Diamondbacks Hope to Stay Hot as they Enter the Nation's Capitol

The Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Washington Nationals at 3:45 p.m. Arizona time, in the D-backs' second road series of the year.

Arizona holds a 4-3 record entering Friday's matchup after taking their last series against the Yankees, setting themselves up for a strong road trip overall.

Starting Pitching

Brandon Pfaadt

On the mound for the Diamondbacks is right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. In his last outing the recently-extended 26-year-old pitched a Quality Start, going six innings and allowing three earned runs against the Cubs.

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After earning a highly-contested Opening Day rotation spot, expectations have been raised for Pfaadt. His incredible strikeout ability and status as an innings-eater have made him a fixture in Arizona's pitching staff.

Against Washington he has only pitched once, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs while striking out none. 2025's Nationals club however is a completely different ball club, with a myriad of new talent which has come up from the minor leagues, and is prepared to give any opposing pitcher a hard time.

Jake Irvin

Pitching for the Nationals is the 6-foot-6 righty Jake Irvin. He was solid in his first start of the year, pitching five innings of two run ball against a powerful Phillies lineup, but still came away with a loss.

Irvin's career numbers against the Diamondbacks are less positive, having faced them three times and pitching to a 4.80 ERA across 15 innings, striking out nine batters.

Washington's rotation is rather inexperienced, and as one of the more experienced arms among the group, they will be counting on Irvin to provide them with quality innings. With the D-backs' offense ranking among the best in the league, this matchup will certainly be a tone-setter for the rest of the series.

Lineups