Diamondbacks offense stays quiet in loss to Nationals

WASHINGTON – Wednesday afternoon went tantalizingly for the Diamondbacks. They had a chance to hit the .500 mark for the first time in two months and, best of all, they faced one of the worst pitchers in baseball. Entering the day, Patrick Corbin had a dismal 5.84 ERA. On the mound for Arizona was their most consistent healthy pitcher, Brandon Pfaadt.

But a day full of possibilities ended in frustration, punctuated by a 3-1 loss to the Nationals.

The main culprit was the Diamondbacks offense, which did no noticeable damage against Corbin. Their only run came in the fourth inning, when Corbin walked Gabriel Moreno with the bases loaded to bring home a run.

The Diamondbacks particularly struggled to create opportunities. In the first inning, Christian Walker flew out with a man. In the second, Gabriel Moreno and Blaze Alexander fell quickly after a step. In the fourth, Alexander struck out on a cutter and Geraldo Perdomo popped out on a middle-to-middle slider to prevent a one-run inning from becoming anything more.

After Corbin’s release, the Diamondbacks struggled to recruit runners, but when they did, they once again wasted the opportunity. Corbin Carroll reached third base with one out in the eighth inning on a double and an error, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. chased a curveball out of the strike zone to strike out and Christian Walker grounded out.

For a while, Pfaadt looked like he might pull off a victory anyway. He only needed 50 shots to go five scoreless. But in the sixth inning — with a power outage at Nationals Park and a reduced broadcast — he walked Lane Thomas and gave up a two-run home run to Jesse Winker on a changeup up the middle.

Pfaadt, who ultimately allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings, finished his day with special distinction. He became the first pitcher in the Statcast era (since 2015) to throw at least 50 pitches without getting a single swing and a single miss. Pfaadt usually has a good number of strikeouts, but he has now had two starts this year without a single strikeout.

With the Diamondbacks falling to 36-38, they won’t be able to reach the .500 mark in this series, even if they win Thursday’s finale. Instead, they will have to aim for that threshold this weekend, against the National League-leading Phillies.

Broadcast restored after power outage at Nationals Park

WASHINGTON — The Diamondbacks’ broadcast of Wednesday’s game against the Nationals is back after missing a two-inning game due to a brief power outage at Nationals Park.

The power returned after a few minutes, which allowed the game to resume. However, the game did not return to the airwaves for almost half an hour.

The Diamondbacks lead the Nationals 3-1 in the seventh inning.

Pfaadt in control as Diamondbacks lead Nationals early

WASHINGTON — The Diamondbacks have struggled to inflict offensive damage against one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, but they still lead the Nationals, 1-0, after four innings.

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt was somewhat difficult at first. Three of the nation’s first five batters reached base via a walk and two singles. But Pfaadt avoided damage with two double plays and has been cruising ever since.

The Diamondbacks didn’t do much against left-hander Patrick Corbin, who entered with a 5.84 ERA, but they managed a run in the fourth inning to take the lead. Gabriel Moreno worked a loaded walk with one out in the inning to bring home the run.

Diamondbacks pause Alek Thomas’ rehabilitation

WASHINGTON — The Arizona Diamondbacks are once again holding back center Alek Thomas’ progress as he recovers from a hamstring injury, Torey Lovullo said Wednesday. The duration of this last break remains uncertain.

Thomas played in an Arizona Complex League game Monday, after which the Diamondbacks aimed to send him on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Reno. Thomas, however, has been experiencing “general pain” for the past two days, Lovullo said.

Lovullo offered mixed messages during his press conference before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. He said Thomas may undergo further imaging of the hamstring in the coming days, but also that he remains “very” optimistic about Thomas returning to a rehab game within the next week.

“We want to be as careful as possible to make sure everything is resolved before we continue to move forward,” Lovullo said. “It’s been resolved but he’s been active and we want to make sure he’s still in a good position.”

Thomas first suffered a hamstring injury on March 31. He returned for three rehab games in Reno in early May, but re-injured his hamstring and was out for more than a month before playing in a tough championship game on Thursday. He played in three games last week – going 5 for 7 with a double and a home run – before experiencing this latest bout of discomfort.

Eduardo Rodriguez nears next steps in rehab

WASHINGTON – Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez – another injured Diamondback who has dealt with a series of frustrating setbacks – is making progress in his rehabilitation.

Rodriguez, who has yet to pitch this season, underwent a recent MRI that showed “almost 100 percent healing” in his left side, Torey Lovullo said.

Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll honored before game against Rockies

Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks, with his family in town, received the plaque for being named the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year.

Rodriguez throws 105 feet. Lovullo said he will “probably” take a mound for a bullpen session sometime next week. Rodriguez was initially injured in spring training before experiencing a major setback during a bullpen session in mid-April. It was the last time he stepped on a mound.

Lovullo said the two-week window between the All-Star break and the end of July is “a really realistic time” for Rodriguez and right-hander Merrill Kelly to return to the Diamondbacks.

Thursday’s Diamondbacks-Nationals Kickoff Game

Diamondbacks at Nationals, 10:05 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (4-5, 5.49) vs. Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-5, 3.24).

At the National Park: This season has once again been inconsistent for Nelson, who has struggled to put together a long streak of positive results since the start of 2023. … The last start was one of Nelson’s best. He allowed one run in eight innings against the White Sox and struck out a career-high eight batters. Nelson has always possessed an excellent four-seam fastball, but against the White Sox he also got strikeouts on his changeup, slider, and curveball. … This outing came after back-to-back starts with one strikeout. Since the beginning of May, he has a 5.83 ERA. … Gore was a key piece in the Nationals’ trade for Juan Soto in 2022. He was drafted third overall out of high school by the Padres in 2017. … Gore increased his strikeout rate in batting at 10.9 per nine and dropped his walk rate. at 2.8 per nine this season. … He struck out 10 in seven one-run innings against the Marlins last time out. … Gore averages 96.5 mph on his four-seam fastball and has gotten impressive whiff rates on his curveball, slider and changeup this season.

Future

Friday: At Philadelphia, 3:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (2-2, 6.23) vs. Phillies RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.33).

SATURDAY: At Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 6.00) vs. Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (8-4, 2.84).

Sunday: At Philadelphia, 8:35 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (2-5, 5.90) vs. Phillies LHP Christopher Sanchez (4-3, 2.91).

What you need to know about the Washington Nationals

The Nationals made few significant acquisitions this offseason, but they find themselves playing competitive baseball and squarely in the middle of the playoff hunt in a mediocre National League. After sweeping the Marlins this weekend, the Nationals have won eight of nine games. The Nationals have the third-worst OPS (.668) in the NL, but their pitching staff has been solid, ranking fifth with a 3.84 ERA. SS CJ Abrams was their most productive hitter with a .258/.310/.477 line and a team-leading 11 home runs. OF Jesse Winker also got off to a good start, hitting .265 with six home runs and 31 RBIs. The Diamondbacks will face two of the Nationals’ top starters this week, RHP Jake Irvin and LHP MacKenzie Gore. Irvin is a former late fourth-round pick in 2018, while Gore was one of the players acquired in the OF Juan Soto trade. RHP Kyle Finnegan ranks second in the league with 20 saves (in 22 opportunities) and a 1.78 ERA.