Arizona
Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson shuts down Pirates at Chase Field
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson made another pitch that he belongs in the starting rotation with 6.2 shutout innings on Monday in a 5-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Nelson played the role of stopper, as his performance was key to ending a five-game losing streak.
The Diamondbacks have five shutout wins this season, which have been started by four different pitchers (Corbin Burnes twice, Brandon Pfaadt, Merrill Kelly and now Nelson).
Nelson allowed four hits with no walks, striking out four batters as he consistently pounded the strike zone for quick outs. He threw 59 strikes out of 84 pitches, setting his season high for pitch count.
“Fastball command was there, I feel like that’s where it always starts for me,” Nelson said. “I’m jumping ahead of guys. I feel like that opens up everything. Slider and curveball made a big step forward today, and the changeup, as well.
“Been working on the secondary stuff a lot in these bullpens I’ve had, so nice to have the week to get some quality work in on the secondary stuff.”
Dating back to July 2024, Nelson has made 15 starts with a 2.98 ERA as a starter. Through three starts this season, Nelson has tossed 16 innings with three earned runs.
Ryne Nelson, Nasty 85mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/glFbEqBKoX
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2025
The right-hander had to deal with some early tough luck on Monday, as Pirates lead-off man Oneil Cruz hit a weak chopper that hugged the third-base line for a double on the first pitch of the game. Nelson worked out of that jam, sitting down eight of the next nine batters with only a ground ball single mixed in.
He worked through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings with only 29 combined pitches, striking out Cruz for a second time to end the fifth. He retired the final eight batters he faced.
Taking Ryne Nelson out of the rotation is a tough choice
Monday was Nelson’s second start since he took over a rotation spot with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez hitting the 15-day injured list on May 15 (shoulder inflammation).
Nelson delivered five innings with one earned run at Dodger Stadium last week.
He opened the season in the bullpen as the odd man out in a crowded group of starting pitchers. The D-backs have kept him stretched out to a degree as a long man, allowing him to make starts when needed.
What happens to Nelson when Rodriguez returns will be cause for tough discussions.
“Making it hard on them means I’m going out there and doing my job,” Nelson said. “That’s all I’m trying to do right now is prepare each week, take care of the body, make sure the arm stays healthy and go out there and get some outs.”
Manager Torey Lovullo said pregame that the idea of using the struggling Rodriguez (7.05 ERA) — an accomplished veteran in Year 2 of an $80 million contract and the lone lefty in the rotation — as a reliever has not come up behind closed doors.
Rodriguez threw three innings and 55 pitches in a simulated game over the weekend and will toss a bullpen on Tuesday. He is expected to need one more rehab outing, so Nelson is in line to make his next start on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.
What is clear is that Nelson is one of Arizona’s best five starting pitchers right now and has been since the middle of last year. He’s made it difficult to keep him out of the rotation before, notably last summer when the D-backs bumped $25-million-dollar Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen to keep Nelson starting.
“Nelly’s a very important piece of this team,” Lovullo said. “He will continue to be, no matter where he’s throwing.
“ I like tough decisions. I love digging into coaches to give me reasons why we do things and how we’re doing them. I like when we’re challenged by players performing at a very good level when they’re doing their job. We should have those types of tough conversations.”
Diamondbacks out-slug Pirates
Arizona’s lineup gave Nelson early support, coming through with two runs in the second inning off Pirates lefty Andrew Heaney. Randal Grichuk singled and Gabriel Moreno doubled to start the frame, but the D-backs were already 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position in the first inning.
This time, the club executed, as Tim Tawa hit a sacrifice fly and Ketel Marte singled home Moreno.
Then the power came into play, as Eugenio Suarez hit a 433-foot solo shot in the third and Josh Naylor smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.
Josh Naylor crushes his 6th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/FefZ8iFHj0
— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2025
Moreno finished the game with three hits, while Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. each collected a pair of knocks. The team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Contentious 8th inning
The eighth inning must have been stress-inducing for a fanbase that has watched Arizona’s bullpen struggle to hold seemingly safe leads before. The Pirates worked the bases loaded with no outs after a Suarez error and back-to-back walks from Scott McGough.
Justin Martinez entered for his second appearance since coming off the IL to face the jam, quite a test for the right-hander to jump back into another high-leverage situation.
Martinez struck out Bryan Reynolds on a nasty splitter, forced a pop-out and ended the inning with a fielder’s choice to keep the shutout intact.
“It was great to see that,” Lovullo said. “For me, that was a save.”
Justin Martinez, Filthy 89mph Splitter. 😷 pic.twitter.com/640xjfWNT9
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2025
Diamondbacks’ next game
The Diamondbacks (27-27) will play for a series win on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. with Burnes on the mound. Pittsburgh (19-36) will start right-hander Mike Burrows, who has one MLB start to his name.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes will start on Wednesday against Zac Gallen.
Both games will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
Arizona CEO accused of stealing millions
Jeffrey Gottfurcht, the now-former CEO of Mesa startupo Cyber Dive, is accused of stealing at least $1.5 million from the company to buy gifts for his girlfriend. FOX 10’s Brian Webb has more.
PHOENIX – An Arizona chief executive officer is facing major legal trouble after being accused of embezzling money from his company.
What we know:
Cyber Dive is an Arizona startup that sells child-safety smartphones, designed so parents can monitor their children’s online activity. The company is run out of a business complex in Mesa, but the startup is barely hanging on after the CEO allegedly took off with the money to spend on his girlfriend.
Jeffrey Gottfurcht is facing federal embezzlement charges. He stands accused of lying and doctoring documents to trick investors before running off with at least $1.5 million.
On the company Facebook page, Gottfurcht claimed to be the first rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to scale Mount Everest.
Local perspective:
Red flags first popped up at the company on Feb. 13, with strange occurrences coming into the office.
Derek Jackson, who co-founded Cyber Dive, recalled the moment the discrepancies came to light.
“They mentioned to me something about getting routing documentation for funds from an acquisition deal,” Jackson recounted. “They said ‘where are those documents?’ He said he was gonna send him at 3 p.m. today, and my response was what deal are you talking about?”
Dig deeper:
Court documents show Gottfurcht used the money to buy his escort girlfriend a Lamborghini, a four-bedroom house in Miami, and a diamond ring. The girlfriend has posted videos on TikTok, but her identity is hidden because she has not been charged with a crime.
When asked to confirm if Gottfurcht purchased the car, the diamond ring, and the house, Jackson responded, “Yes. So it gets deep. Yes, it gets very deep.”
“It’s a huge gut punch,” Jackson said regarding the impact on the startup. “I think it’s been challenging to stay motivated to keep the company going because when this happened, Jeff drained the account to zero.”
At the Cyber Dive headquarters, half the workforce was let go. Jackson is now serving as the interim chief executive officer, looking for new investors to keep the lights on while coming to grips with the loss of a partner and friend.
Jackson stated that the total amount of money taken is closer to $4 million.
“I was in the army. I was an intelligence officer. I was targeting people in ISIS. I don’t even hate terrorists as much as I hate Jeff right now,” Jackson said.
The other side:
No one answered the door at the Paradise Valley home Gottfurcht shares with his wife and three children. Court paperwork shows that his wife is seeking a divorce, and helped turn her husband in to the authorities.
What’s next:
Gottfurcht was previously arrested in Scottsdale in May over allegations of domestic violence. He remains behind bars on a $250,000 bond.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Derek Jackson, and from court documents.
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