For D-backs, 'adaptability' proves key to outdueling Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- It was a little closer at the end than they would’ve liked, but the Diamondbacks will certainly take Monday night’s 9-5 win over the Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks had a few challenges facing them heading into this one, not the least of which was a powerful Dodgers lineup that had just gotten both Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández back from the injured list.

They were playing in a ballpark that had cost them plenty of heartache over the years, and the Dodgers also threw them a bit of a curveball late Monday morning when they announced that right-hander Landon Knack would not start, but instead lefty Jack Dreyer would serve as an opener.

That prompted manager Torey Lovullo to tweak his lineup just a bit. But in the end, it didn’t matter.

The Diamondbacks were able to jump on Dreyer in the first for a pair of runs, thanks to center fielder Hyeseong Kim losing a routine fly ball in the twilight sky.

“First of all, adaptability is a word inside of our [team] culture,” Lovullo said. “So our guys just made that adjustment, and they said, ‘We can handle it, we’ll just have good at-bats, whether it's against the lefty or the righty, and trust the lineup and the guy hitting behind me,’ and it really worked out.”

When Knack finally entered the game to start the third, the Diamondbacks were already up 3-0, and they padded that lead by hitting a pair of two-run homers against him in the third.

“We put some really good pure swings on some fastballs out over the plate, and hit two home runs,” Lovullo said. “So that's what we're capable of doing.”

That gave Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt early runs to work with and the right-hander didn’t waste the advantage.

Pfaadt started 11 days ago against the Dodgers in Phoenix and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Working with an early lead and preying on an aggressive-swinging lineup, Pfaadt used 95 pitches to get through six innings.

“It's tough facing an all-star lineup almost back-to-back [starts],” Pfaadt said.

Pfaadt didn’t allow a hit until Mookie Betts knocked a one-out solo homer in the fourth. It was one of three homers that Pfaadt allowed on the night -- two by Betts and one by Shohei Ohtani -- all of which were solo shots.

Pfaadt walked one and did not record a strikeout as he raised his record to 7-3. The seven wins are the most in the Majors, a stat he thinks is almost as much about the offensive support he’s gotten.

“Credit to the offense for putting me in that position,” Pfaadt said. “Got out early and we were able to just attack the zone and up until the sixth inning. [Three] homers, but that's OK, because we had the lead and we were just attacking guys.”

Pfaadt had his sweeper working Monday, though later in the game, the Dodgers started to adjust to that a bit, which could explain the two solo homers in the sixth. Still, it’s an outing that he and the Diamondbacks will happily take.

“It's no easy task to pitch against that lineup twice in [11 days],” Arizona pitching coach Brian Kaplan said. “I thought he competed really well. Obviously, ran out a little bit of steam there late, but threw the ball well, attacked the guys, mixed early, got some weak contact. Later on they start seeing, see him away a little bit, sitting soft, made some more contact, but he put together a quality start.”