Paul Sewald is no longer the Diamondbacks' closer, at least for now. After a Tuesday night blown lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Torey Lovullo said Wednesday afternoon he will use matchups in the ninth inning while the team sorts out its late-game plan.
The move does not erase what Sewald has done overall this season. He had converted 24 of 27 save chances, including 18 of his first 19 opportunities, before the role change. But Lovullo pointed to a difficult stretch since mid-June, when Sewald allowed 13 earned runs and seven home runs in 11 1/3 innings.
That downturn came to a head in the 3-run lead Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. By Wednesday afternoon, Lovullo had made the switch and handed the first post-Sewald save opportunity to Brandyn Garcia, who worked a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts and one walk to finish a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
What Lovullo said
Lovullo said the decision was about matching up the right arms with the right situations rather than locking the Diamondbacks into one ninth-inning option. He described Sewald as a “great teammate” and acknowledged that these are difficult conversations to have and to hear.
“Those are tough conversations to have. Those are tough conversations to absorb,” Lovullo said. “He’s got 24 saves in 27 opportunities. We would not be sitting in this spot without Paul Sewald.”
He also said Sewald handled the message well. “We both understood that,” Lovullo said. “As I was delivering the message, he received it very, very well.”
What comes next
The Diamondbacks now have at least three names in the mix for late-game work. Brandyn Garcia got the first chance after the change, while Jonathan Loaisiga and Kevin Ginkel are also in the picture. Justin Martinez could return from the injured list in early August, which would add another possible closer option.
For now, the ninth inning in Arizona looks unsettled. Sewald's season numbers still give the Diamondbacks reason to value him, but the recent results have pushed Lovullo to make a change and see which arm fits best depending on the situation.
