Mariners' Paul Sewald: Strong in two spring appearances
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Sewald has fired two scoreless innings during which he's allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts across two Cactus League appearances.
Sewald hasn't failed to throw a strike yet, finding the zone on all 11 of his pitches over his pair of appearances. The hard-throwing right-hander, who underwent heel and elbow procedures this offseason, is slated to see a fair amount of ninth-inning work this year after recording a career-high 20 saves in 25 chances in 2022, but Andres Munoz (foot) and Diego Castillo should also log an allotment of high-leverage opportunities.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Full-go for spring camp
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Sewald (heel/elbow) is a full-go for the start of spring training, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Sewald had a procedure on both of his heels during the offseason called Tenex, and he also had some loose bodies removed from his elbow. Those procedures were "minimally invasive" according to Brock, so they won't cause the right-hander to miss Cactus League time, as once feared. Sewald has been one of the most effective relievers in baseball over the last two seasons, and while he isn't guaranteed an overwhelming majority of chances in 2023, the combination of his ability to miss bats and a solid amount of save opportunities makes him a fantasy-relevant hurler for the upcoming campaign.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: On track for spring training
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Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that Sewald (elbow/heel) has resumed throwing and should be ready to pitch in games during spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Since he's building back up after undergoing a cleanup procedure on his right elbow early in the offseason as well as an additional procedure on his heel, Sewald may be slightly behind Seattle's other relievers when he reports to camp, but he looks as though he'll be ready to go by the time the Mariners open their Cactus League slate. Sewald led Seattle with 20 saves in 2022 and looks like the best bet to open the season as the team's preferred end-game option, though manager Scott Servais is still expected to take a committee approach to the ninth inning. Andres Munoz and Diego Castillo are also candidates to factor into the mix at closer.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: May miss start of spring training
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Sewald (heel/elbow) may miss the start of spring training, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Sewald underwent a "minor clean-up of his heel and elbow" in the offseason. While there is not a specific timeline for when he'll be able to return, it does sound like the right-hander will be ready for the start of the season. If healthy, he should see a significant amount of save chances in 2023.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Settles at $4.1 million
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Sewald (elbow/heel) agreed to a one-year, $4.1 million contract with the Mariners on Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Sewald led Seattle's closing committee last season with 20 saves and a 2.67 ERA across 64 innings, and he'll receive a well-deserved raise from his $1.74 million salary in 2022. The 32-year-old underwent clean-up procedures on his elbow and heel in early December but is expected to be healthy for the start of spring training.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Requires elbow, heel surgeries
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The Mariners announced Tuesday that Sewald recently underwent procedures on his elbow and heel, and he's expected to be healthy for the start of spring training, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
The elbow surgery was a clean-up procedure, so there shouldn't be any concern regarding Sewald's availability to open 2023. The right-hander led Seattle's closer committee with 20 saves last season and had a 2.67 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 72:17 K:BB across 64 innings.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Notches save No. 20
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Sewald picked up a save against the Rangers on Wednesday with a perfect ninth inning.
Sewald enjoyed one of his easiest and quickest saves this season, retiring all three batters he faced on just five combined pitches. The right-hander reached the 20-save mark for the first time in his career with his first save since Sept. 10. Sewald's strikeout rate has dropped a bit in 2022 compared to last season, but he's posting career-best marks with a 2.45 ERA and 0.74 WHIP.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Grabs fifth win Saturday
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Sewald (5-4) got the win over the Royals on Saturday, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit.
Sewald breezed through his pair of frames, during which he preserved a 5-5 tie, on just 17 pitches. The right-hander was then rewarded for his efficient and mistake-free work when Cal Raleigh laced a go-ahead double in the ninth that gave the Mariners a lead they didn't relinquish. Sewald has 19 saves on the season as well, but Andres Munoz, who got the ninth-inning call Saturday, also remains a viable candidate for such opportunities over the final week-plus of the season.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Victorious following blown save
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Sewald (4-4) blew a save but picked up the win during Sunday's 8-7 victory over the Braves, allowing two runs on two hits and a hit-by-pitch in one-third of an inning.
Sewald was brought in to get the game's final out after Diego Castillo served up a three-run Michael Harris home run that cut Seattle's lead to one. The 30-year-old immediately surrendered a single followed by a Robbie Grossman home run to fall in line for the loss until Seattle rallied for a walkoff win in the bottom of the frame. The rough outing snapped a seven-appearance scoreless streak, and Sewald has now blown a save in two of his last four games. He still possesses an excellent 2.67 ERA and 0.73 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 57.1 innings across 59 appearances on the season.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Dominates for 19th save
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Sewald earned the save over Atlanta on Saturday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.
Sewald notched four swinging strikes on 10 pitches and struck out All-Stars Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley to end the game. The veteran reliever hasn't allowed a run since Aug. 24, surrendering just three hits and posting a 10:2 K:BB over 6.1 innings in that span. Sewald's 19 saves are a career high and are tied for eighth most in the American League.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Slams door Tuesday
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Sewald struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the White Sox.
Sewald bounced back from taking a blown save Sunday by pitching his third perfect outing in his last six trips to the mound. The right-hander got through the inning on 16 pitches (11 strikes) against the bottom of the White Sox's order. He's now 18-for-22 in save chances with a 2.41 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 64:15 K:BB through 56 innings this season.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Charged with blown save
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Sewald allowed an inherited runner to score on one hit in one-third of an inning, taking a blown save in Sunday's 6-3 extra-innings win over the Guardians.
Sewald couldn't prevent a run from scoring on an Oscar Gonzalez single in the eighth inning after Erik Swanson put Amed Rosario aboard. This went down as Sewald's fourth blown save of the year, though he's added 17 saves and six holds while functioning as the Mariners' primary closer for much of the year. The right-hander has a 2.45 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 62:15 K:BB through 55 innings this season. He hasn't been charged with a run over 4.1 innings in his last five appearances.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Snags 17th save
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Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning, walking two batters while striking out two on his way to a save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Detroit.
Sewald was called upon to protect the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, working around two walks for his 17th save of the season. The right-hander has now pitched three consecutive scoreless outings after giving up three runs over back-to-back appearances. Sewald now owns a 2.52 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 61 strikeouts over 53.2 innings while appearing in 54 games this year.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Takes fourth loss Wednesday
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Sewald (3-4) took the loss against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing a go-ahead two-run home run for his only hit conceded during his one inning. He also recorded a walk and a strikeout apiece.
The normally reliable Sewald started off on the wrong foot upon entering in the ninth inning by issuing a free pass to Keibert Ruiz, and after recording two consecutive outs, he surrendered a 385-foot shot to right field to Ildemaro Vargas. The blast snapped a 1-1 tie and turned out to be the difference in the game, handing Sewald his second loss of August. Despite the stumble, the right-hander maintains a solid 16-for-19 tally in save opportunities, which he's complemented with his three wins and six holds.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Yields run but earns save
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Sewald allowed a run on two hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Nationals.
Sewald gave up an RBI single to Lane Thomas in the ninth inning, ending the right-hander's 10-inning streak without allowing an earned run. He still got the save after stopping the damage there. The 32-year-old is 16-for-19 in save chances this year while pitching to an excellent 2.36 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 55:12 K:BB through 49.2 innings. The save Tuesday was his first in nearly two weeks, though no other Mariner reliever had logged one since Sewald's previous save (Aug. 10).
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Tallies another save
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Sewald struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Yankees.
Sewald successfully protected a one-run lead to earn his 15th save of the season. The Mariners will continue to use a number of options to close out games, though Sewald has still earned three of the team's last five saves. He's also turned in eight consecutive scoreless appearances while maintaining a 6:0 K:BB across eight innings. That stretch has continued his stellar campaign, as Sewald has a 2.31 ERA across 46.2 frames for the season.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Converts save No. 14
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Sewald pitched a perfect inning and struck out one to earn the save in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Angels.
Sewald took an extra-inning loss to the Angels on Friday, but he was able to help the Mariners salvage a 2-2 split in this weekend series by closing out the finale. He's allowed just one unearned over his last six innings, picking up two saves and a hold in that span. The right-hander is now 14-for-17 in save chances while adding six holds, a 3-3 record, 2.42 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 49:11 K:BB through 44.2 innings this year.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Handed third loss
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Sewald (3-3) took the loss during Friday's 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Angels, allowing an unearned run while striking out one in the 10th inning.
Sewald entered for the top of the 10th inning and surrendered a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly to score initial runner Magneuris Sierra and take his first loss since June 12. Despite the defeat, the 32-year-old has lowered his ERA to 2.47 during five straight outings without allowing an earned run, though teammate Andres Munoz earned the team's most recent save.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Tallies 13th save
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Sewald pitched the ninth inning without giving up any runs, hits or walks to pick up the save in a 5-4 win over the Astros on Saturday.
After the Mariners pulled ahead in the top of the ninth with a two-run inning, manager Scott Servais called on Sewald to protect a one-run lead. Sewald pitched a smooth three-up, three-down frame to earn his 13th save of the season. It was a nice bounce-back performance for Sewald after he gave up a couple of runs and blew the save his last time out against the Rangers. Sewald is in the midst of a career-best season and boasts a 2.72 ERA.
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Mariners' Paul Sewald: Blows third save
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Sewald suffered a blown save during Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Rangers, surrendering two runs on one hit and two walks with one strikeout in the eighth inning.
Manager Scott Servais turned to his best bullpen option in the eighth with the top of the lineup due up, and Sewald started strong with two quick outs. However, he walked the next two Rangers and served up a game-tying Adolis Garcia double to be stung with his third blown save of the campaign. Sewald had converted 12 straight combined saves and holds prior Tuesday's mishap and still possesses a quality 2.79 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 45 strikeouts over 38.2 innings.
