Pfaadt Excellent, Pederson's Big Homer Seals Victory over Dodgers

Brandon Pfaadt came into Tuesday night's game having thrown four straight quality starts. He made it five in a row, throwing six strong innings against the best lineup in MLB. Joc Pederson had a big three-run homer late in the game as the D-backs downed the Dodgers 7-3.

It took 25 pitches for Pfaadt to get through the first unscathed after a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts. But he sandwiched strikeouts of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith around a tapper back to the mound by Freddie Freeman.

The Dodgers were hitless through the first three innings while the D-backs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. That came via four straight singles from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jake McCarthy, Eugenio Suarez, and Gabriel Moreno.

The Dodgers got one back in the fourth. Ohtani doubled to lead it off, and later scored on a throwing error by Moreno while stealing third base.

The D-backs offense meanwhile kept tacking on runs. Kevin Newman singled with one out in the fifth and Corbin Carroll ripped a double to the wall in left. Ketel Marte knocked in Newman with a groundout, running the score to 3-1

In the sixth inning Christian Walker led off with his 13th career homer in the Dodger Stadium. He got a changeup from Dodgers starter Gavin Stone and crushed it 414 feet to up the D-backs lead to 4-1.

Career homer number 13 at Dodger stadium for Christian Walker

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— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) May 22, 2024

The Dodgers pulled close in the seventh inning. Pfaadt gave up two runs, allowing two doubles and a single. He was able to bear down and get Teoscar Hernandez to fly out to right field to end the inning however.

Pfaadt's line was 6 IP, 4 hits, 3 Runs, 2 Earned, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 59 for strikes. The outing lowered his ERA to 4.05 and his record now stands at 2-3.

With the game close at 4-3, Joc Pederson had a big moment in his first game in Dodger Stadium as a D-back. After Kevin Newman walked and Carroll struck out, Ketel Marte singled to right, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. Pederson came up and yanked a 1-1 fastball at the bottom of the zone 409 feet into the bleachers in right.

One of the best signings of the offseason, Joc Pederson once again comes up big for the #Dbacks

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— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) May 22, 2024

The three-run bomb broke open the game giving the D-backs a 7-3 cushion to send them on their way to victory. But not before another big push moment. Ryan Thompson came on to pitch the seventh and gave up a leadoff triple to Gavin Lux. But Thompson struck out the next two batters and got a fly out to right to strand Lux

Thompson came back out to pitch in the eighth inning and got Mookie Betts to line out to right field. Joe Mantiply retired Ohtani and Freeman, and Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the Dodgers.

Carroll made two excellent sliding catches to rob Teoscar Hernandez both times. Kevin Newman made a highlight reel diving stop and strong throw to rob Andy Pages of a base hit. Overall this was one of the best played games by the D-backs this year.

It was a much needed victory in hostile territory to even the series at one each. The D-backs improved to 23-26. They're in a three way tie, one game back of the Padres in the NL Wild Card.

The series finale is Wednesday night starting at 7:10 P.M. at Dodger Stadium. Ryne Nelson was scheduled to start but that information changed late Tuesday evening according to the Arizona Rep. Whoever pitches for the Diamondbacks will face Cy Young Candidate Tyler Glasnow

Torey Lovullo said the Diamondbacks "possibly" will be making a change with tomorrow's starter, which had been scheduled to be Ryne Nelson. "It'll be an opener if we do (make a change)," Lovullo said. There is a roster move coming, he said.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) May 22, 2024