Diamondbacks know what they have to tighten up after close loss to Cubs

PHOENIX — This has not been the crispest start to the 2025 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost a winnable game to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, 4-3.

The Diamondbacks (1-2) received a quality start from Brandon Pfaadt and gave themselves opportunities to score. As the offense did not deliver a crooked number (1-for-9 with runners in scoring position), Arizona suffered too many losses in the margins to come out on top of a close game.

“There’s seven to 10 plays that if you do them right, you win, if you do them wrong, you lose,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ve got to get on the right side of that ledger.”

For example, Chicago’s Michael Busch led off the fourth inning with a single. Pfaadt forced two ground balls, neither of which resulted in a double play.

A long, and not very sharp, flip from second baseman Ketel Marte to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo allowed the speedy Pete Crow-Armstrong to beat the throw to first and extend the inning. Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya followed with an RBI double after he drove in five runs in Thursday’s 10-6 Cubs win.

“We’ve got really good infielders on this team,” Lovullo said. “There’s a couple plays where I think we could have turned two and we didn’t.

“It’s all about execution. When you execute well, the way I expect us to in every area, I don’t want to be critical of just one space, in every area, we’re going to be just fine.”

The defense separately committed two errors, raising Arizona’s total to six this season. They finished 2024 with the fewest errors in MLB with 62, and Lovullo said more game-within-the-game details cost them.

The Cubs’ defense and speed in many respects won them two games this series, ways Arizona expects to beat opponents.

In the fifth inning, Gabriel Moreno flew out to right-center field, and Josh Naylor tagged up with two outs. Crow-Armstrong delivered about as majestic a throw as you’ll see in a game that perfectly dropped in the bucket where Naylor dove into the bag.

The call was safe, but Chicago challenged and won.

Pete Crow-Armstrong with a CANNON 💪 pic.twitter.com/7jo7VRPI1c

— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2025

Fast forward to the ninth inning, Arizona had a rally going.

Eugenio Suarez crushed a two-run homer off Cubs closer Ryan Pressly to cut Chicago’s lead to 4-3. With runners on first and second, Corbin Carroll hit a one-hopper to shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Swanson knew he had no play at first base and faked the throw. Pinch runner Garrett Hampson took too far a turn around third, and Swanson beat him back to the bag for the final out.

Hampson explained he wanted to get a big turn to potentially take off if Swanson threw it, but that he should have known there was not going to be a throw.

Dansby Swanson's heads up play closes out the game for the Cubs! 😲 pic.twitter.com/l3WmA5Ophy

— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2025

Brandon Pfaadt vs. Shota Imanaga

Pfaadt played the hits from last season in a way.

He got through six innings efficiently with only one walk, gave up a two-run home run and finished with a statline probably a bit worse than how he pitched. Pfaadt worked out of trouble in the first inning and cruised until the fourth.

Kyle Tucker gave Chicago a 3-1 lead with his two-run homer in the fifth, a changeup down that Tucker golfed to right. Pfaadt finished his outing with six innings and three earned runs.

Brandon Pfaadt, Filthy 85mph Sweeper. 😷

4th K pic.twitter.com/6kciYmeZtq

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2025

“I think when you show the same pitch to a good hitter like him, he’ll eventually take advantage of it,” Pfaadt said.

Last year, Pfaadt made 32 starts, 19 of which lasted at least six innings. He was encouraged by how his curveball fared, a pitch he’s put a lot of effort into improving.

Saturday was his first start of the season and first since he agreed to a five-year contract extension.

“I’m trying to be the same pitcher, regardless of all that stuff,” Pfaadt said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and everything that’s came the last few days, I’m trying to go out there and be the same guy.”

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, meanwhile, was excellent, delivering seven innings with one earned run on three hits. He did not allow a hit over his last three frames.

Similarly, he threw seven innings of one-run ball against Arizona in his lone start against the D-backs last year. That game was also a battle between Imanaga and Pfaadt, and the latter threw seven scoreless innings in an eventual one-run loss.

The difference ended up being Cubs rookie Matt Shaw hitting a solo shot off Jalen Beeks in the seventh inning, his first MLB home run.

Eugenio Suarez in rare company

Suarez’s home run gave him four on the season, the first Diamondbacks player to ever hit this many through the opening three games.

Leaguewide, Suarez is the first player to do this since Robinson Cano with the Seattle Mariners and Trevor Story with the Colorado Rockies in 2016.

Diamondbacks next game

All-in-all, it’s only three games but this has not been the start to the season anyone would have hoped for. The D-backs can preserve a series split Sunday with Eduardo Rodriguez on the hill against Chicago lefty Matthew Boyd.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. and can be heard on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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