The Diamondbacks got exactly what they needed Saturday afternoon: a strong Brandon Pfaadt start, a big third inning, and enough bullpen work to finish off the Cardinals 5-3 and even the series.
Arizona’s offense did most of its damage in a three-run third, but the tone was set much earlier. Pfaadt opened with a clean first, and Corbin Carroll helped erase trouble by sliding to steal a bloop single from Ivan Herrera. From there, Pfaadt kept stacking zeros, working around the occasional baserunner while the Cardinals struggled to square him up.
The Diamondbacks gave him an early cushion in the second. Gabriel Moreno started the inning with a single, Nolan Arenado added another hit after Max Kepler’s popout, and James McCann drove in Moreno with a single to right for the first run of the day.
Then came the inning that stretched the lead. Ketel Marte singled to open the third, Geraldo Perdomo walked, and after Carroll grounded into a double play, Marte scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Moreno and Kepler followed with a single and a walk, setting the table for Arenado, who came through with a two-run double to push Arizona ahead 4-0.
Arizona added one more in the fourth. Ryan Waldschmidt doubled, Marte singled him home, and the Diamondbacks were suddenly up 5-0.
Pfaadt was in control for most of the afternoon, but the sixth got away from him. JJ Wetherholt opened with a single, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker followed with hits, and Lars Nootbar made it three straight singles as the Cardinals loaded the bases.
That ended Pfaadt’s day. Ryan Thompson entered and got Masyn Winn into a forceout that brought home a run, trimming the lead to 5-2.
The Cardinals kept pressing in the ninth against Paul Sewald. Jimmy Crooks crushed a 443-foot solo homer to right-center, cutting it to 5-3, but Sewald regrouped from there. He struck out JJ Wetherholt and got Ivan Herrera to line out to Corbin Carroll in right to end it.
Arizona’s bullpen had to work through the middle innings after the offense went quiet. Gordon Graceffo, Justin Bruihl, and Matt Svanson combined to keep the Diamondbacks off the board after the fourth, while Kevin Ginkel and Brandyn Garcia helped protect the lead on the other side. Jorge Barrosa entered defensively in center and made a key catch on a deep Nathan Church fly ball in the eighth.
The teams meet again Sunday at Chase, with first pitch set for 1:10 pm. Eduardo Rodriguez will make his first start of the second half after his All-Star Game appearance.
In Other News...
Ketel Marte Feels Like Arizonas Only Answer In This Spot
Ketel Marte keeps showing up as the kind of bat Arizona can lean on when the matchup tilts in its favor, and this one comes with the sort of split that makes him stand out. Against left-handed pitching this season, Marte has been one of the more dangerous hitters in the lineup, pairing steady contact with real power and giving the Diamondbacks a middle-of-the-order presence they do not always get elsewhere.
The broader appeal here is simple: when Arizona is looking for a damage swing, Marte is often the cleanest path to it. His production against lefties has been strong enough to make him a natural focus in this spot, and with the opponent also carrying a home-run problem of its own, the case for Marte only gets more interesting as the game approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Pfaadt May Be Giving The Diamondbacks Exactly What They Need
Brandon Pfaadts return to the Diamondbacks rotation came out of necessity, with injuries forcing Arizona to dip back into Triple-A Reno for help. Since getting the call, though, the right-hander has looked far more settled, giving the club the kind of steady innings it has been searching for while the pitching staff has been shorthanded.
Since June 30, Pfaadt has worked with noticeably better efficiency and command, and the early results have been hard to ignore. The bigger question is whether this version of him can stick, because Arizona has seen enough rotation turbulence to know how valuable even a short stretch of stability can be, especially when it comes from a pitcher who needed a reset to get here. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Suddenly Face A Pitching Squeeze Torey Lovullo Can't Ignore
The Diamondbacks are trying to piece together another game while keeping an eye on the bigger picture, and the pitching math has gotten uncomfortable in a hurry. Arizonas bullpen has been leaned on heavily in recent games, and the club has already had to manage around some inefficiency on the mound as it sorts through the next few days of work.
Corbin Carroll is available off the bench even as his recent slump lingers, giving Torey Lovullo at least one late-game option if the lineup needs a spark. The more pressing issue is how Arizona gets enough innings without overtaxing the same arms again, especially with the roster already being shuffled and the team carefully monitoring pitcher workloads as it moves through the schedule. [Read more 🡒]