Ketel Marte continues to strength his All-Star case, playing a big role in the Diamondbacks’ 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field. Both of Marte’s hits on the night gave Arizona the lead, with his infield single in the seventh driving in the game-winning run. His heroics turned what could have been a frustrating loss into a thrilling win, as the team coughed up the lead in the previous inning.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“What can you say about Marte, he’s a beast,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on the television broadcast. “Hits a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, has a big infield hit for that huge RBI.”
Marte continues to close in on a potential All-Star berth. He is the leading vote-getter at second base in the National League, narrowly ahead of the Padres’ Luis Arráez.
The Diamondbacks immediately put pressure on Twins starter Joe Ryan, as Corbin Carroll ripped a single to right to lead off the first. Marte followed up with a two-run home run that put Arizona up 2-0 before their first out. It was his seventh home run in the first inning, tied for the third most amongst Major League hitters this season.
Ketel Marte’s 7th homer in the first inning gives the #Dbacks a 2-0 lead.#VoteKetel
pic.twitter.com/MDTjfqfPFB— Burn City D-backs Talk????️ (@BurnCityDbacks) June 26, 2024
Arizona tacked on two more runs in the second. Jake McCarthy led off the inning with a base hit to left center. Eugenio Suárez, who the Diamondbacks remain steadfast in giving opportunities at third base, drove a fly ball to deep right-center. Twins center fielder Byron Buxton could not make the play in the gap, allowing McCarthy to score on Suárez’s triple. Tucker Barnhart added an RBI single to make it 4-0.
“I faced him before, knew he was going to challenge with fastballs,” said Barnhart. “I got a pitch over the plate, trying to force something out away from me, he likes to tie-up left-handers in with some height. I got a fastball down, out over the plate, and was able to put a good swing on it.”
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt looked good from the onset. He cruised through the first six innings, with his only mistake being a center-cut fastball to Buxton that resulted in a homer. Trouble came following in the seventh. With one out, Pfaadt walked Carlos Santana. Buxton ripped a 107 MPH ground ball that handcuffed Geraldo Perdomo at short, with the Diamondbacks getting no outs on the play. Instead of an inning-ending double play, it brought up Ryan Jeffers as the potential tying run. Jeffers hit a towering fly ball to left field, sneaking it over the fence for a game-tying home run.
“Brandon I felt like was dealing, throwing the ball extremely well, deserved that opportunity to pitch through that situation with a low pitch count,” said Lovullo.
It marked the 37th time the Diamondbacks have blown a lead this season, the most in the major leagues, and the end of Pfaadt’s night. The right-hander finished with four runs allowed in 6 1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Like the case in many of his starts this season, a tough sequence and a pitch he’d like to have back otherwise marred another solid start.
However, Arizona was able to provide the answer in the bottom half of the inning. Much like how the Twins’ rally started in the top half, Perdomo drew a two-out walk to flip the lineup. Carroll dropped in his second hit of the night in front of Buxton to put runners on the corners. With a chance to retake the lead, Marte hit a slow roller to his counterpart at second and beat out the throw for the go-ahead knock.
With a late lead, Lovullo went to his backend guys. Ryan Thompson got three easy ground ball outs against the middle of the Twins lineup. Paul Sewald was able to nail down his 10th save despite some two-out drama, as Jeffers smoked a liner right at Lourdes Gurriel Jr. with the tying run in scoring position for the final out.
The Diamondbacks will go for a much-needed series win on Tuesday. Right-hander Ryne Nelson (5-5, 5.18 ERA) faces Simeon Woods-Richardson (2-1, 3.26 ERA) in a battle of young starters. First pitch at Chase Field will be at 6:40 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
