Diamondbacks blow up the ninth inning in Arizona

The writing had been on the wall in Arizona for weeks, and now it's official. MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the Diamondbacks have pulled Paul Sewald out of the closer's chair after he nearly torched a 6-3 lead against Pittsburgh, allowing back-to-back homers that tied the game before he could even record an out.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

D-Backs Remove Paul Sewald From Closer Role t.co/hP5zNDHx2x

This wasn't a one-off. Sewald's ERA has ballooned to 5.26 on the season and a brutal 7.16 since June 1, with runs scored in 4 of his last 5 appearances and 8 of his last 13. He's tied for the most home runs allowed among all relievers with 11, a shocking number for someone who was supposed to be locking down the back end of games.

Manager Torey Lovullo isn't naming a new full-time closer -- Arizona is going closer-by-committee for now, leaning on rookie lefty Brandyn Garcia, who already picked up his second career save and owns a sharp 2.17 ERA with a 32% strikeout rate. Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loaisiga and Kevin Ginkel are all in the mix too.

The context matters here. Sewald is making just $1.5 million this year, so this isn't about protecting a big-money investment -- it's a straight performance call. He'd converted 24-of-27 save chances, an 89% clip that looked fine on paper, but the underlying numbers made clear the wheels were coming off.

With the trade deadline looming, Arizona reportedly has around $11 million in flexibility before bumping into the $244 million luxury tax line, but the front office is expected to shop for mid-level bullpen help rather than splash on a proven closer. Prospect Justin Martinez, who could've been the long-term answer, is still working back from elbow surgery and isn't expected until late in the season.

For fantasy and betting purposes, this is a headache -- saves are now split across multiple arms with no clear hierarchy, which means volatility until someone seizes the job. For the Diamondbacks, it's a bigger question of whether this bullpen can hold up in a playoff race without a defined ninth-inning guy.