SAN DIEGO — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo went up to starter Brandon Pfaadt after seven innings in Wednesday’s 8-2 win at the San Diego Padres with the intention of calling on the bullpen.
“He goes, ‘No, I’m good. I’m good,'” Lovullo said postgame.
Pfaadt went back out for the eighth inning on a short leash with a 7-2 lead. According to catcher James McCann, he still had some of his best stuff.
Pfaadt struck out Elias Diaz to lead it off and caught Fernando Tatis Jr. looking at a sweeper to end a 1-2-3 inning. For the first time in Pfaadt’s career, he completed eight innings.
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“What I’ve learned over the course of time is when somebody’s feeling that powerful in the moment and we have a little bit of wiggle room, get out of their way,” Lovullo said. ”It was a really powerful moment for him. It told me he’s feeling as good as he probably has, and I wanted to let him get that feeling and capitalize.”
“Honestly, looking back at it, I wish I would’ve went out for the ninth,” Pfaadt said.
Pfaadt delivered eight innings (99 pitches) with two earned runs on only four hits and no walks. He struck out four batters, consistently putting the ball in play while his defense played great behind him.
His pitch mix was a bit different, as he dialed back the four-seam fastball in favor of the cutter, which he used to split the plate with the sinker.
“ That was part of our game plan, use the sinker to righties and the cutter to lefties,” Pfaadt said. “Sadly, the first batter hit a double on the sinker, but we ended up sticking with it and it worked from there. … I just started throwing (the cutter), so it’s one of those pitches that feels natural for me, and I feel like I’ve always kind of cut my heater, so I’m just cutting my heater even more.”
"Honestly looking back at it, I wish I went out for the ninth."
Brandon Pfaadt was feeling it during his eight-inning gem against the Padres. pic.twitter.com/CG8rw0ACwU
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 10, 2025
Pfaadt retired 13 straight batters after giving up a lead-off double to Tatis in the first inning.
He only needed nine pitches in the first, eight in the second and 10 in the third, setting up a deep outing in which he threw 84 pitches through seven innings.
Pfaadt seemed to be in lock-step with catcher James McCann, as Pfaadt said he never shook off McCann once.
McCann also got the offense started with a solo home run in the third inning off Padres starter Dylan Cease. Eugenio Suarez hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Geraldo Perdomo opened up the score with a grand slam in the fifth. Corbin Carroll hit a solo home run in the ninth for good measure.
Clean starting pitching that allows the offense to get its footing, slug to break the game open and quality defense to avoid giving an inch, that’s the type of game the D-backs always look for.
The Diamondbacks’ rotation is having itself a week.
Ryne Nelson on Saturday threw seven innings with one earned run, flirting with a perfect game through five. After a Sunday spot start, Zac Gallen picked it back up on Monday with six innings and no earned runs.
Merrill Kelly tossed seven innings of one-run ball on Tuesday, and he could have gone deeper had he not felt some right calf discomfort. And then Pfaadt followed suit.
Between those four outings, the D-backs’ starters tossed 28 innings with four earned runs for an ERA of 1.29.
“We feel very good about that group, we always have and we’ve been looking for them to get on this kind of roll,” Lovullo said.
Pfaadt’s next start will come after the All-Star break.
Eduardo Rodriguez is next in line, as he will look to bounce back on Thursday in the finale against San Diego. With a win, the D-backs (46-47) would earn a four-game series victory against a team they are chasing in the Wild Card race.
Right-hander Randy Vasquez will start for the Padres. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. MST.
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