Good, Bad and Ugly From Diamondbacks' Giant Series Victory

The Arizona Diamondbacks won two of three from the San Francisco Giants, coming up painfully short of a series sweep.

Still, Arizona will send their NL West rivals away having won the season series and eventual tiebreaker. As they continue to push for an improbable playoff run, winning these types of series matters, and the D-backs did just that.

There was some heartbreak, certainly, but also plenty of joy, to go along with some impressive performances.

Below is the good, bad and ugly from a crucial series win:

Diamondbacks vs Giants: The Good

Diamondbacks Don't Quit

It would be easy to give up when down early, especially when it feels as if a playoff appearance is unlikely or impossible. In game two, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez suffered a blowup first inning, putting the D-backs down 4-0.

Not only did Arizona respond (and ultimately win) they responded immediately. They put up three runs the following inning, then came through with two clutch hits in the fifth inning to knot it up.

Then, despite squandering multiple opportunities to take the lead, they were able to build an inning with patient at-bats and execution. The resut? Jordan Lawlar's first major league walk-off knock.

Related Content: Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar Reacts to First Career Walk-Off

Diamondbacks Bullpen

There was one problematic inning by Arizona's bullpen in the entirety of the three-game set, and it came after the D-backs twice failed to execute what could have been a (relatively) easy walk-off victory in game three.

In games one and two, Arizona's bullpen totaled seven innings pitched. Most remarkably, across those seven innings, there was only one baserunner allowed — a walk by Taylor Rashi in game one.

The D-backs' relievers went four scoreless, hitless, walkless innings in game two, and even got a scoreless inning in game three before the eventual meltdown occurred.

Diamondbacks vs Giants: The Bad

Eduardo Rodriguez Regresses

There wasn't much bad to truly pick out of this series (other than the obvious 'ugly' entry), but Rodriguez returned to a frustrating form in game two. In the first inning, he allowed three singles and two doubles, leading to four earned runs and a 4-0 deficit.

He gave up a solo homer one inning later, leaving seemingly pitch after pitch over the middle of the plate.

It's hard to be too critical, since he was able to limit the damage and complete five innings without further trouble — and, of course, the D-backs ultimately won — but after three extremely encouraging starts, it looked like more of the familiar poor command from the veteran lefty.

Diamondbacks vs Giants: The Ugly

Diamondbacks Waste Brandon Pfaadt's Shutout

Brandon Pfaadt pitched the best game of his professional career on Wednesday. He completed nine scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out seven. He was efficient and in total command.

Related Content: Brandon Pfaadt Gave Credit to Teammate for Nine-Inning Shutout

Ordinarily, that would be considered a complete game shutout. But instead, the D-backs went on to lose in extra innings, as they failed to score even one run in the first 10 frames.

The D-backs had bases loaded with one out in the ninth, and the ghost runner on third with one out in the 10th, and could not find a way to get a ball deep enough to plate the winning run.

Arizona was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in game three, and cost their young starter one of the most triumphant moments of his career by failing to execute.

Pfaadt became the first D-back to pitch nine scoreless innings since Zac Gallen threw a complete game shutout in the midst of a playoff race at Wrigley Field, back in 2023.

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