pristine and easy, it’s like how the game ended a couple nights ago. I have taken off the mound, I have scraped him off the mound after something like what happened today happened before. He’s growing, it’s going to take a little bit of time. I just ask for everyone’s patience, we know what’s going on with him, he’s very very good. This is definitely a stride in the right direction.”
It’s already been a big leap for the young fireballer in his first full season in the major leagues, but the team may ask him to make one more before the season ends. The next step in his evolution as a back-end reliever is learning how to slow down his heartbeat and be able to handle situations like this more comfortably. Once he does, the sky is the limit.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
