Sewald finally celebrates in D-backs garb

PHOENIX -- The streak was over. After nine straight somber treks back to the clubhouse following losses, the D-backs finally walked off the field victorious following a 3-0 win over the Padres on Saturday night at Chase Field.

Paul Sewald, the closer the D-backs acquired at the Trade Deadline, recorded the final out. As he went through the postgame handshake line, he hugged manager Torey Lovullo and shared a message with him.

“We finally did it,” Sewald said.

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Since Sewald joined the D-backs, he had experienced nothing but losses, including a heartbreaker last Sunday in Minnesota in which he gave up a pair of ninth-inning home runs to blow a save.

“I’m just thankful we finally won a game while I was here,” Sewald said. “I didn’t care if it was going to be 22-0 or 1-0. Just winning a game was really all that I cared about. So getting the save was just the cherry on top.”

The D-backs had been feeling the weight of the streak of late. Players were doing their best to show up each day with a positive attitude, but as the losses piled up, they acknowledged they were pressing, with each wanting to be the one that delivered the key hit or pitching performance that would turn the tide.

This day had better energy right from the start thanks to it being the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the D-backs’ first season.

Over 50 former players, including legends Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, were in attendance. A pregame ceremony introduced them and a video played on the scoreboard recounting all the magical moments in franchise history.

A huge crowd of 41,351 turned out to watch, creating some enthusiasm early on.

“The first thing I noticed when I came out of the dugout was the crowd,” said first baseman Christian Walker. “And it changes everything. That's home-field advantage, in my opinion -- the crowd on your side and booing the other team and cheering for us. It was exactly what we needed to help us pull our way out of this.”

The D-backs got an outstanding pitching performance from Zac Gallen as the right-hander allowed just four hits across six innings.

Outfielder Tommy Pham, also acquired at the Trade Deadline, drove home a run in the first and Walker provided insurance runs with a two-run homer in the third.

“It's no secret that it's been a tough go for us, especially the last week and half,” Gallen said. “The last month or so, I think, everyone was just kind of pressing. And it's good to finally break through. I think everyone can kind of take a step back now, but still the job is not finished.”

Gallen’s point is well taken because while it had been a nine-game losing streak, their struggles dated back to July 1. Entering Saturday the D-backs had dropped 25 of 32 games.

And after nearly each of those wins during that stretch, they thought they had turned a corner only to run into another wall. So you can understand why they are hesitant just yet to proclaim that their struggles are over.

The D-backs trail the Dodgers by 12 1/2 games in the NL West, and they are three games out of the final Wild Card spot. They will need to pass three teams to get there.

“We’ve got a tough road ahead of us,” Gallen said. “We have to play some really good teams in the next two months. Obviously, everybody in [the clubhouse] hopes that this is the start of something good. But we have to earn it.

“Nobody is going to give it to us. We’re going to have to take it. Just because we won today, it doesn’t mean they’re going to give it to us tomorrow.”