Diamondbacks avoid worst loss of season, defeat Pirates in 12 innings

The Arizona Diamondbacks blew a six-run lead and faced the threat of suffering arguably their most inexcusable loss of the 2026 season on Tuesday night, but they managed to escape PNC Park with an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 12 innings.

Gerardo Carrillo, in his third major league game, played the role of extra-inning hero with shutout innings in the 11th and 12th, while James McCann capped a four-hit performance with the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 12th.

With the win, the Diamondbacks (56-52) took a one-game lead over the Pirates (55-53) for the third National League Wild Card spot and kept the door open to secure the tiebreaker.

Starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt delivered seven shutout frames, set up to win his sixth consecutive start since coming back from Triple-A Reno. From that point on, however, the Diamondbacks started to flail from a pitching, defense and hitting perspective.

Where did things go wrong?

The Pirates plated three runs each off Ryan Thompson and Paul Sewald, as Sewald allowed the first three hitters he faced to score on two towering home runs by Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds in the ninth inning. The Pirates rallying off Thompson (who has allowed eight runs in his last four outings) brought the crowd back into the game.

Sewald blew his third save of the year but has allowed 12 earned runs over his last 9.1 innings, increasing his ERA to 5.26. The Diamondbacks may have to start having some tough conversations about the ninth inning, even with Justin Martinez weeks away from getting back.

Juan Morillo had to enter the game to force extra innings.

The Diamondbacks received a gift in the top of the 10th inning, a likely inning-ending double play ball from Ildemaro Vargas that Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo muffed to bring home a run.

The Diamondbacks had the bases loaded and one out after Corbin Carroll was struck by a pitch from Gregory Soto, but a key strikeout from Geraldo Perdomo and a flyout from Gabriel Moreno stranded the runners. Arizona scored eight runs on 16 hits and somehow finished an amazing 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position — this game should not have involved a save situation to begin with, and this was a reason why.

Arizona returned the gift in the bottom half, as first baseman Tyler Locklear fumbled a sharp grounder right to him with a runner on third crashing for home, which plated the tying run.

It was another moment that signaled that Arizona perhaps did not deserve to win this game, but the team persevered, in large part due to an unlikely breakout performance.

Carrillo struck out three hitters and forced an inning-ending double play in his game-saving outing. He struck out Tyler Callihan to end the four-hour ballgame.

Carrillo signed a minor league deal with the D-backs over the offseason and finally made his MLB debut at 27 years old last week.

This game was a wild ride, and the Diamondbacks will be tasked with turning around quickly and avoiding an emotional hangover to secure the series.

Brandon Pfaadt was really good before this game became madness

Pfaadt diced up the Pirates for seven shutout innings, and he eclipsed 100 pitches (101) for the first time since April 11. Pfaadt had not completed seven innings in a game this season.

In six starts since his return, Pfaadt has allowed seven earned runs with four total walks. His ERA when the D-backs optioned him to Triple-A Reno in early June was 5.92, as he had struggled to adjust to an inconsistent role in the bullpen. His season ERA has since plummeted to 4.00.

The Diamondbacks have won all six of his starts.

On Tuesday, Pfaadt did what he has done throughout all of these games, attack the strike zone and hit his spots to draw weak contact. He allowed six hits, including two doubles but has kept the ball in the yard with no home runs in his last five outings.

Baseball with breakfast pitching matchup on Wednesday

LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3, 2.64) vs. RHP Jared Jones (2-1, 3.72 ERA)

The game starts at 9:35 a.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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