LOS ANGELES -- Brandon Pfaadt returned from Triple-A Reno on June 30 with reworked mechanics and a renewed sense of confidence on the mound.
That combination continues to do wonders for the Diamondbacks right-hander.
Pfaadt pitched 5 1/3 innings with two runs allowed, no walks and two strikeouts to lead the Diamondbacks to a 9-2 win over the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. He retired 15 of the first 17 batters he faced and took a shutout into the sixth inning against MLB’s second-highest scoring offense.
He threw 55 of 77 pitches for strikes and had just one three-ball count all night.
“I've said it the last three outings, but trying to be as efficient as possible, pounding the zone and going out there and attacking guys and being the aggressor,” Pfaadt said. “I think just establishing the zone and then using the mix after that. I think that's the biggest thing, and that's something I [previously] got away from.”
In three starts since rejoining Arizona, Pfaadt is 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA. Before being sent to Triple-A, he was 0-1 with a 5.92 ERA and had been demoted to the bullpen.
“There's just confidence with everything that he's doing,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “He's getting the ball. His timing's great. His delivery looks great, and he's executing. That to me is the difference between every player when they have success and when they have failure.”
Pfaadt set the tone immediately by going nine up, nine down with remarkable efficiency to start the game. He needed just 27 pitches to get through the first three innings and threw seven first-pitch strikes.
Pfaadt briefly ran into trouble in the fourth when Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages led off with back-to-back singles, but deftly maneuvered his way through the heart of the Dodgers order to escape. He induced a groundout from Freddie Freeman for a fielder’s choice, got Mookie Betts to pop up to second base and retired Max Muncy on a weak chopper to end the threat and keep the Dodgers scoreless.
“Felt like we made great pitches on those two singles in the fourth, and kind of just stayed even-keeled and stayed where we were at mentally and how we were throwing,” Pfaadt said. “It all worked out, and we were able to get out of the jam.”
Pfaadt retired the side in order in the fifth before giving up a pair of runs in the sixth to end his night.
For the second straight game, the Diamondbacks put up a nine-spot to back a strong effort from their starting pitcher. James McCann hit two home runs, including a three-run shot off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to break the game open, Nolan Arenado homered and Tim Tawa went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs to continue his scorching series.
With Pfaadt holding the Dodgers down, the D-backs turned a close game into a rout with a five-run sixth inning against Yamamoto.
The D-backs led 1-0 before Max Kepler hit a sacrifice fly, Tawa ripped an RBI double and McCann blasted a three-run homer to cap the outburst and make it a 6-0 game.
The Dodgers had intentionally walked Arenado to face McCann with two on and two out, and the veteran catcher punished them with his first home run of the season.
“I mean, if you're thinking along with the game, you got a guy like Arenado with an open base, yeah, I understand the decision,” McCann said. “But of course, there's a little bit of pride there, so I want to make them pay for it. So coming through with that big swing, obviously taking a big moment and really separating ourselves, that was a good feeling for sure.”
Kepler hit another sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Arenado and McCann hit back-to-back homers in the eighth to finish the scoring with an exclamation point.
The only negative for the Diamondbacks was they lost their center fielder to injury for the second straight night.
Tommy Troy was removed in the fifth inning after making a running catch and crashing into the wall on a Teoscar Hernández fly ball. He was diagnosed with a right shoulder contusion and is day to day.
Troy’s injury came just one night after Ryan Waldschmidt left mid-game after being hit on the thumb by a 99.6 mph sinker while squaring around to bunt.
Troy did not have imaging after the game. His next steps will be determined on Sunday.