Resurgent Red Sox aim to derail Brandon Pfaadt's strong run for D-backs

Wed Aug 19 2:25am ET
Field Level Media

Something has to give when one of the hottest pitchers in baseball faces a smoldering Boston offense in Wednesday afternoon's series finale between the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and Red Sox.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.11 ERA) has allowed no earned runs in his last four starts. He'll be facing a Boston team that has scored 20 runs on 29 hits in the first two games of the series. The Red Sox prevailed 11-1 Monday and 9-4 Tuesday.

Pfaadt began the season in Arizona's starting rotation, but was moved to the bullpen after three starts. He was optioned to Triple-A Reno on June 3, when he had a 5.92 ERA.

In nine starts since being recalled on June 30, Pfaadt is 7-0 with a 1.15 ERA. He'll enter Wednesday's game having pitched the last 33 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

"I wish I could tell you what the magic potion was because I'd give it to everybody," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said after Pfaadt got the win in a 2-0 victory over Atlanta on Friday. "It's work ethic and it's confidence that's continuing to develop every single day."

Pfaadt is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two career starts against Boston, which will have left-hander Payton Tolle (8-6, 2.97) on the mound. Tolle, who is in his rookie season, is 0-1 with a 15.00 ERA in one career start against Arizona, giving up five runs over three innings in his second career start last September.

Boston will be seeking its first series sweep since it won three straight against the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 4-6. The Red Sox lost series against the Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates before their bats came alive against the Diamondbacks. Boston has scored in 11 of the 16 innings they've batted in so far in this series.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was 1-for-17 with an infield single, five walks and nine strikeouts in his first six games after Baltimore traded him to Boston, but has four hits in the first two games of the series. He had a solo home run and a two-run single during Tuesday's win, which improved Boston's record at Fenway Park to 14-4 since the All-Star Break. The Red Sox are 31-31 at home this season.

"We said that early on when it wasn't going well that we're going to have to get things turned around here, turn the season," Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. "So actually, to go on the road -- not that we wanted to lose games on the road -- but have some struggles on the road and then be able to come back and immediately flip the switch and look like, ‘All right, now this looks like home cooking and we enjoy playing here.' That's a really good sign to protect our home turf. So that's been welcome, and it was needed."

Arizona has played both games against Boston without second baseman Ketel Marte, who was placed on the restricted list after he didn't show up to the field on Monday. Marte returned to Arizona Tuesday to have an MRI on his left knee.

"That's what I've been told, but overall my focus has shifted," Lovullo said. "My focus (Monday) was squarely on this topic, but right now, it's on the 26 players that are inside of the clubhouse."


ARI LogoArizona Diamondbacks
BOS LogoBoston Red Sox

Wed Aug 19 4:10pm ET


Gabriel Moreno (R), ARI1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Ildemaro Vargas (S), ARI1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Tim Tawa (R), ARI0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Nolan Arenado (R), ARI0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Geraldo Perdomo (S), ARI0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Jordan Lawlar (R), ARI0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Lars Nootbaar (L), ARI0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Corbin Carroll (L), ARI1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Brandon Pfaadt (R), ARI3.5 Strikeouts3.5Strikeouts
17.5 Pitcher Outs17.5Pitcher Outs
Adley Rutschman (S), BOS1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Mickey Gasper (S), BOS0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Willson Contreras (R), BOS1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
Nick Sogard (S), BOS0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Caleb Durbin (R), BOS0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Andruw Monasterio (R), BOS0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Jarren Duran (L), BOS0.5 Total Hits0.5Total Hits
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Wilyer Abreu (L), BOS6.9 Fantasy Points6.9Fantasy Points
1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
Ceddanne Rafaela (R), BOS1.5 Total Bases1.5Total Bases
0.5 Total Runs0.5Total Runs
0.5 RBIs0.5RBIs
Payton Tolle (L), BOS5.5 Strikeouts5.5Strikeouts
17.5 Pitcher Outs17.5Pitcher Outs

DFS PICKEM


Wed Aug 19

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