Pfaadt Looks to Ride Momentum Against a Tough Dodgers Lineup

The Diamondbacks will take the field against a dangerous Dodgers squad for game two of their series at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is at 7:10 PM Arizona time.

The D-backs took a 6-4 loss last night after a rocky outing from right-hander Slade Cecconi, although the offense did put together a rally late in the contest. Arizona will need a better showing from their starter and quicker offensive production if they want to hang with LA tonight.

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt will take the mound for the D-backs. Pfaadt is coming off a stellar performance against the Cincinnati Reds, in which he pitched seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits and no walks. He will look to continue that production tonight.

Pfaadt struck out nine in his last outing, five of which were on a called strike three. If his location and stuff is even close to as sharp as it was last week, he'll be able to match up with even the best of the best.

His ERA has dropped to 4.17 on the season, while his FIP sits almost a full run lower at 3.37. The young righty has an impressive 51 strikeouts against just 10 walks and has survived six or more innings six times in 2024 while recording five Quality Starts.

Right-hander Gavin Stone gets the start for LA. Stone has suffered a couple of rough outings, but has pitched generally well, allowing exactly one run in his las four straight starts, lowering his ERA to 3.27 on the season. He features a diverse arsenal, with a sinker/four-seam combo that hold a respectable 95 MPH average.

He also has a relatively hard slider and changeup, with the occasional cutter and curveball thrown in. His changeup is his most-used pitch, with a positive run value attached. The D-backs will need to have sharp plate discipline and patience when dealing with Stone.

The D-backs' lineup is identical to last night's. Joc Pederson remains in the three-hole against a righty, coming off a solid night against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The left-handed DH worked an eight-pitch at-bat, before coming away with an RBI single to get the scoring started.

Kevin Newman retains everyday shortstop duties, after yet another stellar multi-hit performance. He went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, raising his slash to .276/.311/.439. He's performed admirably on defense as well, with three Outs Above Average.

Ketel Marte extended his hit streak to 19 last night, which became the longest in the majors for the 2024 season, active or otherwise. Despite the streak, he's lowered his average from .309 to .291, as he's only recorded one base hit in all but two of his last 19 games.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers will trot out a relatively unchanged lineup as well. The top three of Betts-Ohtani-Freeman went 4-for-11 last night, including a grand slam from Freeman. Arizona will have to limit the top of that order, as Betts and Freeman are a combined 7-for-15 against Pfaadt dating back to last year's regular season.

Shohei Ohtani has yet to face Pfaadt at the plate, but he does lead MLB in batting average with a .353/.424/.653 slash. Joe Mantiply, Cecconi and Bryce Jarvis kept him in relative check last night, but the dangerous two-way star can strike at any moment.

LA will slot Miguel Vargas in left field, and Gavin Lux at second base. Rather than play to a matchup platoon, manager Dave Roberts continues to roll with a balanced blend of right- and left-hand bats. The D-backs will have their hands full for the second straight game.