Paul Sewald's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald has been in a slump as of late and is having trouble locating his pitches. Arizona skipper Torey Lovullo expressed after Wednesday's game that "there's something that's going on with his delivery" and "It's not allowing him to throw the ball where he wants to and make the pitches that he's normally making." Wednesday evening was another poor outing for the 34-year-old as he served up three free passes and two earned runs. Sewald has posted a hefty 13.50 ERA and 3.00 WHIP across his past four appearances. This is a stark contrast to earlier in the season, where he went 11-for-11 in his first save opportunities after making his season debut in May due to an early stint on the injured list. Lovullo also did not commit to whether Sewald would remain the primary ninth-inning option in the desert. If the right-hander were to shift to a lower leverage role to work out his struggles, Kevin Ginkel and A.J. Puk are strong candidates to see save opportunities.

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald couldn't find his command Wednesday night, allowing two runs on three walks and one hit in one-third of an inning in a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals. Sewald entered the game with a three-run lead, and unfortunately for fantasy managers, he could not find the strike zone. He exited the game with the bases loaded, and Ryan Thompson ended up inheriting the tough task of shutting the door. Luckily, Thompson was able to bail Sewald out of a potential loss, but not before a passed ball allowed one of Sewald's runners to score. Sewald now owns a 4.39 ERA on the season and has allowed 12 runs in 10 innings pitched during the month of July, which is a complete 180 from the one earned run he had allowed in May and June combined. The Diamondbacks traded for Sewald during last season and due to the capital given up, he's got a long leash, but with Arizona only five games back in the National League West, they can ill-afford rough outings from the 34-year-old veteran. Arizona could turn to Thompson, A.J. Puk, or Kevin Ginkel to close games if Sewald continues to struggle.

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Paul Sewald came on with a one-run lead during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The veteran right-hander was greeted with a leadoff double by Rowdy Tellez. Sewald was able to retire the next two batters before Joey Bart smacked a game-tying double. This was a rough outing for Sewald, but he should remain the primary closer in Arizona. It's worth noting the D-Backs recently acquired A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins. That being said, Puk could be in the mix for saves if Sewald continues to struggle.