PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks — led by starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt’s gem and catcher Gabriel Moreno’s grand slam — played a much more complete game to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in their first meeting of the season Thursday, 5-3.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during his pregame media availability that his club seems to bring the best out of the Diamondbacks, who are now 15-15 in their last 30 games against Los Angeles — including the postseason.
“If that’s the case and we’re rising to the occasion, to be the best, you gotta beat the best,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I like our chances when we take the field against anybody. It’s just nice when you play a good game like this, especially after you haven’t been playing good baseball.”
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The D-backs (20-18) entered Thursday having lost four of the last six games and coming off a particularly frustrating day where the execution lacked.
Pfaadt escaping a first-inning jam and quality defense in the early going set a strong tone. Moreno’s slam put the D-backs ahead 4-0 in the fourth inning.
Pfaadt credited Moreno as the player of the game for not only his offense (three hits) but his work behind the dish.
“We always try to just be ourselves,” Moreno said via Spanish interpreter when asked about playing the Dodgers. “Teamwork is how you win the games. Defense was great today. I hit a home run today. The entire team chips in.”
Brandon Pfaadt bounces back
Pfaadt threw 6.1 scoreless frames, allowing only four hits and one walk. He danced with danger in the first inning but left two runners on. With two on and two outs in the sixth, he struck out Andy Pages on a sweeper away.
Over his last four starts against the Dodgers, including the postseason, Pfaadt has thrown 22.1 innings with five earned runs for an ERA of 2.01.
Additionally, he has pitched at least six innings in six of eight starts this season, giving the Diamondbacks consistent length.
Thursday was a solid bounce-back performance after he allowed a season-high six runs in Philadelphia last weekend. His ERA dropped back down to 3.30.
“I think we did that with the Phillies last time, we were a little too giddy up, and I think we were able to calm things down and locate more today,” Pfaadt said. “Success was derived from it.”
“We had a lot of things working on both sides of the plate and we were able to use that, whether that be the fastball or any of the offspeeds,” Pfaadt added.
Brandon Pfaadt, Filthy Changeups. ? pic.twitter.com/NRaKxgCKWt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 9, 2025
In three straight games, Arizona starters have pitched into the seventh inning and recorded at least one out.
Zac Gallen threw seven innings on Tuesday, and Merrill Kelly followed with 6.1 frames on Wednesday. The last time the D-backs strung together three straight starts of at least 6.1 innings was from Sept. 4-6, 2022, per Stathead.
“Did I envision this? Yes,” Lovullo said of recent starting pitching. “And when I talked about winning baseball games, this is what it looks like.”
Ketel Marte leads great Diamondbacks defense vs. Dodgers
The defense helped Pfaadt and the bullpen immensely. Alek Thomas ran down several balls hit to center, one of which he caught on a leap near the wall. Corbin Carroll in right field made a sliding catch toward the foul line.
Ketel Marte, however, had the game of the day defensively.
He snaired a 111 mph rocket from Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto to end the fourth inning. In the the fifth, he made a sliding back-handed snag and threw out Shohei Ohtani.
His play of the day in terms of stakes occured in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers had tagged reliever Juan Morillo with two runs and threatened with runners on the corners and one out. The D-backs led 5-2 with the tying runner at the plate.
Conforto hit a grounder into the 3-4 hole, which Marte collected, launched off his left foot into a jump throw and delivered a strike to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.
Perdomo’s return throw just beat Conforto to first, a call confirmed after the Dodgers challenged the play.
“That particular play, I’ve seen Ketel work on it,” Lovullo said. “He’s talked to me specifically about jumping and throwing the ball over hand and it getting away from him. He drops to a low three-quarter slot.
“This is a discussion we had in spring training. This is a discussion we had in the first week of the season before he got hurt and then he went out there and did it. Those are great moments between a player and a coach.”
Ketel Marte starts a critical double play for the @Dbacks! ? pic.twitter.com/n0sdcR5YIn
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2025
Marte also homered on Thursday, his first of the season.
He and Moreno took Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep. Yamamoto entered Thursday having allowed four earned runs through his first seven starts, and his day at Chase Field ended with five innings pitched and five earned runs.
Arizona’s relief ricketyness continued in the ninth inning when Ohtani hit a solo shot off Kevin Ginkel, but Ginkel closed to door to earn the save.
Jalen Beeks had a noteworthy performance out of the bullpen, entering the seventh inning for Pfaadt and striking out Enrique Hernandez and Ohtani to end the frame.
Diamondbacks-Dodgers continues
The second installation of this four-game series begins Friday at 6:40 p.m.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will pitch for Arizona against Los Angeles rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki.
Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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