The D-backs opened their series in Milwaukee with a real clunker on Tuesday night. The pitching wasn’t sharp, the defense botched some routine plays, and the offense was held hitless into the fifth inning. The recent decline in pitching has become a troubling theme over the past week, with command issues putting increasing strain on the bullpen.
Adding insult to injury, the pitcher who no-hit the D-backs through five innings was former Arizona fourth-round pick Chad Patrick. Traded during the 2023
season for Jace Peterson—who provided virtually nothing—this is starting to look like one of the roughest deals of the Hazen era. That’s especially true when you consider the Brewers have Patrick under team control through 2028, and his cutter already looks like an elite offering.
Merrill Kelly got the start and was largely ineffective, struggling to command his signature changeup. The walks piled up early, driving up his pitch count. He finished with five walks and five runs allowed over five innings—far from what the team needed from a veteran brought back to stabilize the rotation. It’s fair to wonder whether Kelly may have been rushed back too quickly from his spring training injury.
Things went from bad to worse in the sixth, when Andrew Hoffmann entered in relief and was immediately overwhelmed. The young right-hander recorded just one out while allowing eight runs to score. Some of the damage came on tough-luck contact and shaky defense against the Brewers’ small-ball approach, but the D-backs desperately needed length in that spot, and Hoffmann couldn’t provide it. A roster move wouldn’t be surprising, with Hoffmann potentially heading to Reno for a fresh arm. Notably, Yilber Diaz pitched today while Kade Strowd did not.
Offensively, Arizona managed just three hits and looked out of sync at the plate. They showed some patience early, drawing five walks, but couldn’t capitalize and frequently expanded the zone in key moments.
The lone bright spot came from Ildemaro “Bonds”… I mean, Vargas, who extended his hitting streak to 24 games—21 of those to open the season.
In an odd statistical quirk, former D-backs closer Jake Woodford was credited with a save in a 13–2 game—an unusual application of the rule, to say the least.
Arizona will try to even the series tomorrow, with Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound in hopes of providing much-needed length and stability. They’ll need a sharper effort, though—because if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that the Brewers will be ready to play.
