PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt continued a strong start to the season with six innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Chase Field on Tuesday.
Home runs by Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa pushed the Diamondbacks ahead, as Arizona kicked off its six-game homestand with a clean victory.
Pfaadt has given the Diamondbacks six innings in four of his five starts this season, the exception being a 5.2-frame outing with one run allowed against the Miami Marlins.
The Diamondbacks have a four-game winning streak when he starts for the first time in his career.
Pfaadt retired the first five Rays batters he faced before Kameron Misner poked a slow grounder down the third-base line against a shifted infield for a double. Jake Mangum singled the run home for a 1-0 lead, and from there Pfaadt cruised through 4.1 scoreless innings with two hits allowed.
He finished the game with four hits, five strikeouts and no walks. His ERA is down to 2.73.
The Diamondbacks loudly took the lead in the third inning when Smith crushed a 3-2 fastball 420 feet off Rays starter Zack Littell for a two-run shot. Smith already doubled in the first inning and later walked and scored a run in the eighth.
His .397 batting average ranks second in MLB among players with at least 40 plate appearances, trailing New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (.411). He also increased his on-base clip to .500.
Pavin Smith is hitting .404 this season after this go-ahead home run! ? pic.twitter.com/tWCuzIKdOL
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2025
Tawa provided an insurance run in the fifth inning with his third career MLB home run, a 108 mph line drive that just cleared the wall in left.
Walks by Corbin Carroll and Smith set up Josh Naylor for a rocket RBI single to right in the eighth inning off Rays reliever Mason Englert. Smith scored on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. sacrifice fly.
After scoreless innings from Ryan Thompson and Jalen Beeks, Juan Morillo made his Chase Field debut in the ninth.
Shelby Miller had been warming up for a potential save, but with a four-run lead, the D-backs turned to the rookie who made his MLB debut on Saturday.
Morillo, a non-roster invitee in spring training, struck out Misner on a 99 mph heater to end the game.
Diamondbacks-Rays mirrored history
The Diamondbacks and Rays (formerly Devil Rays) both entered the league as expansion teams in 1998. Incredibly, they each entered Tuesday with 1,200 regular season victories and 28 postseason wins.
Diamondbacks next game
The D-backs and Rays will continue their series on Wednesday. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4.09 ERA) will throw for Arizona against Tampa Bay right-hander Taj Bradley (5.24 ERA).
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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