3 Arizona Diamondbacks to blame for World Series Game 4 loss
By Mark Powell
Arizona Diamondbacks to blame: The bullpen
While Torey Lovullo trusted his bullpen to get the job done in Game 4, the bullpen did not follow suit. The combination of Joe Mantiply, Miguel Castro, Kyle Nelson and Luis Frias gave up 10 runs in just three innings of work. Asking the Diamondbacks offense to stage a comeback at that juncture was always a longshot, and ultimately they came up short.
Arizona's bullpen was a strength of theirs entering this series. Yet, they have fallen short time and time again, starting in Game 1. Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald blew a save in the ninth inning, giving up a two-run homer to Corey Seager. Arizona would eventually lose in extra innings, dealing a crushing blow to their chances. Had they won that game, there's a good chance the Diamondbacks could have come home to Chase Field with a two-game advantage.
“You have to try and get to the bottom of the lineup before the top comes up,” Sewald said at the time. “That’s what made me frustrated with walking the No. 9 hitter. Seager’s one of the 10 best players in this league. You have to try to face him with nobody on there.”
While Sewald did not pitching in Game 4, his teammates did not fare much better against Texas.