Diamondbacks bullpen has finest hour in shutout vs. Phillies: ‘We take pride in what we do’

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks’ bullpen has been the unexpected strength of the team, more consistent than the starting rotation or lineup. Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies was the unit’s grand showcase.

The D-backs opted to roll with a bullpen game to avoid getting swept at home by a Phillies team riding high with 15 wins over its previous 17 games.

Looking to get a number of starting pitchers off the injured list next week and with an offday Thursday, the Diamondbacks pushed their bullpen to the max, and it worked.

Taylor Clarke, Derek Law, Kevin Ginkel, Jose Cabrera, Brandyn Garcia, Jonathan Loaisiga and Juan Morillo stymied the Phillies for three hits and two walks. It was the most pitchers used in a nine-inning shutout win in franchise history.

“It was cool to see everybody piece it together,” Garcia said. “I think that we’re just really close as a group.”

This was also the fastest Diamondbacks game this season at two hours and three minutes.

With the win, the D-backs (74-67) moved back into the third National League Wild Card spot, a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres with 21 games remaining.

Diamondbacks continue to lean on its impressive bullpen

A bullpen game runs the risk that somebody coming in will be off-kilter, but that did not happen on Wednesday.

A highlight was Brandyn Garcia’s seventh inning in which he struck out Luis Arraez, the toughest player to punch out in Major League Baseball (4.2%), on a filthy sweeper.

Morillo had to face the top of the Philadelphia order in the ninth and struck out Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner en route to a save.

Cabrera, the biggest question mark of the day, recorded six outs in the middle of the game. By drawing an inning-ending double play from Turner in the sixth, the rookie allowed Arizona to plan out the final three innings ideally.

All of this was not made possible without Clarke getting the first five outs with little drama.

“They got ahead and put guys away when they needed to,” catcher James McCann said. “They hung in there as long as they possibly could to give our offense a chance to try and scratch something across. … I can’t speak highly enough of what they do.”

Manager Torey Lovullo said he is operating with the deepest bullpen of his managerial tenure.

Diamondbacks relievers have a collective ERA of 4.10, which is middle of the pack. That does not tell the story of a core that has stood together for months and continues to do its job:

• Taylor Clarke: 2.53 ERA, no earned runs in 52/63 appearances
• Brandyn Garcia: 2.20 ERA, no earned runs in 43/48 appearances
• Juan Morillo: 2.11 ERA, no earned runs in 48/59 appearances
• Jonathan Loaisiga: 2.40 ERA, no earned runs in 46/58 appearances
• Kevin Ginkel: 4.19 ERA, no earned runs in 47/63 appearances

And the Diamondbacks recently added Justin Martinez to that mix after he missed 14 months for Tommy John surgery.

The D-backs assembled this bullpen through modest means. Clarke signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Loaisiga signed a minor league contract last offseason, as Morillo had the winter before.

“We have veterans, we’ve got young guys like me, we’re putting it together and helping the team win,” Morillo said.

With Paul Sewald closing games for the opening four months and the D-backs having no set closer since late July, this group has had to adjust to different roles.

The 2023 D-backs thrived on having Ryan Thompson, Ginkel and Sewald handle the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Roles were defined, and that was credited as a strength.

The flexibility of this bullpen has been its superpower.

“We take great pride in what we do,” Ginkel — the lone healthy holdover from the 2023 playoff bullpen — said.

“Whenever we get the opportunity, we wanna do the best we can with what we have that day. Sometimes the game tells you that you could come in earlier. Sometimes if the game’s tied and it’s later in the game, I’m thinking maybe 10th or 11th inning. I think you just kinda understand the day-to-day.”

“I feel like it’s a revolving door,” Lovullo said. “It’s like who’s up, who’s rested, who’s coming in. That’s what stands out about it to me, the sacrifice they’re making.”

Since Sewald’s removal, Garcia, Ginkel and Morillo have each recorded multiple saves.

Arizona has to manage the risk of overworking certain pitchers who are hurtling toward the 70-game mark. There is a burnout concern, as well as longer-term impacts to consider.

Since 2020, the D-backs have only had three pitchers reach 70 appearances in a season: Ginkel and Joe Mantiply in 2024 and Miguel Castro in 2023. None did well the following year.

“I think once you get into that range, you’re flirting with a little danger,” Lovullo said. “It’s been shown that 70 appearances in consecutive years is not great for a reliever in their career.

“We want them to be somewhere in the 60s and that’s why we don’t go to them all the time. Sometimes the group in the back of the dugout doesn’t understand. They want Garcia every night. You’re unable to do that because you’ve got to spread out that workload, and they step up. It doesn’t matter. It can be anywhere from what Taylor Clarke did today and he might throw the ninth inning on Friday. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Diamondbacks offense needs to get going

Arizona’s offense was unhelpful until the eighth inning, when McCann hit the game-winning solo home run.

McCann with the breakthrough. pic.twitter.com/BmdEiJjdeU

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 2, 2026

Phillies starter Andrew Painter shut out the D-backs through seven innings, and the first pitch from reliever Jonathan Bowlan was blasted over the wall.

It was fitting for McCann to get the big knock considering he handled the pitching staff during a tricky day to maneuver.

The offense scored three runs over three games against Philadelphia. It was the fewest runs the D-backs scored in a series all year, besting four against the Tampa Bay Rays and six versus the Miami Marlins. Both of those series ended in Arizona getting swept.

“I think we’re missing some fastballs we should be hitting, and we’re going to figure that out,” Lovullo said.

Wednesday attendance

19,039

Upcoming Diamondbacks schedule

The D-backs head to Houston for a weekend series against the AL West-leading Astros, starting on Friday. They then will travel to Kansas City for a three-game series against a Royals team with the third-worst record in the American League.

The D-backs are set to start Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez in Houston, while that Royals series is one to watch for injury returns.

Corbin Burnes is pitching a rehab game on Thursday, while Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka are throwing on Friday as the trio takes its final steps toward coming back.

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