Diamondbacks Face Brutal Pitching Matchups for Critical Series

The Arizona Diamondbacks just lost two of three to the San Francisco Giants, and will head to Minnesota to take on the struggling Twins.

Arizona is 73-74, with playoff hopes diminishing by the day, barring a spectacular late surge. The Twins, meanwhile, have lost eight of their last 10 games, sit 18 games below .500 at 64-82, and may have been the only team to sell more heavily at the 2025 Trade Deadline.

With the Giants, Phillies, Dodgers and Padres on deck to close out the D-backs' season, the upcoming three-game set with Minnesota

Friday, September 12: RHP Brandon Pfaadt (5.18 ERA) vs RHP Pablo Lopez (2.84 ERA)

Brandon Pfaadt has had a difficult season. He's been hammered by hard contact and was coming off back-to-back poor outings, but bounced back with an excellent six-inning Quality Start against the Red Sox, in which he allowed one earned run and struck out seven.

Pfaadt has made just one career start against the Twins, in which he allowed four runs over 6.1 innings.

Righty Pablo Lopez had a poor (to his standards) season in 2024, and has battled injuries for much of 2025.

He was activated from the 60-day IL with a shoulder strain on September 5, and completed six innings of two-run baseball. In limited action (66.1 innings) he has a 2.84 ERA and 3.17 FIP.

Saturday, September 13: RHP Ryne Nelson (3.48 ERA) vs RHP Joe Ryan (3.31 ERA)

Ryne Nelson has been excellent for the D-backs this season, serving as their most consistently reliable arm after the departure of Merrill Kelly.

For a time, it seemed opponents were keying in on Nelson's trademark fastball, but he was able to suppress the Red Sox his last time out, allowing one run in six innings. Nelson has recorded four straight Quality Starts, though his bullpen has struggled to finish games when he exits with a lead.

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Joe Ryan is in the midst of his best season yet. He's just four innings from tying a career-high, while sporting a career-best 3.31 ERA. He's striking out north of 10 batters per nine innings while walking less than two.

With that said, Ryan has been blown up in three of his last four starts, allowing 16 runs in 11 innings. He only managed to complete two innings in his previous start.

Sunday, September 14: RHP Nabil Crismatt (3.14 ERA) vs RHP Bailey Ober (5.08 ERA)

Nabil Crismatt saw his run of excellence hit a bit of a wall against the San Francisco Giants, giving up four runs in four innings. Overall, he's been extremely effective for Arizona in an unconventional fashion and is enjoying the opportunity to pitch to his strengths as a starter.

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Crismatt has given up two or fewer earned runs in four of his five starts, with a 3.14 ERA over 25 innings.

Bailey Ober might be the most (on paper) hittable arm the D-backs will face in this series. He's struggled to a 5.08 ERA in 24 starts this year — the worst number of his career.

He has not completed the sixth inning since August 9, though his last start saw him throw 5.1 innings with just one earned run and six strikeouts.

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