Arizona goes for sweep as Diamondbacks eye bounce-back effort

It included a nervous ending last night, but Arizona was able to salvage Merrill Kelly’s outstanding effort of only allowing one hit in seven innings. The bats will need to come alive for Arizona, as Atlanta as able to gain some momentum at the end of Wednesdays matchup that they will be sure to be looking to bring into Thursday.

Toeing the rubber on Thursday:

Brandon Pfaadt will be looking to put his last start behind him. In his previous start against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field, he allowed eight earned runs on six hits without even getting an out in the first inning. Other than that abysmal outing, Pfaadt has been stellar for most of the 2025 season, so the Snakes are banking on his last outing just being an off day. His debacle bumped Pfaadt’s ERA up to 5.05, to go along with his 7-4 record.

The Braves will have Grant Holmes on the mound Thursday morning. In Holmes’ last outing against the Red Sox, he pitched 5.2 innings and gave up three earned runs and six hits in a loss. He currently sports a 3-4 record with a 3.78 ERA. Holmes has been working on controlling his command and walking less hitters as well as his becoming more successful with his sinking slider. Arizona has a high OPS against right-handed pitching, and will have their chances taking advantage of that.

If Brandon Pfaadt can make it right after his meltdown, the Diamondbacks could be in a prime position to get a sweep against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday morning. The first pitch at Truist Park will be at 9:15 AM PT.