Brandon Pfaadt to Start Game 3 of the NLCS at Chase Field

The rookie right-hander officially gets the nod for a pivotal Game 3, when the series moves to Chase Field.

Before the series Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo did not officially name a starter for Game 3 of the National League Championship series, but hinted at using a starter for that game. In today's pregame press conference, he named Brandon Pfaadt as the starter.

"I feel like being able to do that against a very rugged Philly lineup where you can't be predictable in one spot with one pitch because they will hurt you, I think Brandon being able to change speeds and work the ball around will be very good for us."

Pfaadt, 25, has made two postseason starts. He allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the Wild Card series and then 4 1/3 scoreless against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series clincher. His start in the NLDS may be the most impressive start of his career to date. In his start against the Dodgers, Pfaadt was able to utilize his fastball, sweeper, and changeup to keep them guessing. Both his strikeouts came on changeups, a pitch that hasn't been there for him most of the season.

"I like so much about his last outing" said Lovullo. "It was 47 pitches -- 42 pitches, threw four and one-third. Commanding the baseball. He is a little bit like Merrill [Kelly]. He can walk the baseball around the zone with different shape, speeds, and spin rate."

With the Diamondbacks down 1-0 in the NLCS, Game 3 now becomes a huge game in the series. Whether it's to try to take a 2-1 series lead or prevent the Phillies from taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, they'll need Pfaadt to step up once again. With only seven innings between two starts, expect Lovullo to have a short leash on his rookie right-hander.