Torey Lovullo Speaks on Diamondbacks Hot Topics

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo addressed several hot topics Friday afternoon during a radio show visit. Those included Justin Martinez's return and usage, Zac Gallen's pairing with Jose Herrera, and Jordan Lawlar's usage.

These are all topics we've been writing about. In some areas the manager was able to fill in some blanks for us, in others it was difficult to square his comments with what we're seeing.

Speaking to Dave Burns and Mitch Vareldzis on Arizona Sports 98.7, Lovullo was first asked about how he intends to use Martinez initially.

"He'll pitch in the back end, but to insert him in the extreme back end is probably a 50/50 ball," Lovullo said. "We've got to get him back in there, get him back into his group and eventually he's going to take over portions of that bullpen that we we have always anticipated."

Analysis: Lovullo is indicating that Martinez's first outing may come in a setup, not save situation, but that could change based on their internal discussions. He also quipped that if things look right halfway through his first outing that would be enough for him to put him right back into the closer's role the very next outing.

"We're human beings. We see three or four good pitches and we're watching the same thing everybody's watching at home and everybody's watching in the stands and you can tell right away when a guy's back in his groove. He's feeling very good, so we're going to allow that to happen as soon as we see with our own eyes," Lovullo said.

Zac Gallen and Jose Herrera

On May 7, Arizona Diamondbacks On SI's Michael McDermott identified that Zac Gallen's performance with Jose Herrera behind the plate has been outstanding the last couple of years.

Related Content: Zac Gallen Dominates With José Herrera Behind the Plate

Despite the off-day Thursday, starter Gabriel Moreno is on the bench and Herrera is catching Gallen Friday night. The question was asked if Herrera has become Gallen's personal catcher.

"That's my job, put everybody in the right position to be successful. So I can manipulate lineups. I can pinch-hit for guys. I can make sure that I'm going to put a catcher in there that I know works very well with Zac."

Lovullo went on to emphasize that Moreno is an excellent catcher and good student of the game. But seemed to indicate a desire to see this battery work together.

"I just felt like, based on some of the things that I see, and I see how well they work together, it's definitely something that I wanted to examine today for sure," Lovullo said.

Analysis: Lovullo was also asked on follow-up if this were permanent. He said that he would need to talk to Gallen and Herrera after the outing but it was something he would strongly consider in the future. He also referenced the Jeff Mathis-Zack Greinke pairing in the past. Gallen's input is key here. The schedule may not always permit it, but if Gallen expresses a desire to have Herrera catch him, Lovullo will accommodate that as much as possible.

Gallen's Struggles Overall

Gallen comes into the game with a 5.14 ERA through his first 10 starts. He has had difficulty commanding the ball, either missing badly or leaving the ball in hittable locations. That's resulted in both high walk and high home run rates.

"The walk percentage is uncharacteristically higher than we've seen," said Lovullo. "It's more of a mindset where he can't throw the ball where he wants. But he's trying to make a perfect pitch and those outings, that hasn't worked so well."

The correlation between Gallen's walk percentage and ERA is unmistakable. When he was at his peak in 2022 and the first half of 2023, his walk percentage had dipped from somewhat higher than league average to well below it. But that rate has climbed since then, and his ERA has gone with it.