This story was originally published by Dead Spin
When the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks try for a three-game sweep against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon, they’ll have another confident pitcher on the mound.
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt is coming off six shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves in a 1-0 win on July 11.
Pfaadt (4-6, 3.97 ERA) said he was encouraged by his velocity in his most recent outing, which allowed his off-speed pitches to be more effective.
He allowed three hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Overall in his past three outings, Pfaadt owns a 1.10 ERA covering 16 1/3 innings.
“Mixing in the sinker with the four-seam (fastball) definitely has been playing very well,” Pfaadt said, “and then, obviously, using the slider off that.”
Pfaadt’s recent performance also felt like a sigh of relief since he left his previous start after taking a line drive off his ankle.
Pfaadt said he’ll continue to be aggressive in the strike zone and not nibble at the edges.
“That’s the goal going out every time,” he said. “I think we’ve been doing that. It’s just that part of the season where it’s starting to feel good, and the ball is coming out good.”
He faced the Cubs on April 17 and took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) and six hits over seven innings in a 5-3 defeat.
In three appearances overall against Chicago in his career, including two starts, he’s 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
The Cubs plan to counter with left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Imanaga (8-2, 2.97) threw a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
In his final start before the break, he tossed six scoreless innings in a 4-0 road win against the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles on July 10.
“Give Imanaga credit,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he was excellent. Three balls were really barreled up — two flew out to the wall and one went off the wall. We didn’t do a ton besides that. I was really impressed.”
Imanaga, a native of Japan, said through his interpreter that he has a single goal when he takes the mound.
“The days that I start, I’m going out there to win, help the team win,” said Imanaga, 30, in his first season in Major League Baseball. “But that’s only one win for one outing. It’s not five or 10. So I think what’s important (for our team) is to focus on each day and just get the wins, stacking up the wins and then don’t think too far in the future.”
The Cubs are 13-4 on days Imanaga has pitched.
Imanaga is one of three Cubs pitchers with at least 97 innings and no more than 16 walks before the All-Star break, joining Jon Lieber (2002) and Dennis Eckersley (1985).
“He’s humble. He’s a nice guy. He’s funny,” Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya said of Imanaga. “But when it’s business time, he’s out there doing his job. That’s why he’s an All-Star for us.”
Imanaga has never faced the Diamondbacks.
–Field Level Media
