D-backs’ Brandon Pfaadt gets hit early, bats go quiet in loss vs. Marlins

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt came up short in a 6-2 loss in his anticipated home debut against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

Pfaadt was tagged early and often against the Marlins (18-19) hitters in front of 13,608 fans. On the first pitch of the game, Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a ball down the right field line. On the second pitch of the game, Chisholm stole second before coming around to score.

Pfaadt faced adversity before he could get to record an out and ended up surrendering one run and three hits in the opening frame.

The young right-hander did not settle in the second inning for the D-backs (20-16), either. He got the first two outs before surrendering a double and a walk. Jorge Soler entered the batter’s box and hit a 468-foot homer that broke the game open 4-0.

This was a mountain too tall to climb for the D-backs.

“That was a stinker. … He was reliant a little too much on his fastball,” manager Torey Lovullo said postgame.

“He has a full arsenal of pitches and can work off his fastball, read and react to swings, make adjustments, make quality pitches. I thought his fastball command was a little erratic. He was stubborn with it and got clipped for a three-run homerun.”

Pfaadt’s third and fourth innings were quite efficient, throwing 18 pitches (16 strikes) for the combined six outs.

In the fifth, Soler launched another homer to right-center field that, again, did not move the outfielders off their mark because it was another no-doubter.

Pfaadt’s day ended at five innings pitched and six earned runs on seven hits.

“Didn’t go as planned. There is always always something to learn,” Pfaadt told reporters postgame. “There was one hitter that killed us again out there, but I think there was something to learn off of.

“I don’t think it is mechanical, I think it is trusting myself more to get ahead on the corners instead of nit-picking and falling behind. I have to attack in the zone and that is something forward we need to work on.”

After two starts on the year, the rookie has now posted an 0-2 record in 9.2 innings, 13 earned runs (12.1 ERA), 1.97 WHIP and just six strikeouts to three walks.

Despite Pfaadt getting hung for another crooked number in just his second start, it would’ve taken a masterful performance to keep the team in the game because the bats had no answer for the Marlins pitching staff.

Starting LHP Jesus Luzardo went six innings of one-run ball and struck out five Arizona batters.

Despite the D-backs outhitting the Marlins 11-9, runners stood on third base in only the second, fourth and ninth innings (excluding homers). The hits were untimely and, for the most part, unimportant.

Evan Longoria hit a solo homer to left (fourth of the year) off reliever Matt Barnes in the bottom of the eighth, but it was too little, too late.

Chisholm stole two bases on D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno while Pfaadt was in the game, but Moreno got his revenge in ninth, throwing out Jon Berti at second base. Moreno has now thrown out nine batters on the season, third most in the big leagues.

Snake-bitten D-backs
Lovullo gave an update on two injured list D-backs in outfielder Kyle Lewis and right-handed starter Zach Davies.

Lewis has been out with an undisclosed illness since April 8. Lovullo said he took four at-bats in an extended spring game on Tuesday. The manager did say that he is getting closer to a return but still many days away.

Davies has been out since April 16 due to a oblique injury and also threw two innings and 34 pitches in an extended spring game on Tuesday, Lovullo said.

He also had a 41-pitch bullpen session prior to Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals.

Up Next

Arizona will turn to Merrill Kelly in the rubber match against the Marlins and Edward Cabrera at 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

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