Diamondbacks Need Stability from Brandon Pfaadt vs Padres

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a brutal 1-0 pitchers' duel on Tuesday night, allowing the Padres to even the series at 1-1. They'll look to pull back ahead behind right-hander Brandon Pfaadt at 6:40 p.m.

The Diamondbacks fell back to two games under .500 at 45-47, while the Padres improved to 49-42. They're now 5.5 games out of the NL Wild Card, trailing the Giants who won Tuesday night.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Diego Padres Pitching Matchup

RHP Brandon Pfaadt (5.42 ERA) vs RHP Dylan Cease (4.62 ERA)

Pfaadt hasn't exactly done what one might consider turning a corner from his rough stretch, but he did deliver a line that was much more in-character his last time out.

Pfaadt had an 8.18 ERA in the month of May and a 6.26 figure in the month of June. He struggled to get swing-and-miss and fell victim to plenty of hard contact.

That didn't entirely disappear in his most recent start against the Giants, but he did complete six innings for the first time since May 19, and he struck out seven despite giving up four runs.

There are signs of gradual improvement. Pfaadt is finding the zone at a higher rate and is racking up strikeouts, but he'll need to be exceptionally sharp Tuesday to keep a dangerous Padres lineup down.

Right-hander Dylan Cease has not had excellent results in 2025, but his underlying metrics are those of a much sturdier arm. His 4.62 ERA is bolstered by a 3.40 FIP and 3.52 expected ERA. He's still striking out north of 11 batters per nine innings and his stuff has remained impressive.

Cease, similar to Pfaadt, gave up four runs in six innings his last time out, including two homers. The long ball has been more of an issue for Cease this season, as he's giving up over one homer per nine, his highest since 2020.

He relies primarily on a hard slider, with a 97 MPH four-seam to back it up. He also has a curve, sinker, changeup and sweeper, but his approach is mostly fastball-slider. The fastball has been worth -5 Run Value per Statcast, while his breaking balls have been worth +5.

Diamondbacks vs Padres Lineups

(Check back later for lineups.)

Diamondbacks vs Padres Bullpens

The Diamondbacks got an efficient seven innings out of Merrill Kelly on Tuesday, allowing them to use only right-hander John Curtiss in relief.

Manager Torey Lovullo should have full use of what remains of his battered bullpen, with closer Shelby Miller going on the IL Monday with a right forearm strain.

The Padres turned to their entire high-leverage group to close Tuesday's game. Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and closer Robert Suarez all pitched. It took Suarezs 20 pitches to record the save.

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