Archie Bradley strode off the mound and circled it on Thursday night. He was seven pitches into his outing and had struck out both batters he had faced. As is often the case with Bradley, there was no need to read between the lines about how he felt. Bradley exuded confidence. He was rolling.
Two pitches later, everything had changed. The instant the ball left Manuel Margot’s bat, Bradley knew where it would end up. Margot’s solo home run turned out to be the difference in the Diamondbacks’ loss to the San Diego Padres, leaving a bitter taste in Bradley’s mouth.