Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks are at the top of the National League West for a multitude of reasons. One of those is Patrick Corbin’s dominant start to the season and the general success of the starting staff. Another is the breakout season that Paul Goldschmidt is having. One factor that might go unnoticed by some however is the very successful play of the DBacks bullpen. Their ‘pen is one of the best in Major League Baseball and without a doubt has helped keep them at the top.
Any good bullpen without a doubt will have a dominant or at least competent closer. Heath Bell has 11 saves in 13 chances and has improved with the each chance he gets. His WHIP is a little high for a closer but a lot of closers allow an average of one baserunner in their one inning. The bottom line is that Bell gets the job done and the rest of the guys flow from there into their solid positions.
As a group their ERA is 2.98 which is right around tenth in MLB depending on when you look. That is deceptive though because while they are currently that far down, the leading bullpen ERA is only in the 2.70 range so they are a few good outings from the top at any given time. There are at least going to be three teams fighting for the lead in the NL West for most of the year. If the DBacks starters keep up the good work and they get a steady offense from here on out, they will be tough to top in that division by the time October comes.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
