Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson against the Boston Red Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Diamondbacks' Pitching Dominates in Close Win Over Mariners

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Feb 27, 2026 10:54 PM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks' pitching staff put on a show in front of a packed Peoria Sports Complex crowd on Friday night, earning the 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The lone offensive highlight of the game for Arizona came off the bat of A.J. Vukovich, who crushed a towering three-run blast to right-center off Mariners veteran righty Luis Castillo. The ball came off the bat at 104 MPH.

That would be all the offense Arizona needed. Right-hander Ryne Nelson set the tone for an excellent night of pitching, and the rest of the D-backs' pitching contingent — minor- and major-leaguers included — held up their end of the deal.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Pitching Dominates Mariners

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

It's important not to overreact to raw results, but Nelson's night was an encouraging Cactus League debut, to say the least. He delivered two perfect innings with three strikeouts, climbing up above 97 MPH on his fastball and collecting three whiffs on his cutter in the process.

He threw 17 of his 25 pitches for strikes, and looked like the excellent version of himself D-backs fans enjoyed in 2025.

From there, Arizona's bullpen held firm. Right-handers Taylor Clarke, Joe Ross and Juan Morillo each threw a scoreless inning. Landon Sims got two outs on five pitches before he was lifted for Juan Burgos, who got the final out. Sims' departure did not appear to be injury-related despite the quick hook.

The Mariners plated their only run off righty Taylor Rashi, who gave up a pair of base hits and an RBI groundout. He set down three in a row following two singles to limit the damage, however.

But the most intriguing relief performance of the night came from right-hander Daniel Eagen, making his spring debut. Eagen ended 2025 as the D-backs' No. 13 prospect after a brilliant 2.99 season across High-A and Double-A.

Eagen pitched two scoreless innings and collected the save. His fastball reached 95.4 MPH, and he got five whiffs on 21 pitches, throwing 17 of them for strikes.

Eagen gave up a two-out double in the ninth inning — a ball that bounced off the outstretched glove of outfielder Gavin Conticello. He set down the next batter to strand the runner, capping off what was a dominant performance. Eagen will be a name to watch in the D-backs' system this season.

Arizona improves to 4-4 in Cactus League play, and will take on the Los Angeles Angels at 1:10 p.m. in Tempe on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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