Torey Lovullo Discusses the Practice of Re-Inserting Starters
Before the Diamondbacks game against the Colorado Rockies, manager Torey Lovullo spoke to the media. Amongst a variety of topics includes the practice of pulling and re-inserting starting pitchers, Kyle Nelson's recent injury, and updates on starting pitching through tomorrow's game.
Re-Entering Starting Pitchers
One of the features of Spring Training is for teams to be able to pull their starting pitchers in the middle of one inning, then insert them in the very next inning. This serves to accomplish two things: it prevents the pitcher from building up too much of a workload in a single inning, putting them at an injury risk, and it puts the relieving pitcher in an immediate high-stress situation. Consider Lovullo a fan of that practice.
"It gives us the ability to put Zac back in and build him accordingly and also let young pitchers build up and get that extra stressful feeling when they're executing."
For Lovullo, Spring Training is about building up a starting pitcher and prepare them for the regular season. If you look at the pitchers, and how they've been built up this spring, they have three potential starters built up to four innings (Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Tommy Henry), another two built up to three (Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt), and another pitching today in Merrill Kelly.
Kyle Nelson Slowed by Groin Injury
Left-hander Kyle Nelson will not pitch today, with the left-hander dealing with a groin issue that popped up yesterday. Lovullo said the injury will not affect his availability for Opening Day, but they'll hold him back for a couple of days. Nelson is coming off a season in which he pitched to a 4.18 ERA in 56 games. He's competing for a spot in the bullpen.
Starting Pitcher Updates
Right-hander Bryce Jarvis will start tomorrow's game against the Kansas City Royals. The plan is to get Jarvis to four innings and around 65 pitches. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will get his work done on a backfield tomorrow. Rodriguez spent the last two seasons in the American League Central with the Detroit Tigers, so it's unclear if that played a role in that decision.
Lovullo also acknowledged by slow-playing Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt that the window to have them stretched out for the regular season is tight and they can't afford a setback. Those three are on a strict schedule to have them stretched out to 75-80 pitches by the time they break camp and head to Chase Field on the 25th.
