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Diamondbacks notebook: roster expansion possibilities, Paul Sewald 'moving closer' to regaining closer role
On Aug. 11 — one day after Ketel Marte suffered an ankle injury against the Philadelphia Phillies — the Diamondbacks pummeled one of the better left-handed starters in baseball in the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez. They scored seven runs on 12 hits. He lasted only 4 2/3 innings.
Since then, they have been among the worst teams in baseball against left-handed pitching. Since Aug. 12, they have a .618 team OPS against south paws. In that same span, they have a league-leading .841 OPS against righties.
The fact that this trend began essentially right when Marte got hurt is not a coincidence. Marte has an 1.111 OPS against lefties this year. In that time span, the Diamondbacks have also been without two key right-handed bats in Christian Walker (oblique) and Gabriel Moreno (groin).
Yes, the Diamondbacks have still scored the most runs in baseball. But for the moment, they look particularly.vulnerable to lefties.
The issue manifested itself clearly in the team’s series loss to the New York Mets.
The Diamondbacks put up four runs in 4 2/3 innings against right-hander Luis Severino on Wednesday, but lefties Sean Manaea and David Peterson mostly shut them down in the other two games, tossing 13 2/3 total innings with five runs allowed. The D-backs lost both of those games.
“It seems like every team is reversing their rotation to throw lefties at us,” manager Torey Lovullo said before Thursday’s game, “and we’ve got to get better.”
“We’re missing three capable right-handed hitters; we get that. But whether it’s approach-based, whether it’s pitch selection, whether it’s a vulnerability to the changeup, you know, there’s a few things — but we have a bunch of really good hitters, right-handed hitters specifically, that are able to do the damage or have the quality at-bat that we need them to. And when they’re there, we can handle lefties.”
Since Aug. 12, the list of Diamondbacks hitters struggling against lefties includes Josh Bell (.649 OPS), Eugenio Suárez (.465), Kevin Newman (.400) and Jake McCarthy (.367).
In Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks will face another lefty in future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw.
Last time Kershaw faced the Diamondbacks, he turned in perhaps the worst start of his career. It was Game 1 of last year’s National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw got one out and allowed six runs.
Kershaw has been on the injured list with a shoulder injury for most of 2024, but he has thrown well since being activated on July 25. In six starts, he has a 3.72 ERA.
Right-handers Gavin Stone and Jack Flaherty are scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Saturday and Monday, respectively, but Sunday’s starter is listed as TBA. It appears likely that the Dodgers will throw a lefty that day in minor leaguer Justin Wrobleski.
These Diamondbacks-Dodgers games are not necessarily must-win for Arizona. The Diamondbacks enter the series with their playoff odds around 95 percent.
Nonetheless, if they are going to overtake the Dodgers in the NL West, they’ll probably need to get the ball rolling this weekend. The Dodgers entered the series with a four-game lead in the division.
potential Diamondbacks September call-ups
On Sunday, Sep. 1, active rosters across Major League Baseball will expand from 26 players to 28. The Diamondbacks will add one position player and one pitcher to their roster.
On the position player side, the Diamondbacks’ move could be as simple as bringing Walker or Marte back from the IL. However, Lovullo said on Friday that Sep. 1 is probably too soon for either of them to return.
If neither is ready by Sunday, the Diamondbacks will likely call a position player up from the minors instead.
So, what would Lovullo be looking for in a short-term call-up?
“I always look for those young players to impact the game defensively,” Lovullo said Thursday.
Lovullo did not say whether the team would prefer an infielder or outfielder, but, on paper, the club currently has more of a need for outfield depth than infield.
The only healthy outfielder on the 40-man roster who is not already in the majors is 23-year-old switch hitter Jorge Barrosa. Barrosa made his major-league debut in April, going 2-for-10 with a double before getting hurt. Barrosa is a sure-handed defender at all three outfield positions, which seemingly fits Lovullo’s desire to prioritize defense.
If the Diamondbacks were to go with an infielder instead, the only healthy option on the 40-man roster is Blaze Alexander.
Alexander has a decent .664 OPS in 185 major-league plate appearances this year, but just a .320 OPS in his past 50 PA. He was called up earlier this month to provide coverage when Marte got hurt, but the team wound up signing veteran Luis Guillorme and optioning Alexander back to Triple-A.
On the pitching side, Lovullo said that he would probably want someone who could throw multiple innings and provide coverage when long reliever Jordan Montgomery is unavailable. Pitching options on the 40-man roster include Scott McGough, Slade Cecconi, Tommy Henry, Yilber Diaz and Blake Walston.
A cursory glance at recent stats suggests that Cecconi, Diaz and Henry could have the edge.
Diaz was excellent in his most recent start for Triple-A Reno, allowing just one earned run in 6 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. He posted a 4.05 ERA in four big-league starts earlier this year. The Diamondbacks might be hesitant to move him to the bullpen, however, given that he is currently providing valuable starting rotation depth in the minors.
Cecconi opened the year as a starter but has since transitioned to a reliever. In nine bullpen appearances for Reno, Cecconi has a 3.95 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. Henry has a 4.22 ERA in 16 Triple-A starts this year, including a stellar 2.14 ERA in his past six games.
Lovullo wants Paul Sewald back in closer role
After the Diamondbacks removed veteran Paul Sewald from the closer role at the beginning of August, it did not take long before 23-year-old flame-thrower Justin Martinez established himself as the go-to option in save opportunities. Martinez is 7-for-7 in save situations this month.
So, is Martinez the closer?
“No,” Lovullo said earlier this week. “I’m not gonna give him that. I don’t want to give anybody that yet. We’re still working on some things. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Paul. There have been some improvements. And our best bullpen has Paul on the very back-end of it. And I want that to happen really bad.”
Lovullo added later that Sewald is in a better place mentally than when he was first moved out of the closer role. Lovullo has also liked what he has seen from Sewald on the mound.
“The headspace is just go out there and compete and drive pitches in the zone, finish your pitches, have a clean delivery and just let it eat,” Lovullo said. “That, to me, is what’s showing up.
“There are going to be misfires. I think everybody misfires. Everybody will walk a batter. I think a month ago, when he walked a batter, it would compound itself. Now, he steps on the mound and he’s like, ‘Let’s get to work.’ And there’s a lot of finish to his pitch, and he’s getting after it.”
Statistically, Sewald has been much better in August than he was in July, although perhaps not as dominant as he has been in the past. Sewald has a 3.38 ERA this month compared to a 10.80 ERA in July. Opposing hitters have a .776 OPS against him in August compared to a 1.111 mark in July.
Martinez, meanwhile, has a 1.98 ERA this month and has held opposing hitters to a .655 OPS.
While it’s hard to argue with those numbers, Martinez has looked a tad shaky lately. He has been scored upon in three of his past four outings. He took the loss in Thursday’s series finale against the Mets, having allowed the go-ahead run to score in the ninth inning. It was the third time this month that Martinez was charged with a loss.
Getting the 23-year-old to improve his body language has been a particular point of emphasis. Lovullo said that he has been pleased with Martinez’s progress.
“Every outing gets better and better,” Lovullo said. “I’ve called him in my office and had discussions with him about, you know, your mound presence needs to improve. I don’t want to know if you’re having a good or bad outing by what your face looks like, your body language. And I think it’s improved dramatically.”
Nonetheless, Lovullo said that the ultimate goal is to get Sewald back in the closer role.
“I think we’re moving closer,” Lovullo said of that goal. “I don’t want to put a target, whether it’s days or weeks, but he’s showing up. He’s doing his job.”
Whatever the Diamondbacks decide, it might be in their best interest to pick a closer sooner than later. The playoffs are about a month away.
How will Diamondbacks use Josh Bell moving forward?
With Walker expected back from the IL soon, the question arises: What will the Diamondbacks do with Josh Bell, whom they acquired at the trade deadline as Walker’s fill-in?
“He’ll play against every left handed pitcher, that’s for sure,” Lovullo said. “And then just, you know, select right-handed pitchers, select opportunities.
“He’s gonna play. He’s definitely going to play. He’s not going to go back to the bench and ride the bench.”
Lovullo added that, once Walker does return, he will need some time down. Bell figures to be helpful in that regard.
Top photo: Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports
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