azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 12, 2005 12:00 AM
It was quiet enough at Bank One Ballpark to hear an ERA drop. This is the strange fate of the Diamondbacks, an organization contending with skeptical fans and a bullpen that will go a long way in shaping public opinion of this team.
Any opinion would be nice. Monday night's vibe was one of disinterest, reflected in a record low attendance of 18,742. Apathy will take a holiday if the team shows it has something to complement its league-leading offense and in a 2-0 victory over Colorado, the Diamondbacks did just that.
On a night when the team's bats said surprisingly little, Brad Halsey made a promising debut as the club's fifth starter, allowing no runs and five hits in six innings. His 56-30 strikes-to-balls ratio was encouraging and set the stage for a strong effort by the bullpen. Brian Bruney, Mike Koplove and Brandon Lyon each gave an inning, allowing a combined two hits and nothing else.
You could hear the collective sigh of relief from Diamondbacks management afterward. Bullpens throughout Major League Baseball have collapsed during baseball's first week. San Diego's Trevor Hoffman pitches two-thirds of an inning in his debut against Colorado and walks away with a 54.00 ERA. Mariano Rivera gives up five runs in his two-thirds against Boston and the Yankees fan thanks him for his phenomenal postseason career with incessant booing.
The Diamondbacks bullpen came into this game with a 5.74 ERA and too many dramatic moments. Speculation about potential deals intensified.
Management opted for a wait-and-see approach.
"You don't want to mortgage the future right now early in the season," manager Bob Melvin said. "You want to identify what your strengths and weaknesses are."
Widespread bullpen struggles have fueled heavier than usual phone traffic among league executives, and teams with healthy bullpens "are in a position to take advantage of people," General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said. "It's a seller's market."
The Diamondbacks are often mentioned in those discussions because of a group of prospects coveted by the opposition. Offers have come. Two days ago, a deal seemed likely after the bullpen cost the team a victory in two straight games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It now appears less urgent after two consecutive solid outings by the group.
Let the speculation begin.
With Oscar Villarreal sidelined several weeks with a slight tear in his rotator cuff and Greg Aquino on the DL, Melvin's managerial abilities will be scrutinized. His bullpen is beginning to take shape, with Bruney and Koplove as his setup men, Randy Choate as a left-handed specialist and Lyon making a convincing argument as a closer.
With a starting pitching staff that suggests it can't last past five or six innings - at least for the near future - Melvin's biggest challenge will be using the interchanging parts correctly.
No one can question that he looks to the future, a welcoming contrast to past managerial decisions on this club that underestimated the importance of resting arms. It was evident in the way Melvin used Halsey for four innings instead of wiping out his bullpen in Opening Day's 16-6 loss.
And he is tapped into the psyche of this team. He took the bullet for Villarreal recently, saying that he (Melvin) should take the blame for the pitcher's slow start - 0-2 record, 7.00 ERA - because during the spring he led Villarreal to believe he was in the hunt for a starting job and did not let him develop the mind-set of a reliever.
The pitching staff is beginning to show promise. Halsey shows poise uncommon at 24, and teammates, such as Royce Clayton, marvel at Lyon's demeanor.
"He reacts the same, win or lose," Clayton said.
Not that the Diamondbacks shouldn't continue to explore bullpen help.
Another deal would be wise, and it's up to Garagiola and Co. to make sure the price isn't too high.
Who knows? It might just bring a few more fans to the game.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0412boivin0412.html
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 12, 2005 12:00 AM
It was quiet enough at Bank One Ballpark to hear an ERA drop. This is the strange fate of the Diamondbacks, an organization contending with skeptical fans and a bullpen that will go a long way in shaping public opinion of this team.
Any opinion would be nice. Monday night's vibe was one of disinterest, reflected in a record low attendance of 18,742. Apathy will take a holiday if the team shows it has something to complement its league-leading offense and in a 2-0 victory over Colorado, the Diamondbacks did just that.
On a night when the team's bats said surprisingly little, Brad Halsey made a promising debut as the club's fifth starter, allowing no runs and five hits in six innings. His 56-30 strikes-to-balls ratio was encouraging and set the stage for a strong effort by the bullpen. Brian Bruney, Mike Koplove and Brandon Lyon each gave an inning, allowing a combined two hits and nothing else.
You could hear the collective sigh of relief from Diamondbacks management afterward. Bullpens throughout Major League Baseball have collapsed during baseball's first week. San Diego's Trevor Hoffman pitches two-thirds of an inning in his debut against Colorado and walks away with a 54.00 ERA. Mariano Rivera gives up five runs in his two-thirds against Boston and the Yankees fan thanks him for his phenomenal postseason career with incessant booing.
The Diamondbacks bullpen came into this game with a 5.74 ERA and too many dramatic moments. Speculation about potential deals intensified.
Management opted for a wait-and-see approach.
"You don't want to mortgage the future right now early in the season," manager Bob Melvin said. "You want to identify what your strengths and weaknesses are."
Widespread bullpen struggles have fueled heavier than usual phone traffic among league executives, and teams with healthy bullpens "are in a position to take advantage of people," General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said. "It's a seller's market."
The Diamondbacks are often mentioned in those discussions because of a group of prospects coveted by the opposition. Offers have come. Two days ago, a deal seemed likely after the bullpen cost the team a victory in two straight games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It now appears less urgent after two consecutive solid outings by the group.
Let the speculation begin.
With Oscar Villarreal sidelined several weeks with a slight tear in his rotator cuff and Greg Aquino on the DL, Melvin's managerial abilities will be scrutinized. His bullpen is beginning to take shape, with Bruney and Koplove as his setup men, Randy Choate as a left-handed specialist and Lyon making a convincing argument as a closer.
With a starting pitching staff that suggests it can't last past five or six innings - at least for the near future - Melvin's biggest challenge will be using the interchanging parts correctly.
No one can question that he looks to the future, a welcoming contrast to past managerial decisions on this club that underestimated the importance of resting arms. It was evident in the way Melvin used Halsey for four innings instead of wiping out his bullpen in Opening Day's 16-6 loss.
And he is tapped into the psyche of this team. He took the bullet for Villarreal recently, saying that he (Melvin) should take the blame for the pitcher's slow start - 0-2 record, 7.00 ERA - because during the spring he led Villarreal to believe he was in the hunt for a starting job and did not let him develop the mind-set of a reliever.
The pitching staff is beginning to show promise. Halsey shows poise uncommon at 24, and teammates, such as Royce Clayton, marvel at Lyon's demeanor.
"He reacts the same, win or lose," Clayton said.
Not that the Diamondbacks shouldn't continue to explore bullpen help.
Another deal would be wise, and it's up to Garagiola and Co. to make sure the price isn't too high.
Who knows? It might just bring a few more fans to the game.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0412boivin0412.html
