Brandon Pfaadt looked in at Elehuris Montero, thought through his options and decided to go back to the well. For the fourth time in a six-pitch at-bat, he dialed up a sinker. The pitch is not Pfaadt’s primary offering, or even his second or third. But in an increasingly diverse arsenal, it’s another weapon he can turn to.

In the fifth inning Sunday, it was the weapon he needed. With the bases loaded and the Diamondbacks’ lead under real duress for the only time all afternoon, Pfaadt’s focus was on getting Montero to hit a groundball. “And we felt like that was our best pitch to do that,” he said.

It’s a pitch he wouldn’t have been able to go to this time last year. But over the course of the season, he added that sinker, specifically for moments like these. And on the fourth try, it worked as anticipated. Montero rolled over the pitch, bouncing out to Geraldo Perdomo and ending the threat.

The Rockies never even brought the tying run to the plate again, as the Diamondbacks wrapped up a season-opening series victory with a 5-1 win.

Pfaadt stood at the center of the effort, striking out six in five innings of one-run ball. He kept Rockies’ hitters off balance with a four-pitch mix and elicited five whiffs on his sweeper. Measured against his star turn last October, this outing was nothing abnormal for Pfaadt. But measured against his regular season, it was a sparkling performance. Only four times last year did he work at least five innings and allow one run or fewer.

“Last year, there were some growing pains that have allowed him to show up the way he did today,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

For the Diamondbacks, it was the type of outing that could elevate their season beyond the level of last year’s 84-win campaign. By adding Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery in free agency, they created a rotation with four established major league starters. If Pfaadt pitches like he did in October — and like he did on Sunday — they’ll have a fifth.

But as the Diamondbacks wrapped up a comfortable series win over the woebegone Rockies, their impressive performances extended far beyond Pfaadt.

Across the four games, the Diamondbacks played a clean, well-executed brand of baseball. They committed just one error, made a handful of nice defensive plays and stole five bases. It was not perfect — Luis Frias threw away a pickoff attempt on Saturday and they had a pair of runners caught stealing in the series. In a game three loss, their pitching effort was sloppy. But in contrast to their opponent, the difference was glaring.

The Rockies’ most visible miscue came in the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday. At the time, the Diamondbacks held a seemingly tenuous 3-1 lead, even after Pfaadt’s escape in the top half of the inning. That all changed on a routine pop fly from Ketel Marte. With two outs and a runner on second, Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones inexplicably dropped the ball, allowing one run to come across. A batter later, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. collected his 10th RBI of the series, doubling Marte home to extend the lead.

Jones’ error was not an isolated incident. The Rockies committed two other costly errors in the game. On Friday, they allowed Joc Pederson to reach base four times, each coming on a defensive play that could have been made. On Thursday, they allowed 14 runs in a single inning.

It was an effort reminiscent of Diamondbacks’ teams gone by. But it was an effort that this version of the Diamondbacks was able to capitalize on.

They were able to do so in part because of their own defense. On the crucial groundball Pfaadt induced in the fifth inning, Geraldo Perdomo made a strong throw across the diamond to retire Montero. Perdomo also shone in the fourth inning, flipping to second from his knees to end the frame on a diving play. In the seventh, Gurriel charged in on a single from Jake Cave and fired across his body to nail Cave at second base.

With the caveat of their opposition, it looked like a team in mid-season form, not March form.

“This team prepares extremely well,” Lovullo said. “They work hard at spring training. So I'm not surprised by what we did.”

Alek Thomas removed from game with hamstring tightness

Centerfielder Alek Thomas exited Sunday’s game in the fourth inning with left hamstring tightness. He is set to undergo imaging Monday.

Thomas first felt the discomfort in the first inning, as he sprinted down to first base on a double play. Everything initially appeared normal, but he reached for his hamstring as he began to walk back towards the dugout.

Thomas remained in the game for two innings, attempting at one point to loosen his hamstring with a theragun in the clubhouse. But after conversation with the Diamondbacks’ medical team, he exited the game and Jake McCarthy entered as a defensive replacement.

“It didn't feel 100% (after the double play),” Thomas said. “It felt like right after you have a cramp and the cramp is over and you're stretching it out and it still feels a little bit tight.”

Thomas added that he would know more based on how his hamstring felt Monday. Manager Torey Lovullo said it was too early to determine whether Thomas would be available for Monday’s series opener against the Yankees.

“I decided to take him out of the baseball game,” Lovullo said. “Alek wanted to stay in there but it just didn’t make sense, this time of the year. … He’s banged up for right now, we’re gonna continue to evaluate him through the course of the night.”

Diamondbacks honor Walker, Moreno Gold Gloves

On Saturday, the Diamondbacks presented Corbin Carroll with his National League Rookie of the Year Award. On Sunday, the hardware will continue, with a pregame ceremony to honor Gabriel Moreno and Christian Walker, each of whom won Gold Glove Awards last season.

For Moreno, the honor came in his first year as a full-time major league starter. He caught 16 of 33 would-be base stealers, the highest rate in baseball. He also improved throughout the season as a game caller, pitch framer and blocker, transforming the Diamondbacks into a different team when he was behind the plate.

Walker’s Gold Glove, meanwhile, was his second in a row. He once again led all first baseman in outs above average. Over the past two years, he has been worth 26 outs above average; the next best first baseman has been worth eight.

“Very proud of those guys,” manager Torey Lovullo said before the game. “Even though it's an individual award, I know that the team will be celebrating. Those guys did some things to help the team win baseball games. And that's what we'll all be thinking about.”

Monday's DBacks-Yankees pitching matchup

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (8-8, 5.31)* vs. Yankees RHP Luis Gil (0-0, 9.00)**, Chase Field, 6:40 p.m.

Nelson struggled for much of his first full major league season, posting one of the sport’s worst ERAs and strikeout rates. He struck out just 6.0 batters per nine innings. … Nelson looked sharper in spring training, after spending the off-season re-working his slider and tweaking his changeup. He had a 2.66 ERA in spring and, perhaps even more encouragingly, struck out 11.5 batters per nine. … In his last spring start, Nelson struck out nine batters in five innings of one-run ball against the Mariners. … Gil debuted in 2021 and had a 3.07 ERA in six starts. He injured his elbow early in the 2022 season and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery, only returning last September for two minor league appearances. … Gil made the Yankees’ Opening Day starting rotation after American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation.

Coming up

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (1-0, 1.80) vs. Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes (0-0, 7.20).

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (1-0, 1.35) vs. Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (0-0, 2.08).

Thursday: off

Friday: At Atlanta, 4:20 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (0-1, 11.25) vs. Braves LHP Max Fried (0-0, 40.50).

* — Stats from 2023

** — Stats from 2022

What to know about the New York Yankees

The Yankees are coming off a disappointing 82-80 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016, though they continued a 28-year streak of winning seasons. In the off-season, they acquired three-time All-Star Juan Soto, giving them an elite one-two punch in the middle of their lineup. So far this season, Soto has hit second, with 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge hitting third. Beyond those two, the Yankees are hoping for bounce-back years from veteran stars like Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom struggled last season. The Yankees’ pitching staff is anchored by reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, though Cole is on the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation to open the season. They bolstered their rotation in January, signing right-hander Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal. The Yankees also boast one of the best bullpens in baseball. They led the sport with a 3.34 ERA last year and have ranked among the top five in that metric for three straight seasons. That unit is led by closer Clay Holmes.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona begins season taking series against Rockies