In expressing his faith in struggling closer Mark Melancon, manager Torey Lovullo drew a comparison to a prior Diamondbacks closer.
Melancon’s recent struggles do not appear as pronounced as Rodney’s were in 2017. He has been shakier than the Diamondbacks would like — he has been charged with four losses and owns a 6.75 ERA — but as far as closer crises go, the Diamondbacks are not yet there with Melancon.
A year ago, Melancon led the majors with 39 saves, logging a 2.23 ERA in 64 2/3 innings for the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacksin December to help stabilize what last year was a porous bullpen. Against the Rockies last week, Melancon leaned heavily on his curveball, giving four runs on five hits despite not allowing that much hard contact. Facing the Marlins on Wednesday, he gave up four runs, this time leaning heavily on his cutter. The contact was louder, notably on a three-run home run by the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr.
When Melancon was on the injured list, the Diamondbacks managed to stay afloat without him, though not without stretching their bullpen thin. It seems clear the Diamondbacks are best positioned when Melancon is throwing well, bumping the rest of their relievers down a notch in leverage roles.
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