The Arizona Diamondbacks have named right-hander Brandon Pfaadt their fifth starter in the rotation to begin the regular season.
Pfaadt rounds out a rotation with Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes, Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly, in no particular order. Gallen will start on Opening Day Thursday to begin a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs.
The D-backs will pivot with Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery, who competed for the rotation spot, by having them open the season in the bullpen.
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“If we go down this route, and the starters are able to give us length and coverage for a certain period of time, and they’re up in the 55-60 pitch range, and something does happen, we could probably jump back into that (starter) role,” Lovullo said on Monday of potentially sending starters to the bullpen. “But if you shorten the amount of pitches they throw over certain length of time … we’re not gonna stretch them back out.”
Pfaadt led the club in innings pitched last season after breaking out in the 2023 postseason. He worked a 4.71 ERA in 181.2 frames, striking out 185 hitters. His numbers took a hit with a few lopsided pitching lines in the second half, as he produced a 3.92 ERA through 23 starts (Aug. 7).
He made a name for himself on the national stage during Arizona’s World Series run, particularly in the NLCS against Philadelphia when he threw 9.2 innings with two earned runs and 16 strikeouts to just two walks.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/SfxKTbh
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