D-backs Pitcher Ryne Nelson Pulled After One Out vs Blue Jays

This is not what the Diamondbacks were hoping to see.

Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson (19) throws a first inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Sunday was not Ryne Nelson's day.

After back-to-back wins over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Arizona Diamondbacks had their targets set on a potential sweep Sunday afternoon, with — arguably — their best pitcher on the mound in Ryne Nelson.

But Nelson would only record one out before he was pulled — with eight hits and eight runs in the box score against him. Nelson was yanked after 30 pitches, his lone out being a strikeout of Blue Jays nine-hitter Brandon Valenzuela.

Nelson was replaced by right-hander Andrew Hoffmann, who finished the first inning and threw a scoreless second inning. Hoffmann came back out for the third, giving up a solo home run and a two-out double before he was lifted for right-hander Brandon Pfaadt — who made his 2026 bullpen debut.

Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson suffers ugly blowout vs Blue Jays

Apr 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson (19) throws during the first inning at Chase Field against the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Nelson came into Sunday's game with a 3.54 ERA, following two excellent performances against the Orioles and Mets. After a shaky start, Nelson had appeared to settle back into his dominant form, pumping his four-seam fastball for whiffs and outs.

But the Blue Jays — an aggressive, strike-hunting team — seemed to have his number. They recorded five singles, three doubles and one base on balls against Arizona's right-hander, jumping on early pitches that would have normally landed for strikes.

Nelson's ERA has, as a result, shot all the way up to 6.97. This type of outing can sometimes skew even season-long results.

Nelson's one out did lift his poor start ever so slightly above a similar performance by Pfaadt's in 2025. Pfaadt was charged with eight earned runs without managing to record a single out in a start on May 31 against the Washington Nationals — though he only allowed six hits in that game.

Nelson has been one of the best arms available to the D-backs for much of the past two seasons, throwing to an excellent 3.16 ERA over 23 starts in 2025 after moving back into the rotation from a bullpen role after the injury to ace Corbin Burnes.

This year has looked different. Nelson has mixed elite starts with poor starts thus far, pitching in a less consistently dominant fashion. It is, of course, still early in the 2026 regular season.

Whether or not this trend continues could carry a heavy impact on Arizona's rotation. Despite some hiccups here and there, the D-backs held the ninth-best starter ERA (3.40) through their first 21 starts of the season. Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka have delivered much-improved results from their respective 2025 campaigns to open the year thus far.