Poor Pitching Downs Diamondbacks in Rough Loss to Giants

The Arizona Diamondbacks continued on their recent Cactus League slide on Saturday, falling by a score of 7-4 to the San Francisco Giants at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Starter Kohl Drake had a solid beginning to his start, but fell apart late, and the D-backs' bullpen struggled in the middle innings.

Arizona's main offensive highlight came off the bat of Gabriel Moreno, who crushed a gigantic solo home run in the bottom of the first inning — a ball that traveled a career-best 460 feet, coming off the bat at neasrl 113 MPH.

But overall, the D-backs' loss centered around some poor pitching and defense.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Pitching Struggles vs Giants

Feb 22, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kade Strowd (24) delivers to the plate in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Drake was in need of a rebound start, after giving up four earned runs over his previous two (3.2 total innings). Arizona's former top pitching prospect had been struggling with command.

For the first two innings on Saturday, it looked like he was on the way to an excellent outing. After surviving a loud out to lead off the game, he settled in to pick up a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless first.

He made relatively quick work of the second inning, as well, going 1-2-3 with a pair of groundouts. But with one out in the third, trouble began.

It wasn't exactly poor execution by Drake at first. He gave up a 79 MPH infield single and a jam-shot single that floated just over the outstretched glove of Jose Fernandez at shortstop. A first-pitch ground ball snuck by Pavin Smith at first base, and the Giants tied the game.

But Drake would go on to give up a 100 MPH double and the lead. He was lifted from the game for righty Hayden Durke, who gave up another RBI single.

Righty Kade Strowd gave up two runs on a double and a poor defensive decision by Fernandez, who threw home late in an attempt to nab the lead runner on a fielder's choice. Jonathan Loaisiga gave up a pair of ground ball doubles, both sharply-hit down the left-field line. Left-hander Philip Abner walked two and gave up an RBI double.

It was an excellent day for right-hander Paul Sewald and lefty Brandyn Garcia, however. Sewald struck out two in a clean inning, topping out at 92.9 MPH on his fastball.

Garcia hit 97 MPH on his sinker, and threw eight of 10 pitches for strikes and a punchout in a 1-2-3 frame of his own. Righty Isaiah Campbell got three outs on seven pitches.

Diamondbacks' Moreno, Fernandez Go Deep

Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; (Editors note: in camera effect) Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (14) poses for a photo for MLB media day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Moreno's homer was much-needed, as Arizona's starting catcher had ben hitting a meager .150. Moreno finished 1-for-3. The D-backs recorded 7 base hits and 2 walks on the day.

Fernandez, who also crushed his third home run of spring training, was the only player to record multiple knocks, going 2-for-3 with the homer and a 100 MPH RBI double in the fourth.

Arizona got back-to-back doubles in the ninth inning from Manuel Pena and Jean Walters, but the scoring ended there.