Pfaadt avoids burning up upon re-entry
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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- When he took him out with two outs in the first inning Friday night against the Reds, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo told right-hander Brandon Pfaadt that he planned to reinsert him to start the second inning and that he had around 30 pitches left.
“What are you going to do with them?” Lovullo asked.
Pfaadt managed to go 2 1/3 more innings after that, allowing just one hit in that stretch to finish on a good note after what started as a rough outing.
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“What's good is that some guys don't hear me,” Lovullo said after his team's 6-5 loss. “That's pretty impressive. He’s got great makeup, great attitude.”
Pfaadt, who is competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, started to land his breaking stuff after the first inning and found his rhythm.
“I could have stayed right there and kept giving up runs, kept getting behind [in counts], but I think it's a telltale [sign] when you have an inning like that what happens afterwards,” said Pfaadt, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the D-backs' No. 4 prospect. “It could go two ways, and, hopefully, I chose the right way and kept being aggressive.”
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Bumgarner throws in ‘B’ game
Madison Bumgarner threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a back-field game against Cubs Minor League players Friday afternoon, allowing four hits while striking out six and not issuing a walk.
“I thought the curveball was good,” D-backs pitching coach Brent Strom said. “Especially made some left-handers look bad. The big thing about Bum is that he’s using his offspeed pitches more now, which we have realized are some of his better pitches.
“He didn’t rely on the cutter to the extent he has in the past. He used the cutter as a pitch in addition to, rather than just being the main thing. The curveball is really good, changeup is improved. Good movement for him.”
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Making an impression
Right-handers Carlos Vargas and Justin Martinez are making an impression on Strom this spring.
Vargas, who was acquired by the D-backs from the Guardians in exchange for Ross Carver in November, threw several fastballs at 100-plus mph against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Martinez, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2018, has climbed the D-backs prospect rankings to No. 21. He retired both batters he faced against the Rangers and threw four pitches at 101 mph or more.
“That was kind of impressive,” Strom said. “Both kids are tremendous.”