Arizona Diamondbacks Hot/Cold Pitchers Last Two Weeks

The D-backs may be struggling but they still have pitchers that are performing well or looking to rebound from a tough start.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez (63) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Diamondbacks have had a mixed bag of a season when it comes to pitching. They've had numerous games where their pitching has carried them to wins, especially from the starting pitching department. However, they've had plenty of games where they suffered from untimely bullpen mistakes that cost them leads or rough starts from key pitchers like most recently with Slade Cecconi last night. This team is running either hot or cold on any given night without much consistency it would seem.

On the season, Diamondbacks pitchers have pitched 294 innings and given up 102 walks with 257 strikeouts. They've worked to a 4.26 ERA. The ERA is 22nd in baseball, not good for a team with playoff aspirations. Their 1.29 WHIP is 19th in baseball. They are 22nd in strikeouts, 10th in fewest walks, and 11th in most homers given up.

Over their last 14 games, the D-backs have gone 5-9 with a team ERA of 4.46 over 121 innings. They gave up 50 walks against just 97 strikeouts and have allowed 18 home runs. They gave up 106 hits and 60 earned runs.

In the team's first 19 games, the team went 9-10 over 173 innings and gave up 78 earned runs, 170 hits, 52 walks, and a far better 160 strikeouts. They pitched to a 4.06 ERA. Besides the scuffling offense, a rise in team ERA from 4.06 to 4.46 can help explain the team's struggling performance on the mound.

Of course, one would be remiss to write about the D-backs pitching staff without mentioning the obscene amount of injuries the team is dealing with. Right now, they are without Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Paul Sewald, Kyle Nelson, Miguel Castro, Luis Frías, and Tommy Henry was optioned to Triple-A.

That list doesn't include the fact that Jordan Montgomery missed the first three weeks or so of the season or that Zac Gallen had his start skipped due to a hamstring cramp. The future will be better for the D-backs pitching staff as players get healthy and begin performing again.

Hot: Brandon Pfaadt

Brandon Pfaadt might not have the sparkling season numbers, but he's been on fire the last three starts. While his season numbers of 1-1, 4.63 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and just six walks over 35 innings and six starts are good, he's been pitching beautifully lately.

Over his last three starts against tough offenses such as the Cubs, Cardinals, and Mariners, Pfaadt has pitched 18.1 innings and allowed just 13 hits, six earned runs, three walks, and struck out 21 batters. He's allowed two earned runs in each of those starts. Plus, he struck out a career-high 11 batters last Sunday against Seattle. The D-backs will need him to keep this up as they await Merrill Kelly's return.

Cold: Zac Gallen

Gallen started the year off on fire, compiling a 2.25 ERA through his first three starts. However, he's come back to Earth and had a tough go-round in two of his last three starts. While he pitched six scoreless, seven-strikeout innings in his win against the Cardinals, Gallen gave up nine hits, five runs, and six strikeouts in his loss to the Giants.

Then, against the Mariners, he gave up three runs in 5+ innings before forced out of the game due to a hamstring cramp. He's been unable to make his start since then with the latest word that Tuesday is most likely his next start date.

The D-backs will need Gallen to round back into form and fast if they hope to get back to their winning ways. With so many pitchers and hitters injured or struggling, they need Gallen to carry them like the CY Young contender he is. There's plenty of hope that can happen once Gallen gets back on the bump.

Hot: Justin Martinez

Martinez was called up ahead of the Mariners series after being up for a couple of days earlier in April. The D-backs have been waiting for Martinez to make full use of his 100+ MPH fastball and elite slider and to stop walking so many batters. He has strikeout stuff and the makeup to be a future closer, but has struggled with location. So far, since he's been back up and made his return on April 26th, he's been straight nasty.

Martinez has pitched five innings over four games and has given up just five hits, one run, two walks, and has struck out seven batters. His ERA during that span is 1.80 while his FIP is even better at 1.54. The D-backs might soon start pushing Martinez into more leverage relief if he keeps this up.

Honorable Mentions: Joe Mantiply (1.93 ERA last five games); Ryan Thompson (1.80 ERA last four games)

Cold: Scott McGough

The man who has been blamed for most of the bullpen woes and has worn it for the bullpen has indeed been going through a rough funk on the bump. Despite having already pitched in 14 games with 15 innings, McGough has yet to find much success.

This is true for his last two weeks of work in which he's pitched in six games and 6.2 innings. During that span, he's given up seven hits, five runs, four earned runs, seven walks, and just two strikeouts. The lack of command has bitten him numerous times as he has a 9.59 FIP and 5.40 ERA. Over his last 31 batters faced, hitters have a 1.104 OPS against him. There will be better days ahead, one can presume, but it's been a tough start to the season for the former closer from Japan.