Dodgers survive late surge from Diamondbacks, season series on the line Sunday
The Diamondbacks will have to win Sunday's rubber match in order to clinch its first season series over the Dodgers since 2018.
Watch: Exclusive 1-on-1 with Lars Nootbaar | 4 mins
PHOENIX — By the tip of Tim Tawa’s glove at first base, the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 10 innings on Saturday night.
Ryan Waldschmidt, one night after hitting a walk-off home run, bounced into the game-ending double play to end another intense, playoff-like scene.
Arizona will have to win Sunday’s rubber match in order to clinch its first season series over Los Angeles since 2018.
The D-backs had this game seemingly won in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll led off with back-to-back triples off Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz, tying the game at 1-1 with the winning run on third base.
Diaz already allowed the game-winning home run to Waldschmidt on Friday.
This time, Gabriel Moreno hit a screaming line drive caught by third baseman Max Muncy, Ketel Marte popped out and the Dodgers intentionally walked Lars Nootbaar to get to Ildemaro Vargas, who struck out.
The D-backs were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position at that point, having stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers scored the go-ahead run on a Shohei Ohtani infield single with two outs in the 10th off reliever Brandyn Garcia, a hit that bounced out of Tawa’s glove on a dive. The only reason a runner was on third base was because reliever Gerardo Carrillo threw a wild pitch to walk nine-hole hitter Hunter Feduccia and bring up Ohtani.
In a game as tightly played as this one, or even these past two, there was zero room for either misstep or missed opportunity.
Speaking of missed chances, the Diamondbacks had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom half, a fly ball away from extending this game.
Instead, they finished 2-for-16 with RISP and left 15 runners aboard.
Brandon Pfaadt continues to amaze for Diamondbacks
Pfaadt has not allowed an earned run over his last three starts, tallying 20.2 innings.
The last D-backs pitcher to throw 20 straight innings with no earned runs allowed was Zac Gallen in 2023. It has only been done by six different pitchers in franchise history:
- Brandon Pfaadt (2026)
- Zac Gallen (2022, 2023)
- Robbie Ray (2017)
- Randy Johnson (2008)
- Brandon Webb (2006, 2007)
- Andy Benes (1998)
Pfaadt’s ERA at the time the D-backs optioned him to Triple-A to stretch back out into a starter was 5.92. After Saturday’s effort, it dropped to 3.36. In eight starts since coming back up, he owns a 1.32 ERA.
He simplified his mechanics by eliminating his over-the-head motion, moved back over to the first-base side of the rubber and came back with a mindset to attack the strike zone relentlessly. His command and the sharpness to his pitches have been stellar, and on Saturday, it was the changeup that he leaned on.
It is a pitch he’s used only 14% of the time this year, but he had it working on Saturday to the tune of six whiffs on 16 swings. He dropped a particularly filthy one to strike out Shohei Ohtani in the seventh inning. Ohtani went 0-for-3 against Pfaadt.
Pfaadt was done after 93 pitches, and the game was tied at no score.
Saturday attendance
46,213
One more time vs. L.A.
Eduardo Rodriguez (2.71 ERA) will pitch for the Diamondbacks to close Arizona’s season series against the Dodgers on Sunday. L.A. will start fellow All-Star left-hander Justin Wrobleski (3.31 ERA).
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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Comments
4 Comments
DBs had their chance but couldn’t come up with that elusive sac fly when they needed it.
Need to come back tomorrow and get the series win.
First, a shout out to Pfaadt for pitching great for seven innings.
It was a good game overall but it was disappointing that we lost the game. It came down to the Dbacks' inability to score runs when runners are in scoring position. The Dbacks had a 2-16 RISP. You are not going to win games when you are only hitting .125 when runners are in scoring positions.
It is extremely disappointing that we didn't win the game when Carroll was on third with NO OUTS! IF I was the manager, I would have done the following:
1) Had Moreno do a squeeze bunt...bunting to the first base side.
2) Had Corbin to steal home (he has the speed) when Marte was batting (he was batting LH) OR have Marte to bunt/put the play in ball or etc.
I did a quick search the odds of stealing home was greater than the odds of the Dbacks getting a hit. If Corbin was called out, I would have given kudos to TL for trying to win.
Yes, I know that it is hard to bunt or get a ground ball but we were sucking when runners were in scoring position. We already tied the score and Corbin ended up being stranded at 3rd.
I think it's time to put the Marte batting 4th experiment to bed.