To make it through a six-month season, a high-leverage reliever like the Diamondbacks’ Archie Bradley often has to keep September in mind when he is pitching in April and May. He must be sure his battery life isn’t dipping into the red at a time when games matter most.
But, as with so much else this year, the equation for the upcoming 60-game season seems to have shifted for relievers, raising questions for both pitchers and managers alike. Two such questions are intertwined: Can more be asked of relievers? And should more be asked, especially in a year in which each game is 2 1/2 times more important?