Manager Torey Lovullo said he has no plan to stay away from Hirano in high-leverage situations, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The question of Hirano's role was raised because the reliever has allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in three innings over four appearances. "I don't want to run away from anybody this quickly in the season," Lovullo said. "He's meant so much to us and done such a great job. I'm still going to give him opportunities to go out there and get big outs. It's just maybe one thing, one push, one good moment that's maybe going to get him over the hump." The right-hander has faced 19 batters, 10 of which reached base safely via a hit or a walk. Lovullo believes the reliever's fastball location is off, something that's supported by BrooksBaseball, which indicates fewer strikes thrown with the four-seamer.

Hirano (0-1) allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out two and was credited with the loss in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Hirano came on to preserve Arizona's two-run lead in the eighth inning after Archie Bradley held serve in the seventh, but the Diamondbacks' defense let him down. An inning-opening error by shortstop Nick Ahmed and miscue by right fielder Adam Jones fueled Los Angeles' three-run inning. It was Hirano's second appearance of the season, and the second time he's allowed runs. The right-handed reliever has allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk over two innings.

Hirano will fill a setup role this season with Greg Holland announced as the Diamondbacks' closer.

EDGE Analysis

Hirano tossed three scoreless spring innings while Holland allowed five runs in 3.2 frames, but Holland nevertheless got the job. Hirano always appeared to be a long shot, so the bigger surprise is that Holland also beat out Archie Bradley for the job. It's unclear if Hirano or Bradley is next in line.

Hirano is being considered for the closer role along with Archie Bradley and Greg Holland, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

It was widely assumed that Bradley and Holland were the candidates, but Hirano has been added to mix. Manager Torey Lovullo said he and general manager Mike Hazen started discussion on the team's closer, and a decision is expected in the next few days.

Hirano walked one over a scoreless inning in Friday's game against the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

This was Hirano's second spring appearance -- both scoreless -- as manager Torey Lovullo has been taking it easy on his returning bullpen regulars. The 34-year-old right-hander is expected to fill a setup role in the bullpen and, at this stage is not being considered as a potential closer.

Manager Torey Lovullo acknowledged last week that Hirano would likely rank behind Archie Bradley in the pecking order for saves heading into spring training, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "Personally, I think if you were going to come up here and arm wrestle me and force me to give you a decision, I'll probably start with Archie Bradley as the extreme back end of the equation," Lovullo said.

EDGE Analysis

Brad Boxberger served as the Diamondbacks' primary end-gamer in 2018 before a string of rough outings prompted Lovullo to turn to Hirano as the main ninth-inning man over the final few weeks of the season. Hirano, who had been an accomplished closer in Japan before signing with the Diamondbacks last December, converted three saves in four chances over the last month of the season and finished his first MLB campaign with a 2.44 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 66.1 innings. Despite his success, Hirano's lack of premium heat makes him a rather non-traditional closer at the major-league level, so it's perhaps unsurprising that Lovullo views the hard-throwing Bradley as a more worthy candidate for that role. There's still a chance that the Diamondbacks will look outside of the organization to bring in a more battle-tested closer, but in any case, Hirano is unlikely to be first in line for saves during the upcoming campaign.

Hirano retired only two of the six batters he faced in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Dodgers and was charged with three earned runs on two hits and two walks. He also threw a pair of wild pitches.

EDGE Analysis

Hirano appeared to unseat Brad Boxberger as the Diamondbacks' closer after going 2-for-3 in save chances between Sept. 11 and 14, but he hasn't had any additional opportunities to build up job security. Monday's loss was the Diamondbacks' eighth in the last nine games, resulting in Hirano making only two appearances over that span. While he was roughed up during his 27-pitch outing, Hirano entered the contest with the Diamondbacks already trailing 4-3, so it shouldn't affect his status as the leading candidate for saves over the final week of the regular season.

Hirano collected the save Tuesday, firing a clean inning with two strikeouts in the win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

With Brad Boxberger relieved of his closing duties, manager Torey Lovullo indicated he'd manage the ninth inning on a matchup basis and it was Hirano who earned his first save. Jake Diekman was called upon to start the ninth inning, but after allowing a pair of runners to reach, Hirano came on to shut the door without allowing either inherited runner to score. The 34-year-old has a stellar 1.88 ERA and has gone 11 straight outings without allowing an earned run, so while Lovullo may not use a traditional closer down the stretch, Hirano figures to be one of the primary options in the mix.

Hirano could see usage in save situations after Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced Monday that Brad Boxberger would be removed from the closer's role, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "It's going to be done by matchup and trying to get through the situation the best that we can based on the hitters that are coming up and based on who's available in the bullpen," Lovullo said of the team's closing picture. "We've got to get there first, and once we get there you're probably going to see a variety of guys finishing the game for us."

EDGE Analysis

While Lovullo avoided naming any candidates to replace Boxberger at the back end of the bullpen, Hirano seems to have the best case for filling the vacancy. Though Archie Bradley has primarily acted as the club's top setup option this season and trails only Boxberger with three saves, he hasn't been dependable in the second half with a 8.20 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 3.9 BB/9 across 21 appearances. Hirano, meanwhile, has prior closing experience from his days in Japan and has been a steady performer throughout his rookie campaign, submitting a 1.91 ERA and avoiding the home-run issues that have more frequently plagued Bradley and Boxberger. The 34-year-old thus looks like Arizona's most reliable choice against lineups that skew right-handed heavy, with southpaws Andrew Chafin and Jake Diekman perhaps seeing more ninth-inning work versus lefties if Lovullo sticks to the matchups-based plan he teased.

Hirano worked around a pair of base hits to turn in a scoreless eighth inning Thursday in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

The clean frame lowered Hirano's ERA to 2.09 and netted him his 30th hold of the season, placing him second league-wide in that category behind only his teammate, Archie Bradley (31). Hirano's transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to the MLB has gone about as seamless as possible, with the 34-year-old establishing himself as one of the league's top setup men right away in the campaign and not showing any signs of slippage in the second half.