The Arizona Diamondbacks opened a critical series against the St. Louis Cardinals without All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
Fortunately, Adrian Del Castillo stepped in with three hits in his first game this season to lead the D-backs to a 7-3 victory on Friday.
Now, Arizona will look to continue its good fortune as the two sides meet again on Saturday in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks will send Ryne Nelson (5-2, 3.68 ERA) to face St. Louis’ Sonny Gray (9-3, 3.50) in a battle of right-handers.
The Cardinals, who have lost nine of 13, are 2 1/2 games behind San Diego and three games ahead of Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot.
Del Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday in a series of moves that included placing Marte on the restricted list.
“I would love it if he was here, but he’s not, and we just have to deal with the circumstances,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “He asked for some time off, some time away, just to get grounded. I think he retreats a little bit when he gets upset, and I respect that space, and I’m going to give him that space.”
Marte’s home in Scottsdale, Ariz., was burglarized while he was in Atlanta for the All-Star Game.
“He’s a great baseball player, and when he’s in the lineup, he can impact the game in a bunch of different ways,” Lovullo said, “but I’m very respectful of the position he’s in right now.
There is no minimum stay for a player on the restricted list.
Del Castillo had three singles, scored twice and drove in a run in Friday’s opener of a three-game series.
“We’re ready,” said Del Castillo, who had two homers and two doubles in his final game at Reno on Sunday.
The D-backs also called up infielder Sergio Alcantara and reliever Trevor Richards from Reno and transferred catcher Gabriel Moreno to the 60-day injured list.
“Sometimes I think we get a little lackadaisical,” said Lovullo, whose team lost eight of 12 before the break.
“Today was one of those days where we were inspired, we were rested, and we came out and played the type of game I would expect to play tomorrow. We’re capable of doing it. That’s what my standard is, and I’m going to hold them to that.”
The Cardinals scored 24 runs while splitting four games before the All-Star break, but they had only four hits off Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt and did not score until Victor Scott II’s two-run homer capped a three-run ninth.
“I liked the way we played defense,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “But at the end of the day they outplayed us in every area.”
Gray is 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA in his last 10 starts, even after giving up six runs in 4 1/3 innings of a 6-0 loss at Milwaukee on June 12. He struck out five and gave up one run in his final start against Atlanta before the break, an outing limited to three innings because of a weather delay.
Gray gave up three runs in six innings of a no-decision against the D-backs on May 25, only the second time in his 13-year career he has faced them. He is 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA against Arizona. The Diamondbacks’ Josh Naylor, by the way, is 7-for-22 with two homers when facing Gray.
Nelson was in the bullpen and did not pitch when the Cardinals swept a three-game home series May 23-25. He is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in his last six starts and is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against St. Louis.
–Field Level Media
