All's well that ends well, especially when you're beating a division opponent on the road. But as the Diamondbacks celebrate their 5-3 victory at Los Angeles on Tuesday night, they also have to ponder the state of their closer situation.
J.J. Putz entered the game in the bottom of the ninth, fresh off his recent vote of confidence, but he wasn't around long. He walked Nick Punto on four pitches and shortly after that sullenly walked off the field, dealing with elbow stiffness (per beat writer Jack Magruder, tests are scheduled for Wednesday). Heath Bell relieved Putz and handled the assignment just fine, setting down Juan Uribe, Carl Crawford and Dee Gordon. Give this one to the Union of the Snakes.
Bell was the closer choice here given David Hernandez had already pitched (scoreless eighth, dodging two base runners). Lefty Matt Reynolds, the man mowing down everyone in 2013, didn't work in the game.
Time for another place-your-bet moment, save chaser. Are you worried by Hernandez's eight walks in 15.2 innings? What about the long ball? Hernandez has served up four already, while Bell is at two. Their ratios don't leave much to be desired: Hernandez trades at 4.02 and 1.47, while Bell is at 4.72 and 1.42. Putz was in this neighborhood, too (4.26/1.58).
Bottom line, if Putz needs DL time, I don't think Reynolds will be the new stopper unless everyone else absolutely craps out. Hernandez has a solid 2012 to point to, while Bell has the silly "closing experience" tag. My guess right this second says Bell handles the baton, as needed, if Putz can't go, but this is nothing more than a dart throw at 2:08 am EST on Wednesday morning. Feel free to share your gut feeling in the comments, and please come back in the morning for the rest of the baseball story from a fantasy tack (yes, Jansen Youth, we'll mention that Brandon League served up another homer. We know what you're thinking).
Another day, another bullpen in crisis. We'll get through this together.