Six and one-third innings of one-run baseball would generally be considered a dominant quality start.
But right-hander Brandon Pfaadt put up those numbers out of the bullpen on Sunday, following the worst outing by an Arizona Diamondbacks’ starter since, ironically, Pfaadt’s own start just under a year ago.
Pfaadt had previously allowed eight runs on six hits without recording a single out in a start against the Washington Nationals back on May 31 of 2025. But on Sunday, he was the hero who cleaned up Nelson’s similarly-tough outing.
It was Pfaadt’s first appearance out of the D-backs’ bullpen this year, after the team made the decision to transition him into a long reliever. He threw 84 pitches in his efficient 6.1-inning performance, with two strikeouts, four hits allowed and two walks.
Pfaadt entered with two outs in the top of the third inning, replacing Andrew Hoffmann. Hoffmann was forced into the game in the first inning and threw 2.2 innings, as right-handed starting pitcher Ryne Nelson was blown up for eight earned runs on eight hits while recording only one out.
It was not the best situation to come into, but Pfaadt performed a valuable service to Arizona — preserving their bullpen for the upcoming series with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
“Without Brandon Pfaadt, six and a third, coming in, we would be up against it for another three or four days. So he’s built to do that for us, and the fact that he’s able to do 82 or 84 pitches and protect the entire bullpen and give them a day off, that was fantastic,” Lovullo said.
“So between [Pfaadt and Hoffmann], great job.”
Pfaadt’s lone run came in the fourth inning. He allowed a single and a walk before throwing a wild pitch. The run scored on Andres Gimenez’s ensuing sacrifice fly.
The right-hander’s outing was one of the few positives from an ugly game. He worked efficiently, getting 10 whiffs and 14 called strikes while keeping the Blue Jays to just one extra-base hit — an eighth-inning double off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Diamondbacks failed to sweep the Blue Jays as a result of the lopsided first inning, though they did end up outscoring Toronto 4-2 in the latter eight frames — in no small part due to Pfaadt’s efforts.
Arizona’s rotation decision has now paid dividends on both sides. In addition to Pfaadt’s relief outing, Michael Soroka is continuing to excel in the rotation, throwing seven innings with two earned runs in his most recent start.
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