The Diamondbacks’ rotation has been on a run in recent weeks, logging 11 quality starts in the past 15 games and working into the sixth inning in all but one of those starts.
All those innings have made it difficult for manager Torey Lovullo to find work for Brandon Pfaadt, the starter-turned-reliever who is pitching in a long man role out of the bullpen.
And that lack of work is leading the Diamondbacks and Pfaadt toward an inflection point in his season.
If it continues, will the Diamondbacks be comfortable with him working in shorter stints as a reliever the rest of year? Will they keep him in short relief and then stretch him back out if the need arises in the rotation? Or will they send him to the minors to keep him stretched out and ready to start?
“We feel like he’s at a very critical point right now,” Lovullo said. “He’s a piece of our bullpen. He can get outs. He can go out and throw the baseball where he wants, and he can be a part of an eight-man bullpen.”
Lovullo mentioned right-handers Randall Delgado and Drey Jameson, a pair of pitchers who bounced from the rotation to the bullpen and then back to starting before ultimately blowing out their arms. Those experiences have left the organization sensitive to the idea of stretching a starter out in-season after having him pitch in short bursts.
For now, Lovullo said that, for Pfaadt, being “stretched out” might mean pitching only two innings.
“What does that mean if we’ve got to get him really stretched out?” Lovullo said. “I don’t know that answer. If we’ve got to figure that out, we’ll have to figure that out. But we’re not there yet.”
Pfaadt has been out of the rotation since mid-April. In seven games since, he has thrown 17 innings, though more than half of those came in his first two outings. This month, he has pitched only four times for a combined 6 2/3 innings.
Lovullo says he’s monitoring Juan Morillo’s usage
Right-hander Juan Morillo worked in 16 of the Diamondbacks’ first 32 games, putting him on pace for a number of appearances that made Lovullo uncomfortable. But that pace has slowed considerably in recent games as Morillo has pitched in only five of the past 16.
Lovullo said Morillo was not dealing with any sort of injury and that the lack of recent appearances was purely a matter of trying to keep him fresh for the long season.
“He’s 100 percent healthy,” Lovullo said. “I just don’t want him to have 75 appearances in September. That’s the goal. I want our athletes to be very, very strong and not fading at the very end.
“I’ve consciously been trying to pull back on him. I think we’re in a little phase right now where I’ve been off of him and maybe now I can pick up the pace a little bit. I’m going to go in and out with him. He’s such an important piece of this bullpen, but I don’t want to abuse him.”
Morillo has a 1.83 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. He has taken a big step forward this year in large part because of his ability to throw strikes, cutting his walk rate from 5.2 per nine innings to 2.3.
Rockies at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34, Ch. 12
Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-1, 2.53) vs. Rockies RHP Zach Agnos (0-0, 5.59).
At Chase Field: Rodriguez gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Rockies over the weekend at Coors Field, taking the loss. … He has logged at least five innings in eight of his nine starts and given up three runs or fewer in seven of nine. … He has a 4.95 ERA in seven career starts against the Rockies. … Rodriguez is using his changeup significantly more this year; it has held opposing hitters to a .194 average and no home runs. … Agnos is getting the spot start for the Rockies, the first start of his career, but it is unclear how deep he will pitch into the game. He has worked up to 4 1/3 innings in relief this season, topping out at 67 pitches. … He has a six-pitch mix, starting with a fastball that averages 94.5 mph.
Coming up
Friday, May 22: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (6-2, 3.49) vs. Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 4.02).
Saturday, May 23: At Chase Field, 7:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.78) vs. Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 7.03).
Sunday, May 24: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-3, 5.19) vs. Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (2-2, 4.08).
(This story will be updated. Check back soon.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rockies at Diamondbacks updates. Lovullo cautious with Pfaadt