D-backs acquire floor on Cubs behind Pfaadt, key HRs

PHOENIX — Coming off a tough collection in New York having dropped three of 4 to the Mets, it seems all of the D-backs wanted was one other matchup towards the Cubs to get them again on the profitable observe. 

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas every hit three-run homers off Justin Steele as the D-backs gained, 6-4. It was the fourth win in 5 video games for Arizona over the Cubs after taking three of 4 in Wrigley Field final weekend. 

Here’s a deeper have a look at three key moments from the series-opening victory:

Gurriel’s homer was big

After the bats slumped in New York, the D-backs had been determined for any spark that would ignite them.

Gurriel supplied simply that with two outs within the first inning, when he hit a first-pitch slider from the Cubs’ Justin Steele into the left-field bleachers for a 3-0 lead. You may virtually hear the collective sigh of reduction within the Arizona dugout as Gurriel circled the bases.

“I think it gave us a chance to breathe a little bit,” Thomas mentioned.

“We made a statement with a big three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning,” D-backs supervisor Torey Lovullo mentioned. “It let us take a big, big exhale.”

“I think Guriel hitting that three-run homer early on was definitely a momentum shifter,” Pfaadt mentioned.

Pfaadt confronted the Cubs final weekend in Chicago, and in an try and get him some higher matchups Lovullo went with an opener earlier than bringing Pfaadt in to begin the third inning, after which he allowed 4 runs over six innings.

On Friday, although, Pfaadt began the sport and held the Cubs to only 4 hits and a stroll, and no runs, over 5 1/3 innings.

“He was just pounding the zone,” Lovullo mentioned. “It looked like he had a good sinker, four-seamer with a sweeper combination and just got a lot of big swing-and-miss moments in some very key at bats. And for me it just looked like he was in total control throughout the course of his outing.”

“I thought he filled up the strike zone,” Cubs supervisor David Ross mentioned of Pfaadt. “It’s a lot easier to pitch with a three-run lead, coming right at you, throwing strikes, getting the secondary for strikes. Then he threw some nice 3-2 breaking balls. But I don’t think we got a real good sense of what he was trying to do to us at any time.”

The Thomas homer proved huge

Before he went to the plate to face Steele for the third time, Thomas acquired some steerage from hitting coach Joe Mather.

“Joe Mather said, ‘You were on the heater, so you’re probably not going to get another heater early in the count, so be prepared for a slider,’” Thomas mentioned. “And thankfully, I did get a slider, and it was in a good spot.”

The three-run homer pushed the rating to 6-0, and whereas it was good to have that additional cushion, it didn’t appear to be essential on the time.

But it loomed very massive after the Cubs rallied for 4 runs within the ninth inning off the Arizona bullpen, mashing a trio of homers towards Kyle Nelson and Paul Sewald, earlier than Sewald shut the door.

“Pretty sweet feeling being able to help out the team and increase the lead,” Thomas mentioned.