The Arizona Diamondbacks began their six-game road trip the right way with a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks opened their series against the Atlanta Braves with a 2-0 win at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday.
The victory over the Braves marked a critical rebound for the Diamondbacks after they lost a series at home to the Colorado Rockies. Given what happened against the latter, there was reason to be concerned about how Arizona would fare against a much more formidable opponent, but it struck first.
Pfaadt delivers
The Diamondbacks gave the starting nod to right-hander Brandon Pfaadt on Friday, and it paid off.
I pointed to Pfaadt’s start as an advantage for Arizona before the series. The 27-year-old took the mound against Atlanta with a 6-1 record and a 3.36 ERA, and he provided the type of performance that has led to those strong numbers.
The Braves did not have an answer for Pfaadt, and he kept them flummoxed until the bottom of the eighth inning when his night ended. When Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo chose to go to his bullpen, Pfaadt had delivered seven strikeouts while only allowing two hits through seven shutout innings of work.
This season, so much of the responsibility to win games has fallen on Arizona’s offense because of pitching struggles. Eduardo Rodriguez has been one bright spot, and if Pfaadt can continue to perform like this, he gives the Diamondbacks another desperately needed option in the rotation.
Pfaadt earned the winning decision, his seventh in a row, to improve to 7-1. His ERA also fell to 3.11, which demonstrates that he will be reliable with the ball in his hand.
Credit must also be given to relievers Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia, who only had a small lead to work with, yet did not let the efforts of Pfaadt or the offense go to waste. Morillo delivered two strikeouts while allowing a hit in one inning of work, and Garcia closed the game by striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.
Enough offense
The Diamondbacks' hitters did not run up the scoreboard, but they struck early and again late to help secure the win.
In the top of the first inning, a single by Geraldo Perdomo and a double by Corbin Carroll eventually led to Perdomo scoring off a Gabriel Moreno groundout. Arizona went scoreless the rest of the game until the ninth inning, when Tim Tawa hit a leadoff solo home run.
This was a great start to the Diamondbacks’ six-game road trip, and while it is still going to be challenging, it is better to look ahead to the next obstacle after a win than a loss.
