Guardians' Paul Sewald: Claims second save Wednesday
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Sewald picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Houston, tossing a clean ninth inning. He struck out one.
Closer Emmanuel Clase had worked each of the past three days for Cleveland, so he earned a well-deserved rest Wednesday. His unavailability paved the way for Sewald to claim his second save of the season as he looks to settle in as a high-leverage arm for the Guardians. Through his first 14.2 frames, the veteran right-hander owns a 4.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB with four holds.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Activated from injured list
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The Guardians reinstated Sewald (shoulder) from the injured list Saturday.
A strained right shoulder has kept Sewald on the shelf since late April. He began a rehab assignment in the minors June 25, during which he gave up two earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out five batters across four innings. Now fully recovered, the 35-year-old will likely claim a middle-relief role in Cleveland's bullpen, pushing out Doug Nikhazy.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Begins rehab assignment
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Sewald (shoulder) allowed one hit and struck out one over one scoreless inning for Double-A Akron on Tuesday.
Sewald began a rehab assignment for a right posterior deltoid strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list in late April. MLB.com projects a July return for the right-hander.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Dealing with shoulder inflammation
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Sewald left Monday's game against the Twins due to right shoulder inflammation, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Sewald was lifted from Monday's appearance after retiring a pair of Minnesota batters, and further evaluation revealed inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The team will presumably wait to see how he feels Tuesday and could send him for additional scans before making a decision on whether a trip to the injured list is necessary.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Cedes homer in win
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Sewald allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Monday's 6-4 win over the Yankees.
Sewald got the last two outs of the seventh inning before getting stung by a Jazz Chisholm two-run blast in the eighth. He's allowed three home runs and has a 6.10 ERA over 10.1 innings (12 outings). Sewald, who has experience as a closer, could nevertheless garner save opportunities at some point if the issues Emmanuel Clase (two blown saves, 7.84 ERA, 2.23 WHIP) has exhibited thus far prompts manager Stephen Vogt to try someone else in the role, at least temporarily.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Earns save in Cleveland debut
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Sewald earned the save in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning win over the Royals, striking out one in a perfect 10th inning.
After Kansas City tied the game off Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth, Sewald successfully preserved a three-run lead in the 10th to earn the save in his first appearance with the Guardians. Sewald, who signed a one-year deal with Cleveland in the offseason, started the 2024 season as the Diamondbacks' closer, though he struggled in the second half before eventually losing the ninth-inning job. While Sewald won't overtake Clase, it looks like the 34-year-old right-hander will be trusted with a high-leverage role.
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Guardians' Paul Sewald: Signs on with Cleveland
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The Guardians signed Sewald to a one-year, $6 million contract Wednesday that includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
He'll get a $1 million buyout if the mutual option isn't exercised, bringing the total guarantee to $7 million. Sewald missed some time with injury and lost his closer job with the Diamondbacks in 2024, ultimately finishing with a 4.31 ERA and 43:10 K:BB over 39.2 innings. However, from 2021 to 2023 he held a 2.95 ERA and had a 33.9 percent strikeout rate. Sewald will help set up for Emmanuel Clase in Cleveland.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Plays catch
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Sewald (neck) played catch Friday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session within the next few days, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Sewald has been on the shelf since Sunday due to an issue on the left side of his neck, and Friday marks the first time he's done any sort of throwing since then. It remains unclear if he'll be able to return to the Snakes' bullpen before the end of the regular season, but the team may know more once the 34-year-old is able to begin mound work.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Cedes two homers in loss
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Sewald allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over 1.2 innings in Friday's 10-9 loss to the Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks didn't have all bullpen arms available -- Ryan Thompson and Justin Martinez worked the previous two days -- and manager Torey Lovullo wanted to save Kevin Ginkel and A.J. Puk in case Arizona took a lead, the manager told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. As such, Lovullo went with Sewald in a high-leverage situation -- two on and one out in the seventh inning. Sewald retired the first batter faced before giving up a three-run home run to Will Smith. An inning later, Shohei Ohtani took Sewald deep. That second blast turned out to be the difference maker, as Arizona got within one with a four-run ninth inning. Sewald has now allowed five earned runs in his last three appearances.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Continues scoreless stretch
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Sewald allowed one hit and struck out three over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rays.
Sewald has excelled since being replaced as the Diamondbacks' closer. Since then, he has yet to allow a run in six appearances, striking out eight over six innings. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo talked about Sewald having delivery issues at the time of his demotion; if the right-hander solved those issues, he could get save opportunities down the stretch. Sewald remains the most experienced closer in the bullpen.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: First appearance in new role
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Sewald walked one and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh.
Sewald made his first appearance since manager Torey Lovullo removed him from the closer's role. He did a slightly better job of finding the strike zone -- eight of 15 pitches for strikes -- after throwing just nine strikes over 24 offerings Wednesday. It was that appearance which triggered the decision to strip him of the title as Arizona's closer. As Lovullo explained it, Sewald had a mechanical issue that impacted his ability to throw strikes, which suggests he could regain ninth-inning duties if he's able to correct the problem.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Demoted from closer role
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that he is removing Sewald from the closer role, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
The veteran right-hander allowed two runs on three walks in one-third of an inning Wednesday versus Washington, which capped an ugly July that saw him blow four saves and give up 12 earned runs across 10 innings. Sewald appeared to have turned things around with five straight scoreless appearances after an awful start to the month, but he finished with five runs allowed in his last four outings. Lovullo didn't say who will replace Sewald as Arizona's closer, but A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel are the likeliest candidates and could even form a matchup-based committee. Ryan Thompson could also be in the mix.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Blows save Sunday
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Sewald was charged with a blown save in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Pirates after he allowed a run on two hits in the ninth. He did strike out three.
Sewald was called upon for the ninth to protect a one-run lead and was unable to do so. Rowdy Tellez kicked things off with a leadoff double, but Sewald was able to rally with back-to-back strikeouts before Joey Bart laced a two-out double to tie the game up and eventually send the game into extras. It was the second time over his last three appearances Sewald's given up a run and he had converted five straight saves before blowing Sunday's opportunity. The 34-year-old owns a 3.76 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB in 26.1 innings. He's still got a grip on the closer's role, but the Diamondbacks did bring in A.J. Puk to bolster the back end of the bullpen, and he's someone that could supplant Sewald as the team's closer if Sewald were to keep struggling.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Converts 16th save
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Sewald allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
Sewald allowed two runs in a non-save situation Wednesday versus the Royals, but he bounced back Friday to protect a one-run lead. This was his sixth scoreless outing in July, but his other four appearances this month each saw him yield multiple runs. The closer is 16-for-19 in save chances with a 3.55 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 25:4 K:BB through 25.1 innings this season.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Locks down 14th save
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Sewald earned the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Cubs, allowing two hits while striking out two in the ninth inning.
The Cubs got the tying run to the plate after Sewald gave up back-to-back one-out singles. However, he'd rebound to strike out Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki, closing out the Diamondback's victory for his 14th save of the year. After blowing three straight save opportunities earlier this month, Sewald's now delivered four consecutive scoreless innings while converting his last three save chances. The 34-year-old right-hander sports a 3.22 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB across 22.1 innings this season.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Disappoints again Monday
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Sewald blew a save against Atlanta on Monday, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one batter over one inning.
Sewald entered in the top of the ninth with Arizona holding a two-run lead and retired the first two batters he faced. However, he couldn't seal the deal, giving up a single followed by a game-tying two-run homer off the bat of Sean Murphy. The blown save was Sewald's third straight, and he's allowed seven runs on seven hits while serving up three homers over 1.2 innings during that span. Sewald had completed 17 straight scoreless appearances prior to the downturn, and manager Torey Lovullo confirmed after the contest that the veteran reliever will remain the team's closer for the time being, per Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Falters versus Dodgers
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Sewald (0-1) took the loss and a blown save Tuesday versus the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning.
Sewald's 15.2-inning scoreless streak came to an end, and he also took his first blown save of the year. He labored in the ninth inning and ended up giving up a game-tying double to Freddie Freeman, who then scored on Teoscar Hernandez's walk-off single. Sewald is now 11-for-12 in save chances while sporting a 1.56 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 17.1 innings. He is unlikely to lose the closer job as long as he's with Arizona, though he's on a one-year contract for a struggling team and could be flipped before the July 30 trade deadline.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Grabs 11th save
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Sewald struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Athletics.
Sewald has picked up saves in four straight appearances and in seven of his 10 outings in June. The closer has been virtually untouchable this month, allowing two hits, two walks and two hit batsmen while striking out six over 8.2 innings. He's a perfect 11-for-11 in save chances with a 0.57 ERA, 0.51 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB across 15.2 innings overall.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Converts 10th save
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Sewald allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Twins.
Sewald needed 17 pitches (nine strikes) to close out this contest, earning his 10th save in as many chances this year. He's on a 13.2-inning scoreless streak -- the only run he's allowed this year came in his season debut after he started the year on the injured list. Sewald has maintained a stellar 0.61 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 14.2 innings this season.
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Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Earns ninth save
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Sewald earned a save against the Phillies on Friday, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
Tasked with preserving a 5-4 lead, Sewald needed just 11 pitches to secure his ninth save of the year. The right-hander has not allowed a run since his first outing of the season May 7 and is a perfect 9-for-9 in converting save chances. He owns a sparkling 0.66 ERA, 0.51 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 13.2 innings in 2024.
