Brandon Pfaadt continues strong starting pitching, Diamondbacks club 4 HRs in win over Marlins

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ streak of six straight quality starts has come to a close, although Brandon Pfaadt only missed the mark by one out in Wednesday’s 6-2 win at the Miami Marlins.

Pfaadt threw 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run, working the edges and drawing swings on a third of pitches out of the zone.

Over his last two starts, Pfaadt has surrendered one run in 11.2 innings, as his season ERA has dropped to 3.04. The Diamondbacks have won three straight games when Pfaadt starts and five of seven dating back to last September.

He continues to mix his pitches effectively, finding a lot of success with his changeup on Wednesday, which drew five whiffs and no hard contact. He also painted a couple backdoor sweepers for two of his six strikeouts.

Brandon Pfaadt, Painted 83mph Back Door Sweeper. 🖌️🎨

19 inches of horizontal break. pic.twitter.com/nuoYyR5T5l

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 16, 2025

Pfaadt competed in what looked like a pitcher’s duel early on. Marlins starter Max Meyer struck out six batters and allowed one hit through four innings, as the Diamondbacks struggled with his slider. Josh Naylor put the D-backs on the board in the second inning with a solo home run to center.

Miami’s Matt Mervis tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth. In a 1-1 game entering the fifth, the Diamondbacks steadily built a sizable lead.

Corbin Carroll punched an RBI base hit up the middle in the fifth off Meyer, extending his on-base streak to 18 games to start the year. He has the longest on-base streak to start a season by a D-backs player since Orlando Hudson in 2007 (33 games).

Pavin Smith crushed a solo shot in the sixth 429 feet, the furthest ball he’s hit since 2022.

Tim Tawa hits 1st career home run for Diamondbacks

Tim Tawa, playing in his sixth career MLB game, added the third Diamondbacks home run of the night. Tawa jumped on a 1-2 sweeper from Marlins reliever Tyler Phillips and shot it 414 feet for his first career big league home run.

Tawa hit three home runs in six games with Triple-A Reno to start the season after blasting 31 in the minor leagues in 2024.

TAWA POWA!!! pic.twitter.com/TxhVs1TDBQ

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 17, 2025

And the ball kept flying as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. slammed his third home run of the season in the eighth inning, a two-run shot to take a 6-1 lead. The Diamondbacks matched a season high with four home runs hit in a game, a mark they reached six times in 2024.

The Diamondbacks have hit seven home runs through the first two games this series, as Geraldo Perdomo, Naylor and Carroll all went yard in Tuesday’s 10-4 victory.

They ended Wednesday’s game ranked fifth in Major League Baseball with 24 long balls. Last year, the Diamondbacks finished with the fifth-most home runs in the league (211).

Diamondbacks bullpen with another strong night

Jalen Beeks ended the sixth inning with a three-pitch punchout, and Shelby Miller tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The duo has combined for 18.2 innings and one earned run since joining the club before Opening Day.

A.J. Puk allowed a run in his return to Miami, where the Diamondbacks acquired him last trade deadline.

Justin Martinez finished the game with a 1-2-3 frame, clinching a third straight series win. Martinez only needed eight pitches and has yet to allow a run this season in 6.2 frames.

Arizona (11-7) has won four games in a row and six straight in Miami.

Diamondbacks next game

The Diamondbacks will play for a series sweep Thursday at 9:10 a.m.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Arizona against Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera.

The game will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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