Game #41 Preview: D-backs Look to Win Series Over Giants

The Diamondbacks have won two of the first three games of this four-game series against the San Francisco Giants. With a win today, it will be their second four-game series win against a National League West opponent, having taken a series against the Dodgers April 6th-9th. Today they will start rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, making his third career major league start against Giants ace Logan Webb. First pitch at Chase Field will be at 1:10 PM.

Series Recap

Game 1: The D-backs were stymied by veteran right-hander Alex Cobb, who pitched 7.1 scoreless innings in a 6-2 loss. Left-hander Tommy Henry turned in a quality start with just two runs allowed in 6.2 innings, but got no run support and took the loss.

Game 2: Arizona fell behind 3-0 after two innings, but a big home run by Dominic Fletcher jumpstarted the offense in a 7-5 win. Fletcher finished a triple short of the cycle, driving in four runs.

Game 3: Fletcher was the hero again, with both his offense and defense coming in key moments. His catch in the first inning prevented the Giants from having a big inning, and his bat came up in the clutch with a bases-clearing triple to take the lead and a two-run homer to ice it.

Pitching Matchup

On paper, this almost feels like a mismatch. Webb has been the Giants ace since the beginning of the 2021 season while Pfaadt is trying to find his bearings at the big league level. However lopsided the pitching matchup appears to be, you still have to play the game.

Webb uses a sinker, slider, and a changeup very effectively, as he's one of the best pitchers in baseball at inducing ground ball contact (60%). The D-backs are somewhat vulnerable to the double play due to their lower strikeout rate, so they will need to utilize their running game to manufacture runs against Webb.

Pfaadt utilizes a 4-seamer, sweeper, curveball, and a changeup. He primarily attacks with the fastball and sweeper, throwing it more than 80% of the time between Triple-A and the big leagues. Fastball location has been an issue for Pfaadt in his first two MLB starts, as he's given up six home runs with three coming on the fastball.

Lineups

Notes

Christian Walker has had the most success against Webb, as he's 4-for-11 against the Giants ace. Here's how everyone in the lineup has fared against Webb in their career.

Dominic Fletcher's 18 hits in his first 12 games is tied for the 18th highest total since 1995. Other players who he's tied with include Albert Pujols, Andrew McCutchen, Corey Seager, and Matt Kata. His 13 RBI over that span is tied for 18th, which includes Trevor Story, Mark Reynolds, and Alex Cabrera.