Kevin

Ginkel

Ginkel came on with a two-run lead to protect, but things got interesting in a hurry as Jake Fraley drew a walk, Jeimer Candelario smacked a one-out single and TJ Friedl tacked on an RBI single. That caused manager Torey Lovullo to have a quick hook, getting Joe Mantiply to come out and finish the job. With Paul Sewald back, Ginkel wasn’t going to hold down the closer’s gig any longer, but if he did still have any leash in the role, it may have evaporated on Wednesday.

Sewald has been sidelined since the beginning of the regular season with a left oblique strain. The 33-year-old veteran, who finished with a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP with both the Mariners and Diamondbacks last season, will slide back as the D-backs’ closer which puts an end to Kevin Ginkel’s brief stint in the role.

The 33-year-old right-hander has been shelved since the end of March due to a left oblique strain, but is finally ready to make his mark on the 2024 season. That means that Kevin Ginkel’s hold on the closer’s role will come to an end after the D’Backs’ weekend series against the Padres.

Ginkel made it look awfully easy in this one, getting Jorge Polanco on a called third strike, Ty France on a bouncer back to the mound and Mitch Garver on a fly ball to left to end it. He has done a nice job in the absence of closer Paul Sewald, compiling a 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 13/3 K/BB ratio over 12 innings while converting five of his first seven save chances. Sewald suffered a minor setback over the weekend, meaning Ginkel should continue to function in the team’s closer role for at least another week — possibly longer.

The Diamondbacks aren’t calling it a major setback for the right-hander, but they will slow down his rehab a bit to make sure not to push him. It initially looked as though Sewald could join the Diamondbacks’ bullpen in the coming days, but now it looks like Kevin Ginkel may be working the ninth inning for another week or so.

Three of the four balls in play against Ginkel were hit in excess of 105 mph, but one of those turned into an out and he got some favorable calls from umpire Stu Scheurwater, who appeared to have everyone on both teams upset by the end of the game. Ginkel is 4-for-6 saving games while filling in for Paul Sewald in Arizona.

After a pair of singles, Ginkel uncorked a wild pitch that got far enough away from Gabriel Moreno to allow Nico Hoerner to score the tying run from second. Ginkel preserved the tie from there, and he’s been solid enough that he figures to remain the clear favorite for saves in Arizona while Paul Sewald is out.

The right-hander made it look easy in this one, needing just nine pitches to retire Victor Scott II, Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt in order. Ginkel has been terrific since taking over the closer’s job from the injured Paul Sewald, registering a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 9/2 K/BB ratio over 7 1/3 innings while converting three of his first four save opportunities. He’ll continue to have plenty of mixed league fantasy value until Sewald returns.

Ginkel gave up a single and walked two before retiring Nolan Jones to end the game. This comes one day after his first save of the year, also versus Colorado. He’ll definitely need a day off after the 29-pitch outing today, but the schedule makers have already granted him one on Thursday.

It took 12 games for Ginkel to finally get his first save with Paul Sewald out. He should be good for at least a few more before Sewald returns from an oblique strain.