Concern Level for D-backs Closer Elevates with Steep Velocity Loss

Justin Martinez has an electric arm. So much so that the Arizona Diamondbacks signed him at the start of the season to a five-year, $18 million dollar contract extension.

Featuring a 101 MPH sinker and four-seamer, a devastating splitter, and wipeout slider, he is one of the rising stars in the league. But his season has hit a speed bump that has at times been mysterious in nature.

During the team's previous road trip to Miami the young right-hander pitched in back-to-back games. That left him unavailable for the entirety of the subsequent weekend series in Chicago. By the following Tuesday, he was still not able to appear in games.

The team's explanation of the situation drifted from fatigue, to body fatigue, to shoulder fatigue. Then finally given a chance to speak with the pitcher himself, he said that he had experienced shoulder stiffness, and was having a hard time getting loose. That was on Wednesday, April 23. He got into the game that night, and after a few pitches he appeared to be pitching at his normal velocity.

That was not the case on Sunday afternoon. Coming in to a 6-3 game in the ninth to lock down the save, Martinez's velocity was down from the outset, and never really came up to previous levels.

The four-seamer ranged between 96.5-97.9 MPH, averaging 97.2, which is 3.7 MPH slower than his season average. Likewise the sinker was down 3.0 MPH and the splitter 2.0. He was also wild, hitting the first batter he faced, walking two, and giving up a run. He needed 26 pitches to close out the inning, throwing 15 for strikes.

After the game, manager Torey Lovullo was unusually candid about his level of concern with what he saw.

"I'm not going to lie and say that while I was watching it, there wasn't a little bit of concern. I saw the same numbers you did. Of course I am concerned," he said.

That level of concern was high enough to delay the manager's press conference, which usually comes before reporters go to the clubhouse to talk to players. This time the sequence happened the other way around while Lovullo huddled up with his coaches.

"That's what we were talking about in my office right before I came in here, so that's what we do. We take care of these players. We make sure they're healthy. If they're healthy, we put them out there to compete. He is assuring us that he's healthy."

Of course they don't just take the athletes opinion into account. The medical staff has their process to review and test. "The testing from the medical team is assuring us that he's healthy, so we're going to let him go out there and compete," the skipper said.

Describing what they believe to be the case, Lovullo said "maybe a little bit of dead arm, a little bit of fatigue that he doesn't know how to describe."

It's important to note that Martinez is speaking to reporters this year for the first time without a translator.

"We're going to back him. We're going to support him, and we're never going to put him in a situation to hurt himself, and he says that he's fine. We believe that he's fine, but we are aware. I saw those numbers. It's fairly alarming. I don't like that, but he loves to compete, and he wants to be out there"

The question came up as to just how effective Martinez can be with diminished velocity. Lovullo, who has never been a slave to the radar gun, instinctually answered in the affirmative, but ended with caveats.

"I think 96, 98, I can live with that, no problem, if you know where it's going, and you can set up your secondary stuff by throwing that ball exactly where you want to.

"We've got to figure out if there is an issue, which I don't think there is, and then continue to build up possible dead arm, which every pitcher goes through at some point during the year," Lovullo said.

All of this is against the backdrop of co-closer A.J. Puk's elbow injury. The left-hand portion of the high-leverage bullpen went down with elbow inflammation on April 18, and had an MRI that has been getting reviewed for the better part of a week by multliple surgeons. The team has still not revealed a game plan or timeline for his return.

Meanwhile, the bullpen has struggled with multiple blown leads, and a heavy workload. Numerous pitchers have been demoted and called up, as the turnstiles between Reno and Phoenix have spun rapidly.

The Diamondbacks head out on the road to start a three-game series against the New York Mets. Tuesday's game is the first of 16 games in 16 days. The team has been struggling, going 2-4 on the home stand, and 4-6 in their last 10.

The prospect of hitting the road and playing tight games against tough opponents without either of their intended top leverage relievers is daunting to say the least. The Diamondbacks simply cannot afford to have Martinez go down or become ineffective if they want to stay in the race this summer.

Related Content

Brandon Pfaadt Continues Win Streak, D-backs Snap Losing Streak