Amid turbulence, Lovullo not panicking over D-backs’ bullpen

PHOENIX — On the first day back from a road trip in which the Diamondbacks went 2-5 and the bullpen was charged with three losses, manager Torey Lovullo isn’t making drastic changes to his late-game pitching assignments.

On the other hand, Lovullo said some minor re-shuffling may be in order.

Brad Boxberger is still the closer. That much has been confirmed on consecutive days now by the second-year skipper, and the steadfastness with Boxberger is consistent with what Arizona has done all year.

This came despite the right-hander being removed from the game Sunday with two runners on base, who eventually scored to win the game on a double off Archie Bradley.

“I didn’t probably talk until about midnight last night, to be honest with you,” Lovullo said. “I didn’t say one word after the game, outside of talking to the media. I got on the plane, I didn’t say anything to anybody for most of the night until I got home. And eventually, my wife asked me if I was going to say anything before I went to bed, so I thought I better say, ‘Goodnight, I love you.'”

Lovullo isn’t oblivious to the magnitude of his decisions. On the contrary, the manager just one year removed from a playoff appearance (and NL Manager of the Year award) said his quiet time on the flight home was spent reflecting on what he could have done better.

On that note, while sweeping changes to the bullpen aren’t imminent, smaller adjustments could be made.

“Boxberger’s our closer. He’s still going to get that opportunity. It’s just, we might take a little bit of a different path every once in a while. And yesterday was a hard decision for me,” Lovullo said, referring to his decision to pull his closer in the ninth.

“It was a very, very difficult decision. But as I explained to Brad, we’re at that time of the year where we’ve got to get outs and get wins and however we do it, it really shouldn’t matter. And I think he understands that.”

After Matt Kemp’s game-winning double off Bradley to score those runs that were charged to Boxberger on Sunday, the closer’s ERA was 3.80.

“It’s not the right time to switch your hands and go all-in with something you’re not familiar with,” Lovullo said, adding that he knows and trusts the guys in the back end of his bullpen. “We might see some — and I did it yesterday and I did it a couple times since we last played [San Diego] — I’ve switched a couple cards in the hand every now and then and we’re getting outs a little bit different way.

“But the back end guys are going to continue to be the back-end guys.”

The “back-end” refers to more than just the closer in Boxberger. It also includes Bradley, who has often been called upon to pitch high-leverage situations prior to the ninth inning. He has a 3.57 ERA on the year, but incurred a blown save in back-to-back games to end this weekend’s road trip and was charged with the loss on Saturday.

“Those [games in LA] are the type of games that for us to make the playoffs — and continue in the playoffs — that we’re going to need to win,” Bradley said.

“Like most things in sports, you’re only as good as your last game, so that’s what they should judge us on. But us as a whole, myself as an individual, we’ve put together a pretty good year down there in the pen. These last couple may have a magnifying glass over them, but for us, they’re just a couple games where we didn’t do our jobs.”

The D-backs’ 3.15 ERA by their relievers is second-best in the major leagues behind the Houston Astros.

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Jarrod Dyson, who hasn’t played since July 4 as he recovers from a right groin strain, played two rehab assignment games with Triple-A Reno over the weekend, going 1-for-5 with a stolen base.

He was back in the D-backs’ clubhouse on Monday but the team didn’t officially announce his activation. Lovullo said he expected Dyson to be evaluated by the team doctor, and an immediate update on his status moving forward wasn’t available.

Shelby Miller, meanwhile, threw from 100 feet on Monday and has begun throwing breaking balls to his throwing partner, something Miller had been prevented from doing previously. He also will throw a flatground in the coming days. Lovullo cautioned, however, that the activity was “nothing that has been even close to the mound.”

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