The Arizona Diamondbacks will attempt to reach .500 for the first time since mid-April when they play the second of three games against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
Arizona defeated the Nationals 5-0 on Tuesday night to move into the third wild-card spot in the National League.
“I’m proud of that,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said, “but we’ve got a long way to go and a lot better baseball to play.”
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-5, 4.38 ERA) goes for Arizona on Wednesday. He will opposed by left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-7, 5.84).
Pfaadt, 25, is coming off one of his best starts of the season. On Thursday, he allowed one run on six hits over six innings to defeat the Los Angeles Angels. He walked three and struck out eight to bounce back from a loss against the San Diego Padres in which he gave up three home runs.
Pfaadt has never faced the Nationals.
Corbin, 34, has plenty of experience for, and limited experience against, the Diamondbacks. He spent his first six major league seasons with Arizona, posting a 56-54 record with a 3.91 ERA and finishing fifth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2018.
He joined the Nationals as a free agent the next winter and was a key member of the 2019 World Series winners, both in the regular season and postseason. Since then, it has been one long slog. Corbin is 28-64 with a 5.65 ERA over the past five seasons.
Corbin, pitching on extra rest, turned in one of his better efforts of the season in his most recent start, limiting the Tigers to one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings during a no-decision on Thursday. Detroit wound up winning 7-2.
“He was really good,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said after the game. “We’ve got to score some runs for him. He’s kept us in the ballgame, we’re just not scoring runs for him, but I thought he threw the ball well.”
Corbin is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA in four career starts against Arizona.
Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs while Slade Cecconi tossed six shutout innings to lead Arizona on Tuesday.
Joc Pederson had three hits, giving him a .375 average (12-for-32) with two doubles, two homers, 12 RBIs and four walks over the past 10 games.
Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, who left the Sunday game against the Chicago White Sox when he felt discomfort in his left side after a throw, got a clean MRI exam on Monday. He joined the team in Washington and finished 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI on Tuesday.
“He said he was OK, and he proved it,” Lovullo said.
Carroll has now reached base in 18 consecutive games (with a plate appearance) and is batting .314 (22-for-70) with five doubles, two triples, six RBIs and 12 walks in that span.
Three Arizona pitchers held the Nationals to four hits on Tuesday, two each by CJ Abrams and Jesse Winker. Washington had won three straight and eight of nine before the defeat.
“For me, I’m going to try to go back and flush this one,” Martinez said. “We’re playing well. I’m not going to try to dwell on it. Just come back ready to play (Wednesday).”
–Field Level Media
