Brandon Pfaadt Pleased with Start Despite Shaky First Inning

Pfaadt felt he had his best stuff of the spring so far despite getting ambushed in the first inning.

Brandon Pfaadt made his third start of the spring against the Dodgers, allowing four runs in 2 2/3 innings on four hits, no walks, and one strikeout in a 12-1 loss. Despite a rocky first inning, Pfaadt was able to get three "up/downs" and stretch out to 46 pitches.

"Disregarding the results, good," said Pfaadt in regards to his start. "That's the best my stuff's felt in three starts, so I'm pleased with that," the right-hander continued.

In a rocky first inning, he went away from his sweeper to show the Dodgers A lineup something different. The results weren't necessarily in his favor as Los Angeles banged out four hits and scored four runs off of him, chasing the right-hander after six batters and 27 pitches. Re-entering the game in the second, Pfaadt decided to just pitch to his game and incorporated his sweeper into the mix. He set down the final six hitters he faced on 19 pitches.

"Our whole goal was to show them something different. They put in their A lineup, so we didn't want to show them too much, that's kind of how we scout. So the second inning I was like, you know what, I'm just going to throw it."

When manager Torey Lovullo learned about Pfaadt trying to hide his sweeper in today's start, he said he was "totally fine with that" and it reminded him of facing Clayton Kershaw in past springs. Kershaw would just fire 4-seam fastballs over the plate to avoid giving away his playbook for D-backs hitters.

"I think it was a mature decision, a mature choice that he made, but when it got down to it he wanted to throw it to get outs. That's what I like most."

Elvis Andrus made his first appearance of the spring, starting at third base. He went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts and made a couple nice defensive plays on the day. The first was making a backhanded stop on a grounder hit down the 3B line by Mookie Betts and the other was knocking down a Chris Owings line drive with runners on the corners. Not only did he save two runs on the play, but also got a force out at second.

"I thought he looked good," said Lovullo. "The key for me was getting through five to six innings healthy, and just keep building him up and get some reps. He's going to get some opportunities and we're excited about him showing us what he can do."

Blaze Alexander continues to show his all-around impact on the field. The young infielder made an impressive diving catch for the final out of the bottom of the 4th and hit an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the following inning. Alexander continues to make a bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster, especially with fellow shortstop prospect Jordan Lawlar optioned to Triple-A Reno today.

Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. dropped the bat after his 6th inning strikeout. He was replaced by Wilderd Patiño in the bottom half of the inning. He's being evaluated, but Lovullo believes Gurriel will be OK based on the information he was getting from the dugout but took him out for precautionary reasons. Gurriel was hit by a pitch two days ago and is dealing with a left hand contusion.

With a chance to evaluate a pair of left-handed relief options today, Jose Castillo and Kyle Nelson both got to face Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Castillo retired both hitters on weak ground balls to the right side in the 4th and Nelson surrendered a pair of extra base hits. 

In a cool moment at the end of the game, the D-backs sent infielder Cole Roberts to pinch hit in the 9th. Cole is the son of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and was signed out of Loyola Marymount last summer. He exchanged lineup cards with his dad before the game. Roberts grounded out to short for the final out.

The D-backs will face the Oakland Athletics at Salt River Fields tomorrow. Right-hander Ryne Nelson, one of the pitchers competing for the final rotation spot, will start for the Diamondbacks. First pitch will be at 1:10pm MST.