Brandon Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks go for series win against Pirates

The Diamondbacks will be looking for a series win against the Pirates on Saturday night. The D-backs will induct inaugural members Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez into the team’s Hall of Fame at 4:45 p.m. prior to the team’s 5:10 p.m. kickoff.

Marco Gonzales (1-1, 2.70 ERA) will start for the Pirates against Brandon Pfaadt (4-6, 3.74 ERA) of the Diamondbacks.

For the veteran left-hander Gonzales, it’s only his sixth start of the season and his third since coming off the injured list. He still has an excellent changeup and a fly-ball-heavy profile. The pitch is hard to lay off and hard to square.

Pfaadt has become the team’s most reliable starter in 2024, leading the team in starts (20), innings (120) and quality starts (11).

Speaking to Torey Lovullo ahead of Saturday’s game, I asked him if Pfaadt’s emergence as a reliable option gives him the same punch he had last year with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

“I have a lot of confidence when he steps on the mound. I know he’s going to push the ball in the zone and give us a chance to win a baseball game. I agree with you, I feel like he’s coming up fast.”

Lovullo was careful not to portray the situation as if Pfaadt was already the team’s ace or teammate.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Zac and Merrill. I still see them that way. I think it would be really nice to have a one-two-three punch. That’s what’s going to help us get even better.”

With a lefty on the mound, Corbin Carroll drops to eighth in the order and Gabriel Moreno moves to second. Jake McCarthy gets the start in center field over Alek Thomas. The rest of the order is the standard D-backs lineup.

The team as a whole has not hit well this past week, hitting just .219/.297/.434, with 26 runs allowed in their last six games. Ketel Marte continues to carry the offense, though. He is 7-for-22, .318 with a double, three homers and three walks, good for a 1.157 OPS.

Geraldo Perdomo is on a bit of a slide, going 2-17, .118 with two walks in his last five games. He’s hitting .254/.318/.328, .646 OPS and hasn’t hit a home run this year.

The Pirates, who have already lost Bryan Reynolds, will also be without Rowdy Tellez, who left last night’s game with back spasms. In their place will be Connor Joe, batting cleanup and first base, and Ji Hwan Bae, batting seventh, playing right field.

The Pirates can’t afford these downgrades on offense as they’re already a low-scoring team.

Diamondbacks induct first members into Team Hall of Fame