Dbacks @ Dodgers

[DWKB]

Of course you know that a closer's role is more important than "a one inning job". It is the final inning, especially the bottom of the 9th on the road. There is no safety net.

I read that Rodney's history is putting the winning runs on base, then trying to pitch his way out of the jam. We're not going to move ahead that way. And the fans are not going to like it.

It's still a one inning job, regardless of leverage, until the league adjusts back to the original way a closer was used (think Gossage and Marshall).

If Bradley gets us from the 6th to the 9th coming in at high leverage situations and also throwing multiple innings, that has serious value. We will see if his usage rate is there though (he's only appeared in 4 games so far).

 

[82CardsGrad]

It's still a one inning job, regardless of leverage, until the league adjusts back to the original way a closer was used (think Gossage and Marshall).

If Bradley gets us from the 6th to the 9th coming in at high leverage situations and also throwing multiple innings, that has serious value. We will see if his usage rate is there though (he's only appeared in 4 games so far).

I agree with this. Archie has been nails this far, but only time will tell if he's able to sustain success over the long haul - something he has yet to prove in the bigs.
I would add that should he continue to pitch well, it will be very hard for Tory not to give him a shot in the rotation, particularly if Greinke, Corbin and Miller don't improve...
That said, fwiw, I would be totally fine having a dominant middle reliever who can give us 2-3 innings, maybe 4 on occasion, of complete shut-down pitching!

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Not necessarily. He's not going to be able to hit 97 as a starter (he was around 93) and the difference those extra MPH make with his 81MPH curve makes him very dangerous as a reliever.

Edit: I'm not saying he doesn't deserve a starting spot. I'm saying his current usage is pretty impactful. I bet over the course of the long season he ends up making some starts and he'll move to SP before he moves to CL.

I rhink Bradley is perfectly suited for the Collmenter role...long middle reliever...that can spot start...for now.

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[DWKB]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/goose-egg-new-save-stat-relief-pitchers/

Worthwhile read given we're talking about closers and Bradley.

 

[BC867]

It's still a one inning job, regardless of leverage, until the league adjusts back to the original way a closer was used (think Gossage and Marshall).

If Bradley gets us from the 6th to the 9th coming in at high leverage situations and also throwing multiple innings, that has serious value. We will see if his usage rate is there though (he's only appeared in 4 games so far).

There is another factor involved in pitching the 6th to the 9th. In the NL, you have to take into consideration the need to pinch-hit for the pitcher in later innings.

It puts us at a disadvantage compared to the AL. And why I, as much as I've opposed the DH rule, have been advocating for the NL to get on board and be truly competitive with the AL. And be consistent with just about every other level of baseball throughout the country and the world and switch to the DL.

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I didn't get to see the latter part of last night's series finale vs. the Dodgers, but what a performance. Our 1st and 2nd batters in the lineup going 8-for-10 (each 4-for-5), accounting for all but two of the team's hits. I've never seen a performance like that in the 65 years that I have been following Major League (especially National League) baseball.

And by two guys who were close to the Mendoza line -- one who had just climbed over .200 and the other still below it. I was hoping they could both get back to the .240-.260 range as a first plateau. 'Never dreamed they'd reach it in the next game.

And a starting pitcher who couldn't find the strike zone, keeping the score down and keeping us in the game. A gutsy performance. But a trend that is not going to get us through the season.