NEW YORK — Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Diamondbacks were not dead yet, not with the switch-hitting Ketel Marte due up and a left-handed reliever entering the game for the New York Mets.
“I hope people keep throwing lefties out there so he can hit righty,” Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald said. “That’s great. We’ll take it every time.”
Marte blasted a pair of home runs, including the go-ahead, two-run shot in the top of the ninth, as the Diamondbacks salvaged a four-game split with a come-from-behind, 5-4 win over the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
Marte's Big Day: See the stats from the Diamondbacks' win over the Mets
The win was an encouraging finish to an otherwise rough trip. It began with back-to-back losses in Texas, followed by two more in New York to open this series. It has been another shaky stretch for a team that has had more of them than it would prefer, but it also was another week in which the Diamondbacks kept themselves from falling over the edge.
“I think that’s our goal is just to win some much-need games, some much-needed series now, and then get some guys healthy and go on a run,” Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt said. “Obviously, we want a little more than a split here, but we’ll take it and move forward and go home and win some games.”
Trying to protect a one-run lead, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza made the curious decision to line up his relievers so that lefty Jake Diekman would pitch the ninth with Marte due up.
Not only had Marte already homered and doubled from the right side, he entered the day with massive splits. He was hitting just .245 with a .680 OPS as a lefty but .287 with a .950 OPS as a righty.
“At some point,” Mendoza said, “you were going to run into a matchup you didn’t want. It didn’t work.”
For a brief moment, it appeared the Mets might have got the better of it. Diekman had two strikes on Marte when he floated a breaking ball that appeared to nick the top of the strike zone. He did not get the call. Marte blasted the next pitch, another breaking ball, sending it an estimated 439 feet just to the left of straightaway center.
Marte’s first homer came leading off the game, a shot off Mets lefty Jose Quintana.
“He’s a beast,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Nothing he does surprises me. He can change games with one swing of the bat or one great defensive play and he wants to be in the middle of everything. That’s his personality. That’s who he is at his core.”
The Diamondbacks, who also received a solo homer from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., owned a 3-0 lead before the Mets scored four times in the third off Pfaadt. It remained 4-3 game until the ninth.
Marte’s past month has been filled with extremes. For more than three weeks, he rode a career-best 21-game hit streak, but when it ended last homestand, he sank into an 0-for-22 rut. After reaching base safely in each of his five plate appearances on Sunday, the Diamondbacks are hoping it is the start of another hot stretch.
“He’s so incredibly talented,” Sewald said. “We are so fortunate that he is motivated to try and make the All-Star team to play at his absolute peak. That’s all he lacks away from being one of the Top 25 players in the league regularly. When he’s on, he’s on, like nobody in the league.”
After Sunday, Marte owns a .270/.330/.502 line (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage) with 12 homers. He has also been a dominant defender; his nine defensive runs saved are tied for the third most of any player in baseball. His 2.7 WAR (wins above replacement) is the third best in the National League, per Baseball-Reference.
The wins the past two days were rare for a Diamondbacks team that entered the week just 2-15 at Citi Field since the start of the 2018 season.
Short hops
Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (knee) is expected to play in his third game in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday before shifting his rehab assignment to Triple-A Reno, Lovullo said.
—Center fielder Alek Thomas continues to make progress in his recovery from a hamstring strain, but there are no immediate plans for him to get into game action, Lovullo said.
—Lovullo said of his injured starters, right-hander Zac Gallen, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Thursday night, is likely to return before either right-hander Merrill Kelly or left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Lovullo put a return date for Rodriguez somewhere around the All-Star break.
—Right-hander Kevin Ginkel, who was struck by a line drive on the inside of his left knee on Saturday afternoon, was available to pitch on Sunday, Lovullo said.
Monday’s Diamondbacks-Giants pitching matchup
Giants at Diamondbacks , 6:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (3-4, 6.02) vs. Giants TBA.
At Chase Field: Nelson gave up four runs in six innings against the Rangers in his most recent start, a game the Diamondbacks lost, 6-1. … Prior to that, he fired five scoreless against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. … Nelson faced the Giants on April 18, turning in two scoreless innings before having to leave after getting struck on the arm by a line drive. He owns a 3.10 ERA in four career starts against the Giants. … This spot in the Giants’ rotation has been used as an opener the past couple of turns, with LHP Erik Miller getting the start each time. It remains to be seen whether the Giants would prefer to go with a lefty to get DH Joc Pederson out of the lineup or a righty to counter 2B Ketel Marte, 1B Christian Walker and others. … RHP Spencer Howard pitched bulk innings the last time this turn came around, firing four scoreless innings against the Phillies, giving up five hit, walking none and striking out four.
Coming up
Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Blake Walston (0-0, 2.16) vs. Giants LHP Kyle Harrison (4-2, 4.15).
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (3-3, 5.48) vs. Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (4-2, 2.70).
Thursday: At San Diego, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (1-4, 5.59) vs. Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (1-3, 5.74).
What to know about the San Francisco Giants
The Giants had been playing pretty good baseball prior to dropping the first two games of their series against the New York Yankees this weekend. They had won 10 of their previous 12 games to improve to 29-27, the first time they were two games over .500 this year. The hot streak came not long after they lost a number of players to injury, including CF Jung Hoo Lee, LF Michael Conforto and SS Nick Ahmed. They also recently lost 1B LaMonte Wade Jr. The Giants have been getting good work out of starters RHP Logan Webb (2.95 ERA) and RHP Jordan Hicks (2.70). RHP Camilo Doval has converted nine of 10 save chances and has a 2.78 ERA. Their bullpen had a nice run in May, logging a 3.38 ERA.
