Diamondbacks’ Ginkel: Bullpen role will evolve over time amid postseason push

The Arizona Diamondbacks returned home to Chase Field last Tuesday after a stretch in which they won 20 of their last 24 games, propelling themselves atop the NL Wild Card standings and closing the gap on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

But after a forgettable homestand where Arizona dropped two-of-three from the New York Mets and three-of-four against the Dodgers, the Answerbacks are looking for answers to their struggles this past weekend and how they can recover with just 24 games left in the regular season.

“We were anxious to play that series,” Diamondbacks reliever Kevin Ginkel told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “The first two games were really close; they just had a couple of big hits late in the game that kind of separated it. We know we’re good, we can play with those guys.

“I think moving forward, everybody’s just anxious, we’ve got less than a month left. I think everybody is excited to finish the year on a high note.”

The D-backs bats remained hot, putting up 35 runs against the Dodgers, including a 14-run effort on Sunday. However, pitching remained a recent struggle.

Starters Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez all got knocked around. The bullpen surrendered 15 runs across the four-game set.

With Paul Sewald’s struggles prompting a demotion from the closer role and Justin Martinez successfully stepping up in that position, a lot of shifting has been done throughout the bullpen with guys like Ginkel, Ryan Thompson and A.J. Puk entering games in various situations.

For Ginkel, consistency has been key. He hasn’t allowed a run since Aug. 2 and has pitched 9.1 scoreless innings since. The 30-year-old has a 2.51 ERA in 61 innings this season.

“I just want to help this team regardless of the situation,” Ginkel said. “I’m never going to complain about where I’m pitching. Whatever role (Lovullo) has me in for that day, I’m good with, as long as we get the win.”

A big part of 2023’s postseason run was the bullpen’s depth and dominance, and replicating that performance is key amid its current postseason push.

“I think we’re in a good spot, I love how our bullpen is stacked up right now. I think we have a lot of depth in our bullpen, so it just makes it more challenging for other team to stack their lineup against our bullpen.”

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Kevin Ginkel discusses his role going forward with @BurnsAndGambo.

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The Diamondbacks open a series in San Francisco against the Giants on Tuesday before heading to Houston to take on the Astros.

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