Though the Rockies haven’t drawn from their lineup for bullpen relief in blowouts this season, as many major league teams have in an effort to save legitimate pitchers, they’ve witnessed the trend firsthand.
In Colorado’s 19-2 blowout of the Diamondbacks at Coors Field on July 11, Arizona went down 12-0 after three innings and proceeded to use infielder Daniel Descalso and catcher Alex Avila to pitch the final five frames of the game.
Descalso and Avila’s performances are just a couple of the 50 pitching appearances by 40 position players so far in 2018, a count that’s already smashed the previous appearance record of 31 set last year and is showing no signs of slowing up.