One year makes big difference for D-backs 'pen
Last season, the Arizona Diamondbacks' 24 blown saves trailed only the Florida Marlins (25) in the National League.
What a difference Arizona's offseason signing of J.J. Putz has made for Kirk Gibson's club.
Putz was named the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month for May on Thursday, and his consistency at the back end of the bullpen has helped catapult Arizona in the National League West division, where it sits just a half-game behind the Giants.
Putz was not needed in the 6-1 loss Thursday night in the first of a four-game series against the Nationals -- just the fourth loss in the last 20 games for Arizona -- but Gibson is taking great pleasure in knowing that he can summon his man in the ninth.
"He's been more than we probably could have imagined he'd be," the manager said. "You don't really know, you do your homework going into trying to acquire somebody, which we all did, talking to people that we knew, and he was given high recommendations to us and even on my own behalf, people that I know very, very well that have played with him over the years."
On the year, he's recorded 16 saves with a 1.88 ERA, a major reason why the Dodgers and Phillies are the only National League teams with fewer blown saves than the D-backs. He did blow his first save on Wednesday, but the D-backs picked him up with a walk-off win.
Putz drew on advice given to him as a setup man with the Mariners to help him forget about the blown save.
"Even before I was a closer, when I was setting up Eddie [Guardado] in Seattle, that's one of the first things he talked to all the guys in the bullpen about, that good or bad, leave it in the clubhouse and when you walk out that door, it's over with," Putz said. "So even when I was just being a setup man, I learned that once that day's over you go home to your family and the sun comes up, you come back the next day and you get back to work."
Worth noting
• Arizona will look to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since May 12 and 13 against the Dodgers. Those games were part of a five-game losing streak.Only here in the right place to watch sports channels free online tv broadcast and the information we provide is completely free of charge directly without credit card or whatever. only at www.tvchannelsporttoday.blogsot.com.
Washington Nationals vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Friday 03 June 2011 at 09:40 (PM ET)
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