Despite giving up 3 HRs, Pfaadt shines after adjustment

CINCINNATI -- D-backs right-hander Brandon Pfaadt entered his first big league start since June 29 on Saturday with a 0-3 record and a 9.82 ERA in six MLB outings this season. He had allowed 38 hits, including nine home runs, in 25 2/3 innings.

Pfaadt, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno to make the start, brushed off those numbers, allowing just three runs on four hits over six innings. He walked none and struck out six in the D-backs’ 4-2 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Excluding a six-pitch sequence in his final inning of work, Pfaadt was brilliant.

"If we had scored seven runs and won this game, it's a different story," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "I'm going to highlight a lot of the good things he did. Getting out of that first inning in that situation was something I feel like he needed. It gave him a little push."

The reason for Pfaadt’s major bounceback goes back a few weeks. After his rough start to the year, Arizona pitching coach Brent Strom had decided a change was in order.

"A couple of weeks ago, I made what you might call an executive decision," Strom said before the outing. "I looked at how his stuff was working at the big league level, and a major change was made. He was pitching from the far third-base side of the rubber.

“Today, he will be pitching for the far first-base side of the rubber. He has a lower arm slot, much like [Madison] Bumgarner does. I'm hoping this new angle will improve his fastball, especially in on right-handed hitters. [And] it'll help his change-up, so there's a lot to this. His last outing at Reno, it worked well."

In that outing at Reno on Sunday, Pfaadt -- who is ranked the D-backs' No. 3 top prospect by MLB Pipeline and was the club's 2022 Minor Leaguer of the Year -- threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

The change was put to the test immediately Saturday. Pfaadt gave up a hit, Ketel Marte committed an error, and Pfaadt hit a batter to load the bases with no outs in the first.

But Pfaadt struck out the next two hitters and got Joey Votto to ground out to leave the bases loaded.

"It was huge to get out of the first with no runs," Pfaadt said. "Me and [catcher Carson Kelly] had a game plan going in and stuck with it."

After escaping the jam, Pfaadt retired 13 more in order.

The D-backs weren't doing much better against Pfaadt’s Reds counterpart, left-hander Brandon Williamson. They didn't have a hit until the fifth, but they broke through in the sixth. Jake McCarthy led off with a double and Marte followed with an RBI single to get Arizona on the board first.

Two outs later, Marte stole second, but the call was overturned on replay.

"We're grinding right now," Lovullo said. "We're in a situation where we haven't had consistent at-bats. ... We've got to keep fighting."

The short lead did not last long for the D-backs. TJ Friedl broke the string with a one-out homer in the bottom of the sixth. The next hitter, Matt McLain, followed with his second homer in as many games (he hit a grand slam Friday). Then Jake Fraley made it back-to-back-back.

"It's kind of like a tip-your-hat situation," Pfaadt said. "We could have expanded a little more when we got to two strikes on the first one. I thought they were good pitches and [we] stuck with it. Could have made them a little better, for sure. It's kind of ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.'"