The Diamondbacks’ best position player and their best pitcher walked off the field with apparent injuries on Saturday evening, the sort of developments that threatened to cast a pall over the proceedings.
Instead, the Diamondbacks received good news on the injury front, and they were able to relish their 11-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that entered the day with the best record in baseball.
Second baseman Ketel Marte suffered what the team is calling a left ankle contusion when the Phillies’ Garrett Stubbs slid into him at the second-base bag in the top of the fourth. Marte looked to be in serious discomfort, but he said he would be fine and expected to return to the lineup on Monday.
An inning later, right-hander Zac Gallen tried to field a comebacker through the middle, then walked gingerly off the field with a trainer. He said he was dealing with cramping, nothing more, and said he would be ready to take the ball when his turn comes around again.
“I was hoping the news would be what it was,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of the injuries. “I was holding my breath for sure and I’m grateful that we dodged a bullet.”
Before exiting, Marte launched a rainmaker of a home run to right field in the first inning, allowing him to reach the 30-homer mark for the second time in his career. He is two shy of his 2019 total.
Jake McCarthy drilled a pair of home runs, the first multi-homer game of his career. Five other Diamondbacks had multi-hit games, including a three-hit night from Geraldo Perdomo and a two-hit performance from Corbin Carroll, who connected for a three-run homer in a seven-run seventh inning that blew the game open.
After winning a game started by Zack Wheeler on Friday, they beat Aaron Nola on Saturday, scoring four runs (three earned) off him in five innings.
“When you’re slugging the baseball against a quality pitcher, you’re locked in,” Lovullo said. “We’re in that mode right now.”
Marte was covering second when Stubbs, who in the process of stretching a single into a double, slid headfirst and banged into Marte, landing on his ankle in the process. The crowd booed Stubbs relentlessly in each of his ensuing trips to t the plate, but neither Marte nor Lovullo took issue with the slide.
“No, he’s a good kid,” Marte said, speaking through interpreter Alex Arpiza. “He slid headfirst, but he wasn’t trying to hurt me.”
Said Lovullo: “He’s a hustling type of player. He’s a backup catcher. He’s doing all he can once he steps on the field to create some energy. It was a slide where he carried over the bag and it was what it was. I didn’t have a problem with it.”
As for Gallen, his departure once again put a spotlight on the temperature in the climate-controlled ballpark.
Last year, right-hander Merrill Kelly departed multiple games due to cramping; he thought the heat in the facility was partly to blame, noting that it did not happen to him on the road. And on Thursday night, Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery marveled at the conditions in which he was pitching, saying he swore it was more humid here than it was during the summer in St. Louis, where he played last season as a member of the Cardinals.
“It’s the middle of August,” Gallen said. “You guys know how it is here. It’s as hot as can be out. And we had a good turnout tonight, so with the extra people in the building, there’s a little less cool air to go around, maybe. It is what it is.”
—Nick Piecoro
Replica ring is the thing for fans on Saturday vs. Phillies
The lines to get into Saturday’s Diamondbacks-Phillies game were already forming more than 3 ½ hours before first pitch, and not long afterward snaked up streets near Chase Field. The driving force behind a near-sellout crowd was the replica National League championship rings being given away to the first 30,000 fans through the gates.
Fans stood for an hour or more in the extreme heat waiting for the gates to open at 3 p.m. When they did, stadium employees handed out rings to customers, many who reacted with smiles as the box containing the ring was put in their hands.
“It looks identical, and I’ve spent a lot of time with it, clearly. I’m just grateful that (owner) Ken (Kendrick) and (president) Derrick (Hall) and the organization put together such an incredible piece,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said before the game. “I wear it proudly and I want the fans to know what they put on their fingers is going to overlap with what we have, and it’s a great day.”
It seems clear the Diamondbacks chose a series against the Phillies, the team Arizona defeated to win the NL pennant last year, to do the ring giveaway.
“It’s got the good weight, that’s for sure. It’s about as heavy as the one I have,” Lovullo said of the replica. Maybe I’ll be a trickster and tell people it’s the real one.”
Lovullo said playfully that when he wears his actual championship ring, it depends on “when I want to flex.” He wore it for the All-Star Game in Texas this year.
“I don’t wear it to flex. I wear to remind myself of the sacrifice and the commitment that we all made for one another,” Lovullo said. “It’s a really nice feeling when I put it on.”
—José M. Romero
Sunday’s Diamondbacks-Phillies pitching matchup
Phillies at Diamondbacks, 1:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (2-0, 2.19) vs. Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (8-7, 3.27).
At Chase Field: Kelly will be making his first start since April 15, having been sidelined for nearly four full months by a shoulder injury. … Kelly was his usual self before the injury, giving up two runs or less in each of his outings. … Kelly made a rehab start for High-A Hillsboro on Tuesday, giving up three runs in four innings with no walks and two strikeouts. … He last faced the Phillies in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series when he gave up one run in five innings. … Sanchez gave up one run in six innings against the Dodgers in his most recent start. He has worked at least 5 2/3 innings in five consecutive starts. … He faced the Diamondbacks on June 23, tossing seven scoreless innings at Citizens Bank Park. … Opponents are hitting .356 off Sanchez’s sinker but only .165 off his change-up, which elicits a 36.6 percent whiff rate.
Coming up
Monday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (6-6, 3.92) vs. Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (7-8, 4.56).
Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 4.76) vs. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.65).
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 6.37) vs. Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 5.00).
