WASHINGTON – Wednesday afternoon presented itself in a tantalizing way for the Diamondbacks. They had a chance to reach the .500 mark for the first time in two months, and better yet, it was against one of the worst pitchers in baseball. Entering the day, Patrick Corbin had a dismal 5.84 ERA. On the mound for Arizona was their most consistent healthy pitcher, Brandon Pfaadt.
But a day full of possibilities ended in frustration, punctuated by a 3-1 loss to the Nationals.
The main culprit was the Diamondbacks’ offense, which failed to produce any notable damage against Corbin. His only run came in the fourth inning, when Corbin walked Gabriel Moreno with the bases loaded to bring home a run.
The Diamondbacks particularly struggled when they were able to create opportunities for themselves. In the first inning, Christian Walker flied out with a man on base. In the second, Gabriel Moreno and Blaze Alexander went down quickly after a walk. In the fourth, Alexander struck out on a cutter and Geraldo Perdomo came up with a middle-middle slider to prevent a one-run inning from becoming anything more.
After Corbin exited, the Diamondbacks struggled to get runners, but when they did, they once again blew the opportunity. Corbin Carroll reached third base with one out in the eighth inning on a double and an error, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. chased a curve outside the strike zone to strike out and Christian Walker grounded out.
For a while, Pfaadt looked like he could get a win anyway. He only needed 50 pitches to overcome five scoreless ones. But in the sixth inning, with the power out at Nationals Park and the transmission low, he walked Lane Thomas and gave up a two-run homer to Jesse Winker on a changeup up the middle.
Pfaadt, who ultimately allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings, ended his day with peculiar distinction. He became the first pitcher in the Statcast era (since 2015) to throw at least 50 pitches and not throw a single swing-and-miss. Pfaadt normally has healthy strikeout numbers, but he’s already had two starts this year without a single strikeout.
With the Diamondbacks falling to 36-38, they won’t be able to reach the .500 mark in this series even if they win Thursday’s finale. Instead, they’ll have to aim for that threshold this weekend, against the NL-leading Phillies.
Broadcasting resumes after power outage at Nationals Park
WASHINGTON – The Diamondbacks’ broadcast of Wednesday’s game against the Nationals is back after missing parts of two innings due to a brief power outage at Nationals Park.
The power returned after a few minutes, causing the game to resume. However, the game did not return to the airwaves until almost half an hour had passed.
The Diamondbacks lead the Nationals, 3-1, in the seventh inning.
Pfaadt in control as Diamondbacks lead Nationals early
WASHINGTON – The Diamondbacks have struggled to do offensive damage against one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, but they still lead the Nationals, 1-0, after four innings.
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt was a little shaky early. Three of the Nationals’ first five batters reached base via a walk and two singles. But Pfaadt avoided damage with a pair of double plays and has been quiet since.
The Diamondbacks haven’t done much against left-hander Patrick Corbin, who entered with a 5.84 ERA, but they managed a run in the fourth inning to take the lead. Gabriel Moreno drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the inning to bring the run home.
Diamondbacks pause Alek Thomas’ rehab
WASHINGTON – The Arizona Diamondbacks are once again slowing the progression of center fielder Alek Thomas in his recovery from a hamstring injury, Torey Lovullo said Wednesday. It remains uncertain how long this latest pause will last.
Thomas played in an Arizona Complex League game on Monday, after which the Diamondbacks intended to send him to a rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno. Thomas, however, has been experiencing “general pain” for the past two days, Lovullo said.
Lovullo offered mixed messages in his press conference before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. He said Thomas could undergo more imaging of his hamstring in the coming days, but also that he remains “very” optimistic that Thomas will return to a rehab game next week.
“We want to be as cautious as possible to make sure everything is resolved before we move forward,” Lovullo said. “It’s been resolved, but it’s been active and we want to make sure it’s still in a good place.”
Thomas initially suffered his hamstring injury on March 31. He returned for three rehab games in Reno in early May, but re-injured his hamstring and was sidelined for more than a month before appearing in a complex league game Thursday. He played three games there last week (he went 5-for-7 with a double and a home run) before experiencing this latest round of discomfort.
Eduardo Rodríguez approaches the next steps in rehabilitation
WASHINGTON – Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez, another injured Diamondback who has dealt with a frustrating series of setbacks, is making progress in his rehabilitation.
Rodriguez, who has yet to pitch this season, recently underwent an MRI that showed “almost 100% healing” in his left side, Torey Lovullo said.
Rodriguez is throwing from 105 feet. Lovullo said he will “probably” take the mound for a bullpen session next week. Rodriguez initially suffered the injury in spring training before experiencing a major setback during a bullpen session in mid-April. That was the last time he stepped on a mound.
Lovullo said the two-week window between the All-Star break and the end of July is “a really realistic place” for Rodriguez and right-hander Merrill Kelly to return to the Diamondbacks.
Thursday’s Diamondbacks-Nationals pitching matchup
Diamondbacks at Nationals, 10:05 pm, Cox, Cap. 3. 4
Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (4-5, 5.49) vs. Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-5, 3.24).
In the National Park: This season has been another inconsistent one for Nelson, who has struggled to rebuild a long streak of positive results since the start of 2023… The last outing was one of Nelson’s best. He allowed one run in eight innings against the White Sox and struck out a career-high eight batters. Nelson has always possessed an excellent four-seam fastball, but against the White Sox he also recorded strikeouts with his changeup, slider and curveball. … That outing came after back-to-back starts with one strikeout. Since the beginning of May, he has a 5.83 ERA. …Gore was one of the key pieces of the Nationals’ trade for Juan Soto in 2022. The Padres selected him third overall out of high school in 2017. …Gore increased his strikeout rate to 10.9 per nine and reduced his ticket rate. at 2.8 per nine this season. He…he struck out 10 in seven one-run innings against the Marlins last time. … Gore averages 96.5 mph on his four-seam fastball and has posted impressive whiff rates on his curveball, slider and changeup this season.
Going up
Friday: In Philadelphia, 3:40 pm, Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (2-2, 6.23) vs. Phillies RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.33).
Saturday: In Philadelphia, 1:05 pm, Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 6.00) vs. Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (8-4, 2.84).
Sunday: In Philadelphia, 8:35 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (2-5, 5.90) against Phillies LHP Christopher Sánchez (4-3, 2.91).
What you need to know about the Washington Nationals
The Nationals made few significant acquisitions during the offseason, but they find themselves playing competitive baseball and squarely in the thick of the playoff chase in a mediocre National League. After sweeping the Marlins over the weekend, the Nationals won eight of nine games. The Nationals have the third-worst OPS (.668) in the National League, but their pitching staff has been solid, ranking fifth with a 3.84 ERA. SS CJ Abrams has been their most productive hitter with a .258/.310/.477 line and a team-leading 11 home runs. OF Jesse Winker is also off to a solid start, hitting .265 with six home runs and 31 RBI. The Diamondbacks will face two of the Nationals’ best starters this week: RHP Jake Irvin and LHP MacKenzie Gore. Irvin is a former late fourth-round pick in 2018, while Gore was one of the players acquired in the OF Juan Soto trade. RHP Kyle Finnegan ranks second in the league with 20 saves (in 22 opportunities) and a 1.78 ERA.
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