Diamondbacks move to 4-man starting rotation for playoff push

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are moving into a four-man starting pitching rotation for the final three series of the regular season as they push for a postseason spot.

Nabil Crismatt will come out of the bullpen as a long reliever, leaving a rotation of Brandon Pfaadt starting Wednesday, followed by Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez.

“Nothing against Crismatt, he’s been throwing the ball extremely well,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We felt like there would be some value to get dependable length out of the bullpen. We wanted to match up the best way we could against the most critical teams at the most critical times.”

The Diamondbacks have two more off days that will allow each starter to pitch on regular rest: Thursday after a series finale against San Francisco and Monday after a three-game set against Philadelphia.

They entered Wednesday’s slate 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the third National League Wild Card spot, seeing their playoff odds shoot up over the past couple weeks.

Gallen would line up for Game 1 of a potential playoff series.

Arizona Diamondbacks rotation order for the rest of the 2025 season

– Wednesday: Pfaadt vs. San Francisco
– Friday: Nelson vs. Philadelphia
– Saturday: Gallen vs. Philadelphia
– Sunday: Rodriguez vs. Philadelphia
– Tuesday: Pfaadt vs. Los Angeles
– Wednesday: Nelson vs. Los Angeles
– Thursday: Gallen vs. Los Angeles
– Friday: Rodriguez at San Diego
– Saturday: TBD
– Sunday: Pfaadt at San Diego

The Diamondbacks have a starting pitcher ERA of 3.75 over their last 30 games, which ranks eighth in Major League Baseball.

Gallen has a 2.45 ERA in six starts during that span, while Nelson is at 2.97.

Crismatt has worked a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings pitched for the Diamondbacks as a diamond in the rough minor-league signing, and he adds depth to a bullpen that has gone through plenty of changes this year.

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