Pfaadt ties Arizona record with 7 straight strikeouts in Diamondbacks' 5-1 victory over Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Pfaadt tied an Arizona franchise record by striking out seven straight batters to highlight his dominating performance as the Diamondbacks boosted their playoff hopes by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Thursday night.

The Diamondbacks remain tied for second place in the NL wild-card standings with the New York Mets, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-6 on Thursday. They're both two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves.

Milwaukee was playing one night after clinching its third NL Central title in four years.

Pfaadt (10-9) collected a career-high 12 strikeouts while allowing just one run and two hits in seven innings. It was a remarkable turnaround for Pfaadt, who had given up eight runs over 1 2/3 innings in a 15-8 loss to the Brewers just five nights earlier.

Pavin Smith hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Diamondbacks.

Milwaukee’s lone run came on Garrett Mitchell’s two-out homer in the seventh. Pfaadt allowed only one other baserunner, when he gave up Brice Turang's leadoff single in the fourth.

Turang moved up to second when Jackson Chourio grounded out, then Pfaadt struck out Milwaukee's next seven hitters.

The only other Diamondbacks to strike out seven straight batters within a single game are Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Johnson accomplished that feat three times and Schilling did it once during the Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Series championship season.

A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez worked the final two innings to complete the two-hitter.

The Diamondbacks broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning by scoring three runs off only one hit.

After Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo walked to start the inning, Corbin Carroll hit a ball that got past third baseman Andruw Monasterio and went into left field. Moreno scored, Perdomo advanced to second and Carroll reached first on the play, which was ruled as a fielder’s choice with an error on Monasterio.

Ketel Marte followed by ripping a 3-0 pitch off the top of the right-field wall for an RBI single that knocked Brewers starter Tobias Myers out of the game. Perdomo scored on Christian Walker's sacrifice fly that right fielder Sal Frelick caught in front of the wall.

Myers (8-6) allowed three runs — one earned — and four hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked three.

With their division title wrapped up, the Brewers rested shortstop Willy Adames for the first time this season. Adames had started each of Milwaukee’s first 152 games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks manager Torey Luvullo said there's a possibility that OF Lourdes Gurriel could be activated from the injured list in time to play in this series. Gurriel has been dealing with a calf issue and last played for the Diamondbacks on Sept. 1.

UP NEXT

RHP Zac Gallen (12-6, 3.61 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks and RHP Colin Rea (12-5, 4.14) starts for the Brewers on Friday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte hits an RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suárez hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy watches from the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

WARE, England (AP) — Aaron Rodgers talked some football but mostly relationships — those with coach Robert Saleh and former teammate Davante Adams, in particular — after the New York Jets landed in London on Friday.

The four-time NFL MVP even tossed in some local lingo, saying “knackered” and “gobsmacked” during his 11-minute session with reporters ahead of Sunday’s game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rodgers denied he and Saleh have any sort of rift, saying “there’s some driving force” outside the Jets' facility trying to “put a wedge between Robert and I.”

Pre-snap penalties in a 10-9 loss to Denver last week led Saleh to question “whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence ″ that Rodgers uses to confuse defenses. Saleh later clarified he meant the entire operation of the offense, not specifically Rodgers' cadence. He said the Jets are “always going to push the envelope” with cadence because of Rodgers' success with it.

“Cadence has been a weapon," Rodgers said at the team's hotel north of London. "I think he kind of went in and got a chance Monday to kind of respond to all of that.”

The 40-year-old quarterback also made it clear he and Saleh are not at odds.

“We’re really good friends," he said. "We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day, I’m in his office talking about things, talking about the energy of the team, the focus of the team, what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out.

"So we’ve got a great relationship.”

Another hot topic this week has been the status of the frustrated Adams, who could be available in a trade after reportedly requesting the Las Vegas Raiders to deal him. The Jets have been mentioned as a potential destination because of the relationship between Adams and Rodgers, who were teammates in Green Bay for eight seasons.

Rodgers prefaced his comments on Adams by saying he wasn't sure how much he could say because of the NFL's tampering rules. But he clearly indicated his preference when it comes to a potential reunion.

“I still have a close friendship with him," Rodgers said. “We spend a lot of time in the offseason together. He’s a great guy and a great player. The rest of that is out of my hands.”

When asked about how a player might benefit from a change of scenery, Rodgers responded: “The grass is green where you water it. ... You can make a special situation out of being anywhere.”

Rodgers, who was sacked five times and hit 14 times by the Broncos, said he feels “a little banged up” but overall “pretty good.” He received treatment this week on a sore left knee, but was a full participant at practice Thursday at the team's facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, after being listed as limited Wednesday when he didn't join his teammates during stretching.

Rodgers might be 40, but he's embracing the NFL's aggressive international push. Brazil hosted its first NFL game this season. Spain gets its first in 2025.

“Spain would be fun,” Rodgers said when asked about where else he'd like to play. He didn't stop there, though: “Mexico, France, Italy."

“We know the reach that we have," Rodgers said of the league. "It's great to be over here, be a part of it. Love that we’re branching out, love how we can grow the game.”

Two years ago in London, Rodgers and the Packers lost 27-22 to the New York Giants.

“I definitely want to win in London, for sure,” he said.

—

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) speaks during a press conference in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)