Zach Davies DFA'ed, Justin Martinez Called Up
The local Phoenix native, Zach Davies pitched his last start for the team last night. He has been designated for assignment Wednesday morning. The team recalled Justin Martinez from the Reno Aces to serve as a valuable potential late-inning reliever for Manager Torey Lovullo to rely upon. Zach Davies spent just under two seasons pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They just couldn't dedicate any more innings to Davies while the team battles for a spot as an NL Wild Card team to make the playoffs. Every game is critical and a must-win at this juncture of the season. Martinez will help them do that.
Originally signed as a free agent before the 2022 season, Davies performed respectably as the team's #5 starter. He pitched to a 4.09 ERA over 27 starts and 134.1 innings. He had 52 walks, 102 strikeouts, and a 98 ERA+. He was essentially just barely below league average. Davies did his job.
That's why the team re-signed him this past off-season to another one-year deal with a mutual option for 2024. However, the wheels came completely off this season. He missed over three months with two separate injuries, an oblique strain in April and lower-back inflammation in July. When he was healthy, the results just were not there.
Over 82.1 innings, he pitched to a disastrous 7.00 ERA despite a much better 4.58 FIP. However, the hard contract and hits added up. Over 82.1 innings, he had given up 98 hits, 67 runs, 10 home runs, 39 walks, and 72 strikeouts. He started just 18 games and went 2-5. Davies was very below league average with a 62 ERA+. While he was worth 0.9 WAR in 22', he was worth just -1.5 WAR in 2023.
Davies struggled the most in September. Over his five starts, he went over four innings just once and gave up fewer than three runs just once. In his last four starts, he never went past four innings. That just wasn't feasible for a team competing for the playoffs. They can't afford to keep starting a pitcher who just can't keep the team in the game to win. Plus, he was overtaxing the bullpen that the team has to keep healthy for the final few games. The final straw was last night.
Against a bad Chicago White Sox lineup, they teed off of him. He consistently gave up loud contact. In just three innings, he gave up eight hits, four runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. With that, his time in the desert is over. The team will still owe him $300,000 as part of a buyout on his mutual option. Davies will go down with one of the worst starting pitching seasons in team history. His 7.00 ERA is the highest ever as a D-backs pitcher with 18 or more starts.
Replacing him is one of the team's most promising relievers, Justin Martinez. Martinez has been up multiple times this year. The results have been a bit of a mixed bag. His baseline results haven't been good with a 14.63 ERA over eight innings and a save. He walked 10, gave up 12 hits, and struck out 13. However, most of the damage came in just two of his nine appearances. In his two appearances against the Reds, he gave up nine runs in just 0.2 innings. The other 7.1 innings? He gave up just four runs and eight walks with 12 strikeouts.
He was at his best in a save situation against the San Diego Padres on August 17th when he struck out three batters, walked two, and closed the game with 1.1 innings. He has been far better in Reno with the Aces at Triple-A. He went 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA over 47 games. He finished 26 of them with nine saves and 67 strikeouts over 49.1 innings. The walks were still an issue with 48 of them. However, that comes with the territory of developing a 21-year-old pitcher who can throw the ball 102 mph.
Martinez has the makings of being a future elite closer if he can harness his command. The D-backs will give him the shot to help the team make the playoffs in this final week of the regular season. If he does well, he has a good shot of making the playoff roster.
