This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert¡¯s D-backs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

GM Mike Hazen¡¯s acquisition of closer Paul Sewald at the Trade Deadline has gotten the bulk of the attention when it comes to bullpen additions, but there are a pair of under-the-radar moves that have paid big dividends for Arizona over the past few weeks.

The first was when the D-backs claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Thompson off waivers from the Rays.

The other was the promotion of left-hander Andrew Saalfrank from Triple-A Reno at the end of the last homestand.

The D-backs claimed Thompson on Aug. 19 and he appeared in two games for Reno before being promoted to the big leagues. In five appearances for the D-backs, Thompson has allowed just one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

Thompson picked up a save in a crucial game against the Reds in his D-backs debut, and he has quickly earned manager Torey Lovullo¡¯s trust, pitching in a couple of wins during the recent series with the Cubs.

¡°There are some great stories in baseball, right?¡± Lovullo said. ¡°You got Thompson who we picked up off of waivers and we know that he's had success and pitched in big moments, and he's come in and given us an immediate boost. It¡¯s a different arm angle, it¡¯s different stuff and I think it creates some problems for some right-handed hitters.¡±

Saalfrank, who was selected by the D-backs in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Indiana University, didn¡¯t seem to be on the team¡¯s radar earlier this season.

But the left-hander had a 2.70 ERA in 21 appearances for Double-A Amarillo which earned him a promotion to Reno where he put up an even better 2.35 ERA in 23 games.

The D-backs called up Saalfrank on Sept. 4 and like Thompson, he found himself pitching in a one-run game in his big league debut. In his third outing, Lovullo summoned him last Saturday to pitch the eighth with the D-backs clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Cubs.

Saalfrank tossed a scoreless inning in that game and has not allowed a run in his three innings.

¡°Saalfrank is just such a good story, right?¡± Lovullo said. ¡°Before the year nobody was even mentioning him. So we've got a few guys inside of player development that should be proud of his development and his ability to come up here and get big outs. A lot of people were pounding the table for him from midseason on and finally we got the memo and figured it out.

¡°He's come in here and got some huge outs. And he gives us a different look as well. It's very sharp, aggressive stuff with a lot of swing-and-miss.¡±