What Happened in Brandon Pfaadt's Disaster Outing?

Brandon Pfaadt had a bad night on Tuesday, at the worst possible time. Here is a look at what happened.

Sep 24, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

A-lot was riding on Brandon Pfaadt's start on Tuesday evening against the Giants.

The Arizona Diamondbacks' young right-hander has been a dependable workhorse for the club for most of the year but has been fighting to regain his footing as of late. Then he hit a brick wall in the San Francisco offense.

"Today I felt great physically." said Pfaadt speaking with Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI's Jack Sommers. "I felt like we were making pitches early, but then we left some fastballs in the middle and paid the price for it."

It was quite a price to pay for the young right hander. He lasted only 2.2 innings against the Giants, the third shortest start of his career, and the shortest since his last start at Chase Field, where he only lasted 1.2 innings against the Brewers.

Pfaadt had been the Diamondbacks' most consistent starter until the All-Star break. His 2nd half though has been filled with some struggles. With another 4 ER in 2.2 innings on Wednesday it is fair for fans to raise some concern on the young right-hander, especially so close to the playoffs.

"I really felt great physically. The ball was coming out well, the pitches were moving. I just left some balls down the middle...at the end of the day we are talking about inches on a plate. Sometimes you can feel your best, and still leave the ball where you dont want to."

Pfaadt struggled quickly after reaching the 2nd inning. Things began falling apart on a Patrick Bailey solo home run and continued to unfold from there. The misses were directly in the middle of the plate, just waiting to be squared up by Giants hitters.

He walked 2 batters in the 2.2 innings thrown, something uncharacteristic from Pfaadt, but potentially a side effect of the inability to keep the ball out of the middle of the zone. His pitch count continued to climb, reaching 62 by the time Torey Lovullo pulled him from the game.

"Brandon was just grinding." Lovullo said postgame. "There were some 12-18 inch misses in that game, and it was just one of those days for him. He was doing all he could. Corbin [Carroll] made an incredible play to keep us in the game, but it just got out of control."

Uncompetetive games like the Diamondbacks played on Tuesday can't be afforded anymore. The San Diego Padres have already clinched a playoff berth, the Mets are on the cusp, and the Braves have pulled within half a game of the Diamondbacks for the 3rd Wild Card position.

The D-backs have 4 games left to play. Things are tight, and the matchups dont get easier with San Diego coming to town.

Pfaadt was asked what the mood was like with the very few games remaining, "I think we are taking it game by game. We have four games remaining, and we know the type of game we can play. We play our best four games and we are in. We have to control what we can control."

How will Pfaadt be utilized down the stretch?

There is no sure answer yet, but Pfaadt said if he were to be called on to pitch the last game of the season, he would be ready. He could possibly pitch Sunday on four days rest, depending on what the team does with Saturday's game.

Related Content: What is the Diamondbacks' Pitching Plan for the last 5 Games?

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