D-backs notebook: The bullpen, rotation, injuries and more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Diamondbacks have yet to finalize their bullpen, which will have some new faces in it after posting the fifth-best ERA in the major leagues last season.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday that the team has also not chosen its closer (though he and his staff had discussions about that topic on Friday and Saturday), but he did name players who he thought were among the candidates to earn the last open spots in the bullpen, of which there are “a couple.”

Michael Blazek, Kris Medlen, T.J. McFarland and Jorge De La Rosa were the names Lovullo listed, saying “that’s probably about it right now.”

Lovullo seemed to confirm a second time that the number of open spots in the bullpen was just two, and if he goes with a seven-man bullpen, that means five pitchers are presumed to already have solidified their spot in that group. Archie Bradley, Brad Boxberger, Andrew Chafin and Yoshi Hirano would more than likely be four of them, with Fernando Salas — whose contract the D-backs selected Saturday — being the fifth.

“[Salas] came in and did exactly what we wanted to,” Lovullo said. “Salas came in and just pounded the zone and did a lot of things right.”

Salas, 32, has pitched in the big leagues for eight seasons and has a career 3.85 ERA. Last season, he had a 6.00 ERA in 48 games with the Mets and got released, but signed with the Angels and had a 2.63 ERA over 13 games to finish his season.

He hadn’t given up a run for the D-backs in nine starts this spring before giving up one earned in an outing on Friday.

Meanwhile, of the group of four that Lovullo mentioned, McFarland and De La Rosa are left-handers. If Lovullo wants a second southpaw in the bullpen along with Chafin, they would each be logical choices. They were also both on the 25-man roster in 2017, making for some familiarity between them and the coaching staff.

Medlen only appeared in six big league games last season, all starts for the Royals. He totaled 24.1 innings, allowing 21 earned runs. Has has pitched in 173 games (75 starts) over seven seasons with a career 3.25 ERA. The D-backs signed him to a minor league contract this offseason with an invite to spring training, where he’s posted a 5.28 ERA in eight appearances.

Blazek has pitched in parts of four big league seasons and owns a career 4.39 ERA in 109 outings. Last year, he pitched in five games for the Milwaukee Brewers — including his first career major league start — combining for 8.2 innings pitched and eight earned runs.

It’s also worth noting that Jimmie Sherfy, who was sent to Triple-A, and Randall Delgado, who is recovering from an injury, could both be in the bullpen picture when they’re healthy and caught up in their preparation for the season.

After Saturday’s game against the Royals, just one Cactus League game remains before a pair of exhibition games at Chase Field on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Opening Day on Thursday.

“We’re still drilling down to a couple more decisions,” Lovullo said. “You know the names, you know the bodies, you know who’s out there. And we’re going to try and take the best group to Chase [Field] with us.”

ZACK GREINKE AND THE STARTING ROTATION

Zack Greinke threw only 8-10 pitches in a bullpen on Saturday morning.

“He knows what he wants, he got exactly what he wanted to feel and shut it down,” Lovullo said, adding that Greinke said he felt good.

Greinke is expected to pitch again on Monday.

Lovullo said it was not part of the team’s plans to have Greinke start the season on the disabled list. The schedule in the beginning parts of the season is advantageous for the D-backs in this regard, since Arizona will have the luxury of five days off in the first 26 days of the regular season. This would help the D-backs re-arrange their rotation once Greinke returns, though that isn’t something the team necessarily plans to do, Lovullo said.

The D-backs manager added that they weren’t concerned per se about having Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray, both left-handers, pitch on back-to-back days in the opening series against Colorado.

INJURY UPDATES

Delgado, who has been dealing with an oblique issue, threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Saturday morning. Lovullo said the team expects the right-hander to start the season on the disabled list.

Catcher Jeff Mathis played Saturday against the Royals, appearing in a game for the first time since March 14 with a lower-back issue. He caught four innings.

Outfielder David Peralta did not play Saturday, but he was going to be unavailable regardless, since players who played in Friday night’s game were given Saturday off. He exited Friday’s game early and is considered day-to-day.

Lovullo said the chance of Mathis or Peralta starting on the DL was “very, very minimal.”

BASE HITS

— Zack Godley pitched for the D-backs in a split-squad game against the Royals at Salt River Fields on Saturday. He retired the first hitter of the game before giving up a solo home run to the next batter, Mike Moustakas, and then faced the minimum for the remainder of his seven-inning start.

His line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He threw 81 pitches.

“Today was probably the best outing I’ve seen [this spring from Godley],” Lovullo said.

The D-backs tied the Royals, 4-4.

— In Tempe, the D-backs faced the Angels in the other half of the split-squad. Medlen was the starter, going 3.1 innings and allowing one unearned run with no hits, two walks and a strikeout.

— The D-backs acquired ASU product and infielder Deven Marrero from the Red Sox for a player-to-be-named-later or cash considerations on Saturday. Both Lovullo and D-backs GM Mike Hazen are familiar with Marrero from their days in Boston. Marrero hit .211 with 27 RBI in in 71 games for the Red Sox last year, but hit .291 with four home runs against left-handed pitching.

— Taylor Clark is expected to pitch for the D-backs on Sunday.

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