The Diamondbacks took two of three against the Dodgers in an impressive series win. One of the keys was the performance of left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply. Mantiply faced six batters in the three-game series and got six outs between the three games. After the third game, manager Torey Lovullo joked about pitching him every day.
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He had the grueling task of limiting the impact from the Dodgers’ top three hitters, especially Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Mantiply allowed one base hit on a bunt, which could have easily been an out with a better throw fielding his position, but erased him on a double play. He held Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman to a collective 1-for-6 in the series, a rare feat given how strong a track record those three hitters have in the major leagues.
Mantiply’s previous success against those three hitters spurred the team’s decision to use him as an opener in the first game of the series. With the strong series performance, Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman are a collective 4-for-17 (.235) average against the Diamondbacks’ lefty. It’s something to file away in the two remaining series against the Dodgers later in the season.
Joe Mantiply has been a stable hand for the Diamondbacks bullpen in 2024. While his ERA stands at a relatively non-impressive 4.19 mark, he ranks fourth in the bullpen for win probability added (0.28) and has the third best shutdown-to-meltdown ratio (8/4) on the team behind Paul Sewald (4/0) and Ryan Thompson (11/1). He’s been a steady presence in the bullpen despite a lot of volatility from their other left-handed relief options.
