Two starting pitchers who got off to sizzling starts this season will try to get back to their winning ways on Thursday when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the San Francisco Giants in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks won the first two contests of the four-game series before the Giants held on for a 6-5 victory in 10 innings on Wednesday.
Left-hander Robbie Ray won his first seven decisions for the Giants this season but has just one victory to show for his past six starts.
Ray (8-3, 2.75 ERA) is coming off his best start in a month, however, limiting the Chicago White Sox to one run and four hits in six innings last Saturday. He did not receive any run support and took the loss in the 1-0 defeat.
Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt began the season with a 5-1 record after winning all five starts in April with a 2.43 ERA. The right-hander, however, went 2-3 in six starts in May with an 8.10 ERA, and 1-1 in five outings in June with a 6.26 ERA.
Pfaadt (8-5, 5.38) did not receive a decision after giving up three runs (two earned) and five hits in five innings of an 8-7 loss in 10 innings to the Miami Marlins last Saturday.
“I could see that he was fatiguing, and he had a 35-pitch first (inning)” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’m always in this space where, if it’s over 30 pitches, I chop your overall number down just to protect your arm and your shoulder.”
Ray spent 5 1/2 seasons with the Diamondbacks from 2015-20.
He faced the Diamondbacks for the only time in his career on May 13. He improved to 6-0 after allowing three runs and seven hits over six innings in the 10-6 victory.
Pfaadt is 0-3 with a 4.82 ERA in four career starts against the Giants.
He was matched against Ray on May 13 and took the loss after allowing four runs and six hits over four innings.
Lovullo said after the loss on Wednesday that it’s important that the Diamondbacks continue to focus on the fundamentals of the game.
“One thing I just want to make sure that we continue to preach to these guys is that those little things, those plays that don’t get made, those missed cutoff men, those types of things matter,” he said. “We always hammer down on that.”
San Francisco closer Camilo Doval might be unavailable after pitching two innings on Wednesday.
He blew his fourth save of the season when he gave up a two-run homer to Ketel Marte in the ninth inning but struck out back-to-back batters to end the 10th with the tying run on third.
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Doval has the team’s best arm.
“I was probably as impressed with him as I’ve been all year, going back out there and leaving the runner out there,” Melvin said of Doval’s Wednesday performance. “I know he gave up a hit and a homer, and that didn’t feel too terribly good, but to be able to respond from that, go back out there, keep your wits about you. …. His stuff was even better in the last inning, so it was impressive.”
–Field Level Media
