PHOENIX -- It’s good to be home.
The D-backs were desperate for a quality start and Eduardo Rodriguez delivered that -- and more. The veteran southpaw hurled seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Rodriguez held the Pirates hitless until Jared Triolo doubled to left with two outs in the fifth.
“Tonight was all about E-Rod and our starting pitching,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “It's exactly what we needed ... and it looked like he was in total control of that outing.”
Mixing in five different offerings, Rodriguez generated a season-high 15 whiffs and threw 103 pitches, his most since June 23, 2025. He became the first D-backs starter to pitch at least six innings since Michael Soroka went seven in Philadelphia on April 17.
“It was one of those days when everything is just working, and you just go out there and throw,” he said. “The days that we always as starting pitchers hope we have.”
Those days have been rare for the D-backs this season, entering Tuesday with the worst starting pitching ERA in the Majors.
With the rotation struggling as much as it has, Lovullo spoke to all five starters in his office a few days ago, challenging them to be better because he knows what they’re capable of.
Rodriguez rose to that challenge -- then issued one of his own, petitioning Lovullo to stay in the game with two outs in the seventh despite a noticeable dip in velocity. Rodriguez got his wish, then reared back and blew a 92.5 mph fastball by Joey Bart to end his outing.
“He backed me down, and he said, ‘Give me one last hitter,’” Lovullo said. “And I pointed and I told him, ‘This is your last hitter.’ I challenged him. He challenged me back. I like that kind of stuff. It fires me up.”
Lovullo was just as enthused about the D-backs’ offense. Ketel Marte, off to a slow start himself, had two RBIs and set the tone with a triple that started a two-run first inning.
Arizona then broke the game open with a five-run sixth, in what was a total team effort. Gabriel Moreno ripped an RBI double down the right-field line, Geraldo Perdomo blooped in a two-run single, Alek Thomas beat out a fielder’s choice to home plate and Corbin Carroll hit a sac fly.
By the end of the night, every starter had reached base at least once, six had at least one RBI and the D-backs matched a season-high by grinding out seven walks, taking patient at-bats against young flamethrower Bubba Chandler.
The defense was sharp, too. On the first play of the game, Perdomo ranged into left field to track down a sky-high popup similar to one that landed for a hit in Sunday’s loss in Chicago.
“I think it's just a reminder of what type of team we can be when we do the things that we're supposed to do, focus in on the little details,” Lovullo said. “It's a great break by [Thomas] at third base on a contact play. Heady baserunning, really good defense, so it didn't happen by accident. We work hard at it, and when we do it right, it tells me the story that we can win games.”