Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1: Double-headed starters

Record: 8-11-1. Change on 2022: -1.

Yesterday’s rain-outs pushed both Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Pfaadt back to this afternoon’s start against the Cubs in Mesa. MadBum worked the first four innings (with an asterisk there, as we’ll see), before Cole Sulzer struck out the side after a lead-off hit in the fifth. Brandon Pfaadt then took over and worked the last four frames. Bumgarner’s line shows 3.1 scoreless innings on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. However, he had some serious help from Zach McAllister, who took over a bases loaded, one out situation in the second and cleared it up, before Madison returned in the third. Corbin Carroll also took away at least extra bases from Cody Bellinger in the fourth.

Pfaadt was not so lucky, Bellinger going deep off him in the sixth for the Cubs’ only run. Otherwise, however, he looked very good, even if the opposition by that point was probably not of All-Star caliber, shall we say. Brandon allowed three hits and no walks over four innings, striking out seven. The offense mostly came courtesy of a two-run homer by Caleb Roberts, a fifth-round pick in 2021. Carroll scored the third and final run, being driven in by Gavin Conticello. Carroll also walked, with Phillip Evans had a pair of hits. The game took a crisp 2:25, in front of a packed house of over sixteen thousand at Sloan Park, on a very nice afternoon for baseball - in contrast to yesterday.

Most importantly, the D-backs managed to get through the game without any further ailments or accidents. So that’s nice. Tomorrow sees them back at Salt River for a St. Patrick’s Day game against the Rockies, with Ryne Nelson the scheduled starter.