PITTSBURGH — In the Mets’ desperation to find dependability from the bullpen, Paul Sewald has seized an opportunity.
Once an afterthought, the rookie right-hander is showing he can be trusted in the biggest spots. Other than closer Addison Reed, there might not be a reliever manager Terry Collins has come to trust more than Sewald against righties.
Sewald entered play Saturday with a 2.02 ERA in 12 appearances with the Mets, having shuffled between Triple-A Las Vegas and the major leagues this season. No longer does the 26-year-old University of San Diego product — he was a college teammate of Kris Bryant’s — wonder if he has a chance to succeed in the majors.
“When I had a good outing against the Phillies [in April] before I got optioned and recalled, that was just enough of a confidence booster,” Sewald said before the Mets faced the Pirates at PNC Park. “It was, ‘OK, I can go up to the major league level and I’ll make good pitches and I will get them out and if I make bad pitches they are going to hammer mistakes, but they don’t hit every single mistake.’ So I had a lot of confidence going into it and then slowly but surely every outing has given me a little bit more confidence.”
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Over his previous 17 innings, spanning 11 appearances entering Saturday, he had pitched to a 1.06 ERA. Included were three innings of shutout relief against the Padres on Thursday, allowing the Mets to remain in the game after starter Rafael Montero scuffled early and was removed.
“[Sewald] commands his pitches,” Collins said. “One night I saw him throw harder than I had ever seen before, but for the most part you know what you are going to get: 90-91 [mph] that is going to be strikes, it’s going to be on the corners. He’s going to throw his slider and he knows how to pitch off the plate when he needs to. He’s done a nice job.”
Sewald grabbed the Mets’ attention in spring training in 2016 but never made it to the major leagues last season. This year he was among the final cuts in spring training, but five days after the season opened he was summoned to the majors.
“Paul, everybody keeps saying, has fringe stuff, but he knows how to compete and finds a way to win,” pitching coach Dan Warthen said. “He’s got a sneaky delivery, cross fires and can locate, so I am very pleased with him and have been since two spring trainings ago when he started an exhibition game in Las Vegas for us. We said, ‘This kid can pitch,’ and felt good about him.”
Sewald still is trying to show he can handle lefties, who were 8-for-25 (.320) against him entering Saturday. In contrast, righties were 9-for-41 (.220).
The success against righties can be attributed to Sewald’s slider — a pitch on which he focused in spring training.
“I was trying to throw as much of my slider as I possibly could, it’s my most effective pitch against righties,” Sewald said. “I feel the more I throw it the more success I’ve had, as long as I am locating my fastball. For me it’s just been about fastball command early in the count and throwing my slider as a put-away pitch.”