More often than not, it’s the in-season moves a team makes that ultimately have the greatest impact on their playoff journey, rather than the offseason acquisitions.
This rings particularly true for the Diamondbacks.
While the D-backs did make a significant splash in the offseason by adding Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to their roster, these moves alone didn’t seem to be sufficient to propel Arizona into the postseason.
After all, even a bulky offense can only do so much when your bullpen is faltering in every other game.
This was precisely the predicament the Diamondbacks found themselves in, and it was a primary motivator for their acquisition of Paul Sewald at the trade deadline.
Since Sewald’s arrival in Arizona, the team’s bullpen has witnessed substantial improvement, becoming a pivotal factor in their pursuit of a World Series berth, now just four wins away.
However, it’s not merely Sewald’s impressive run of not allowing a run in this postseason that stands out.
It’s the sense of stability he brings to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
Diamondbacks reliever Joe Mantiply, when speaking to reporters after his team secured a Game 3 victory over the Dodgers, emphasized, “I think the addition of Sewald and then having Ginkel in the 8th inning, Sewald to the ninth. When you have that stability in the back end of your bullpen, it really takes the pressure off the rest of us.”
Throughout this postseason, the D-backs’ bullpen has yielded only four earned runs across 20 innings.
This performance has proven critical, especially considering since Game 1 of the Wild Card series the Diamondbacks’ offense has scored just two runs in the final four innings of each game – a mere two runs in 16 innings.
If this were the case a few months ago, then the Diamondbacks would be looking at a completely different situation as it is more than likely their bullpen would have blown at least one of these games.
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