Friday, September 11

Welcome to the D-backs Beat Newsletter! MLB.com reporter/researcher Manny Randhawa pinch-hit for this edition.

With under three weeks remaining in the regular season, the D-backs are in the thick of the National League Wild Card race as Arizona seeks its first playoff berth since making a surprising run to the World Series in 2023.

And one area in which the Snakes are thriving at the moment is one that could be a major X-factor come October: the bullpen.

Over 43 2/3 innings since Aug. 30, D-backs relievers have combined for an NL-best 2.68 ERA entering Thursday. Through Aug. 29, that figure was 4.15, 18th in the Majors.

The relief corps has played a key role in several of Arizona’s recent wins, delivering clutch outs against the Astros on Sunday and nine scoreless frames against the Royals on Monday.

The D-backs’ ’pen could be rounding into form at just the right moment.

It’s reminiscent of what D-backs relievers were able to do late in the 2023 campaign, playing a crucial role in helping the club win the NL pennant. Entering September that year, Arizona’s relief corps had produced a 25th-ranked 4.69 ERA. Then, during the final month of the regular season, the D-backs’ bullpen posted a 2.16 ERA, second only to the Dodgers.

Three years later, the timing of a bullpen resurgence in the desert is once again great. Now the question is: Can the relief unit maintain this level of dominance into and through October?

Here are three key questions:

Will the closer committee get things done late?

Since the D-backs designated veteran reliever Paul Sewald for assignment on Aug. 10, manager Torey Lovullo has gone with the proverbial “closer by committee” approach as Arizona makes its postseason push.

It would be tough not to improve on Sewald’s 6.23 ERA over 45 appearances, but the D-backs are obviously looking for much better results from their relievers as they eye a playoff berth. 

So far, so good.

Arizona relievers have posted a 2.42 ERA in the ninth inning or later since Sewald’s DFA, which ranks 10th in MLB entering play on Friday. Opponents are batting .140 against the D-backs’ bullpen in the ninth inning or later in that span, which was No. 1 in MLB entering Thursday.

The quartet of Brandyn Garcia, Kevin Ginkel, Jonathan Loáisiga and Justin Martinez have combined to yield just one unearned run over 13 innings in the ninth or later since the D-backs parted ways with Sewald. 

As Lovullo continues to play matchups and consider leverage, if the closer committee continues to deliver results for its constituents, Arizona could be dangerous the rest of the way.

Will Garcia, Clarke and Morillo finish big years strong?

Garcia is in the home stretch of a sensational rookie season after making his big league debut with the Mariners in 2025. He owns a 2.08 ERA over 51 appearances for the D-backs this season and he’s struck out 32.3 percent of batters he’s faced. He’s been particularly dominant at Chase Field, where he has a 0.41 ERA over 25 appearances.

Taylor Clarke, meanwhile, continues to outpitch his peripherals to the tune of a career-best 2.45 ERA in 64 appearances this season. He doesn’t miss many bats -- his 21.6 percent whiff rate ranks in the 21st percentile among qualified pitchers and his 15.9 percent strikeout rate is in the 7th percentile. But he keeps the ball on the ground (48.5 percent groundball rate) and limits hard contact (31.6 percent hard-hit rate), and it’s paying off.

Juan Morillo, like Garcia, is enjoying a breakout campaign in his second Major League season. After pitching to a 4.19 ERA in 42 appearances for the D-backs in 2025, the right-hander has posted a 2.33 mark in 62 appearances so far this season. He’s been a reliable arm in high-leverage situations and toward the end of games.

His last outing -- in which he surrendered two runs and blew a save against Kansas City -- notwithstanding, Morillo has been exceptional since the All-Star break, to the tune of a 1.31 ERA.

Can these three cap their great performances with strong finishes in 2026? At a time of year when everything is magnified, whether they do or not could mean the difference between a postseason berth and a third straight year missing the playoffs for Arizona.

What will Martinez contribute during crunch time?

Martinez didn’t make his season debut until Aug. 18 after he recovered from his second Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old right-hander, who turned in a strong performance as a rookie in 2024, has been good so far in his return to the Major League mound -- he hasn’t given up an earned run over his first seven appearances.

Command has admittedly been an issue for Martinez -- he’s walked five batters over 6 2/3 innings -- but if that can get smoothed out, he could be a key contributor.

You never know what you might get when a pitcher returns after undergoing one Tommy John surgery, let alone two of them. But if Martinez, with his triple-digit fastball and splitter/slider combo, can continue to get results like he has in his small 2026 sample, it would be a boon for the Snakes as they hunt October.

• Who will be the D-backs’ top Minor League prospect in 2028?

• Former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes missed most of the 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He made a successful return to the mound for Arizona against the Royals on Tuesday.

• Eduardo Rodriguez is in the midst of the best season of his Major League career, and his “fierceness” is a major component of the D-backs’ playoff push.

• Tommy Troy is off the injured list and bringing energy to the D-backs during the stretch run.

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