Diamondbacks have conviction, faith in closer Fernando Rodney

As much as Torey Lovullo likes to gush about his bullpen lately – and with good reason – the Diamondbacks still regularly face drama when save situations are on the line at the end of games.

Take Thursday night, when closer Fernando Rodney had to wait on a video-review challenge at second base before he could pluck his phantom arrow toward the moon. Though it was his ninth save in 11 opportunities this season, Rodney’s famous “la flecha” didn’t come without its share of nervous adventure.

He put Josh Harrison, the Pirates’ fastest player, on base with a walk in a 2-1 game in the ninth inning. And he was incredibly lucky that catcher Jeff Mathis gunned Harrison down on a stolen-base attempt with a perfect strike from his knees.

But a save is a save is a save, and as Arizona continued its four-game series against Pittsburgh at Chase Field, that’s all the Diamondbacks were concerned about on Friday. The players and the manager pronounced their complete conviction and trust in Rodney as their closer moving forward.

Never mind that he’s 40 years old and on his eighth major league team. Never mind that his 9.95 ERA entering the day was a full five runs higher than the next pitcher on the staff. And never mind the drama, either.

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At a time when several other clubs have already had to change closers because of ineffectiveness or injuries, Rodney isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Though switches have been made in Milwaukee, Detroit, Baltimore, San Francisco, Washington and New York with the Mets, who visit on Monday, Arizona is sticking with the bearded Dominican with the crooked cap.

“I feel like for us to get to where we want to get to, we’re going to need somebody like Fernando, who has experience in that role, who has the stuff to get those last three outs of a game,” Lovullo said. “They’re hard outs. But you don’t fall into that role, you have to learn through experiences and you have to earn that spot.

“It’s a very tough position, but Fernando is the right guy. He has the track record in that he’s done it. There are going to be some hiccups .… There’s two blown saves in there and I’m sure there’s going be more. Nobody’s perfect. We know that. So were going to stand behind our guys, through the good and bad times, and get the most out of them that we can.”

Showing that type of supportive patience could go a long way in preventing Rodney from getting inside his own head and causing any needless doubt. Besides, as starting pitcher Taijuan Walker points out, Rodney’s bounced back and pitched well after he’s experienced some rocky ninth innings.

“He’s been really good as of late for us,” Walker said, “and I think he’s going to continue to be really good for us.”

You won’t find any arguments about that in any corner of the Diamondbacks clubhouse.

“You’re talking about a real small sample size right now,” center fielder A.J. Pollock said. “We’re not talking about he’s having a down season, right? We’re talking about a month in a year. His stuff is amazing. He’s got a great mindset. He’s a great team player. And we need him. We need the guy.

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“We all have confidence in him. Torey keeps throwing him out there and nobody feels like he shouldn’t be out there. He should be out there every chance we get to put him out there.”

There hasn’t been a situation that Rodney hasn’t seen before and that type of experience, according to the veteran catcher Mathis, is ideal.

“He’s been around, done it everywhere and at a high level,” Mathis said. “We all have faith and confidence in him that he’ll get the job done.”

Though his ERA may be sky-high, Rodney’s nine saves are tied for second-most in the National League. That’s a pace that could see him finish the season with at least 40, an indication that these Diamondbacks just might be wild-card worthy, after all.

And if they were to be that fortunate, will Torey be as resolute in his confidence for the closer should a string of rough outings occur in July, August or September?

“I know late in the season things get a little bit more stressful. There’s very little wiggle room and every game matters,” Lovullo said. “But we’re taking the mindset that every game matters today, so we’re going to try to be the same today as we would be in August and September.

“But I can’t guarantee that. I don’t know what those months will bring. We’re going to put the best guys out there that are going to give us a chance to finish games, to perform during games, to get hits during games, to make plays during games. Everything gets magnified; we know what September baseball is like in this room. We’re going to try and win as many games as we can today and through the rest of the season.”

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If Rodney stumbles late, there are options in the bullpen. The Diamondbacks could turn to Archie Bradley or J.J. Hoover or even Tom Wilhelmsen. They could bring back flamethrower Jake Barrett, who was just optioned to Triple-A Reno following an injury-rehab assignment.

Until then, Lovullo and the Diamondbacks are sticking with the 40-year-old.

“That’s part of the reason through this whole process when he was struggling that I believed in him, because there was still an aggressive fastball that was sitting in the mid-90s,” Lovullo said. “There was still great depth and great arm speed on his changeups.

“Now had his stuff dropped down to 88, 89 mph, than we’d be having a little different conversation. But the stuff is still there. … I still feel comfortable, despite the age, because his stuff comes out hot. I still feel comfortable, besides the age, because I know what he does behind the scenes to prepare himself and stay healthy.”

Reach McManaman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Wednesday night between 7-9 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.