Pfaadt continues to impress despite one pitch spoiling start

ARLINGTON -- Brandon Pfaadt didn’t regret the pitch selection. He didn’t regret the pitch location. The biggest regret was simply facing one of the game’s hottest hitters -- the Rangers’ Corey Seager -- at the time.

Seager deposited Pfaadt’s first-pitch sweeper into the right-field seats at Globe Life Field for a go-ahead, three-run home run in the fifth inning, which proved to be the difference in the D-backs’ 4-2 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday in a rematch of the 2023 World Series.

“[Seager] put a good swing on a good sweeper,” Pfaadt said. “Wasn’t necessarily the wrong pitch or anything. He’s one of the best players in the game for a reason and put a good swing on it.”

That swing by Seager spoiled what was another solid start by Pfaadt.

Before the home run, Pfaadt limited the Rangers to one run over four innings. After the home run, Pfaadt retired eight straight batters en route to matching his career-long outing of seven innings.

Pfaadt felt like he could have gone deeper, too.

“Physically, I feel great,” he said. “Honestly, I felt stronger in the seventh than when I started the game. Of course I wanted to go back out there after giving up four [runs], I wanted to go back out and give our team a chance to win.”

Pfaadt has been giving the D-backs a chance much of the season. He has now pitched six-plus innings in each of his last six starts, the longest such streak of his career and the longest by a D-backs pitcher since Zac Gallen last season (July 20-Aug. 22, seven starts).

Pfaadt had a streak of five consecutive quality starts come to an end Tuesday, although that was a footnote considering his continued development. He made his Major League debut just over a year ago against these same Rangers at Globe Life Field, allowing seven runs on nine hits with one walk and three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings on May 3, 2023. That day, Pfaadt gave up four home runs.

For D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, Pfaadt’s resurgence is a continuation of what he has shown since being recalled for the final time in the 2023 regular season.

That’s when the “tide turned,” Lovullo said, with Pfaadt carrying his success over into last postseason and this season. In his lone start against the Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series, Pfaadt allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.

“We knew that he was rising quickly,” Lovullo said. “And, with each start, he continues to just go out and follow the game plan and do a great job. He pitches into the sixth inning just about every time he goes out and keeps us in the game. He does a great job with that. It’s growth and development for everybody every single year, especially young pitchers and he’s continuing to learn.”

Pfaadt acknowledged the frustration of throwing 91 pitches and having one be the difference in the game. However, he also sees the bigger picture.

“There’s more good to come out of the start and what we can take away from it except for that one pitch,” he said.

Offensively, meanwhile, the D-backs are still struggling. They jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, but couldn’t get anything else the rest of the night. The closest they came was in the sixth inning when Joc Pederson tried to score on Eugenio Suárez’s fly ball to right. However, Pederson was thrown out at the plate by Rangers right fielder Adolis García.

Pederson was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned.

“I beat the ball,” Pederson said. “I just didn’t make the best slide.”

That’s just how another frustrating night went for the D-backs. They have lost three of their last four, scoring a combined six runs in those four games. They also dropped to 3-15 in series-opening contests this season.

“Sometimes it feels like the world is collapsing around you when you lose games like this,” Lovullo said. “But the one thing I want to say out loud is it isn’t, and we’re going to come out here and fight again tomorrow.”