Diamondbacks 9, Cardinals 2
For the first time in 15 days, the Arizona Diamondbacks emerged victorious, beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 9–2. The team racked up 13 hits — including six with runners in scoring position — to end the losing skid. Ketel Marte led the way with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored.
Diamondbacks Fall Behind Early but Snatch Lead from Cardinals
The Cardinals took an early 2–0 lead after a first-inning solo homer by Dylan Carlson and a one-out RBI double in the second by backup catcher Andrew Knizner. A two-out triple in the bottom of the second by Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed and single by left fielder Tim Locastro got one of those runs back. In the bottom of the third, Marte belted a one-out jack to the home run porch in left-center to tie the game.
The Diamondbacks took a 4–2 lead over the Cardinals in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff double by right fielder Josh Reddick and infield single by Ahmed. Runners ended up on the corners with two outs when Locastro struck out and starting pitcher Matt Peacock grounded into a 6–4 force play. After Josh Rojas walked to load the bases, Marte singled to score both Reddick and Peacock.
A Big Inning
The Diamondbacks sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs in the process. Locastro, one of the fastest players in the league, opened with a slow, high chopper to short. Edmundo Sosa charged and tried to throw the ball before he fielded it. Locastro, safe on the error, then advanced to third on a follow-up single by pinch-hitter Pavin Smith.
The next play got interesting. Rojas hit a one-hopper to the shortstop on a drawn-in infield. Locastro had broken for home, so when Sosa threw to Knizner, Locastro was a dead duck. He got in a rundown and put up a valiant effort to avoid being tagged. However, while retreating to third, he intentionally veered into the infield to collide with third baseman Jose Rondon, hoping to draw an obstruction call. After returning to his feet, Locastro sprinted home, being tagged on the hand at the last possible second by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. A futile argument by manager Torey Lovullo ensued, but it subsided without any ejections.
During the rundown, Smith reached third while Rojas reached second. An intentional walk of Marte loaded the bases for catcher Carson Kelly, who drew an unintentional walk to score Smith. An infield single by Eduardo Escobar on a rocket off Goldschmidt’s glove scored Rojas. Two more consecutive singles by Christian Walker and Reddick brought in Marte and Kelly, and Ahmed drove in Escobar on a fielder’s choice. The five runs cemented the 9–2 final score.
Postgame Reflections
One key to the victory for the Diamondbacks was their performance with the bases loaded. Entering this game, they had batted .167 with the bases loaded. On Sunday, they went 5-for-6 with a walk and seven RBI. As for what changed on Sunday, Lovullo said it was “stubbornness in our area, and not coming out of it.” He continued, “There’s a time and a place to expand the strike zone, but with men in scoring position, you’ve gotta be pinpoint. I think today, we were pinpoint.” Lovullo ended with, “We did our job today, the right way. And we need to continue to do that, too.”
Looking Ahead
Peacock (2–1) earned the win, while Kwang Hyun Kim (1–3) took the loss. Riley Smith finished off the Cardinals for a seldom-seen three-inning save. The Diamondbacks (19–35) continue their homestand Monday with a three-gamer against the New York Mets. On Monday, Merrill Kelly (2–5, 4.84 ERA) will face Mets ace Jacob deGrom (3–2, 0.80 ERA). Tuesday’s probables are Diamondbacks lefty Caleb Smith (2–1, 3.57 ERA) and Mets lefty David Peterson (1–4, 4.91 ERA). Wednesday afternoon should see lefty Madison Bumgarner (4–5, 5.15 ERA) match up with Mets righty Marcus Stroman (4–4, 2.47 ERA). The first two games will start at 6:40 Arizona Time, while the third game will be a 12:40 pm matinee.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/managers mentioned:
Ketel Marte, Dylan Carlson, Andrew Knizner, Nick Ahmed, Tim Locastro, Josh Reddick, Matt Peacock, Josh Rojas, Edmundo Sosa, Pavin Smith, Jose Rondon, Paul Goldschmidt, Torey Lovullo, Carson Kelly, Eduardo Escobar, Christian Walker, Kwang Hyun Kim, Riley Smith, Merrill Kelly, Jacob deGrom, Caleb Smith, David Peterson, Madison Bumgarner, Marcus Stroman
