This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat e-newsletter. To learn the complete e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it recurrently in your inbox.
GM Mike Hazen’s acquisition of nearer Paul Sewald on the Commerce Deadline has gotten the majority of the eye in the case of bullpen additions, however there are a pair of under-the-radar strikes which have paid massive dividends for Arizona over the previous few weeks.
The primary was when the D-backs claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Thompson off waivers from the Rays.
The opposite was the promotion of left-hander Andrew Saalfrank from Triple-A Reno on the finish of the final homestand.
The D-backs claimed Thompson on Aug. 19 and he appeared in two video games for Reno earlier than being promoted to the large leagues. In 5 appearances for the D-backs, Thompson has allowed only one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Thompson picked up a save in a vital recreation towards the Reds in his D-backs debut, and he has rapidly earned supervisor Torey Lovullo’s belief, pitching in a few wins throughout the current collection with the Cubs.
“There are some nice tales in baseball, proper?” Lovullo stated. “You bought Thompson who we picked up off of waivers and we all know that he is had success and pitched in massive moments, and he is are available and given us a direct enhance. It’s a special arm angle, it’s totally different stuff and I believe it creates some issues for some right-handed hitters.”
Saalfrank, who was chosen by the D-backs within the sixth spherical of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Indiana College, didn’t appear to be on the workforce’s radar earlier this season.
However the left-hander had a 2.70 ERA in 21 appearances for Double-A Amarillo which earned him a promotion to Reno the place he put up a fair higher 2.35 ERA in 23 video games.
The D-backs referred to as up Saalfrank on Sept. 4 and like Thompson, he discovered himself pitching in a one-run recreation in his massive league debut. In his third outing, Lovullo summoned him final Saturday to pitch the eighth with the D-backs clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Cubs.
Saalfrank tossed a scoreless inning in that recreation and has not allowed a run in his three innings.
“Saalfrank is simply such a superb story, proper?” Lovullo stated. “Earlier than the 12 months no one was even mentioning him. So we have a couple of guys inside participant improvement that needs to be happy with his improvement and his means to return up right here and get massive outs. Lots of people have been pounding the desk for him from midseason on and at last we received the memo and figured it out.
“He is are available right here and received some enormous outs. And he provides us a special look as nicely. It’s extremely sharp, aggressive stuff with numerous swing-and-miss.”