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.
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.
For the second straight night, 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.
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.