Ketel Marte Makes Return to D-backs Lineup vs Rays

Arizona's MVP candidate second baseman is back in the lineup after aggravating his ankle on Wednesday.

Aug 10, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte (4) reacts after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports / Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fresh off a stinging 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, where defensive miscues and some poor pitching combined with bad luck sunk them late, despite a heroic game-tying home run from Corbin Carroll down to their last strike.

Today, they'll look to even the series. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. Arizona time.

All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte will make his return to the D-backs lineup today. After injuring his ankle, then re-aggravating it on Wednesday, the star infielder had a precautionary MRI, revealing a low ankle sprain.

He was then simply listed as day-to-day, rather than spending time on the Injured List. Torey Lovullo had said he expected Marte to be in the lineup today, and he is, batting leadoff, with Corbin Carroll taking a seat against a left-handed starting pitcher.

Game 124.https://t.co/epBmrbYHsx | https://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d pic.twitter.com/Vt9sqBeoNf

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 17, 2024

Marte's numbers are, of course, still incredible, as he's hit .298 to this point in the season. His power is represented by his 30 home runs, just the second time he's hit that mark in his career. His career-high is 32, and, barring another re-injury, that number has a high likelihood of being broken this season.

He's worth 6.0 bWAR this year so far, playing excellent defense to go along with his .930 OPS and 157 OPS+. He could be in line for a bit of a dip in those numbers as he works his way back to full health, but his bat will certainly be a welcome sight for the D-backs and their fans regardless.

With a lefty on the mound in starter Jeffrey Springs, the D-backs will go with the red-hot Jake McCarthy behind Marte, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk filling out the outfield.

Though Carroll was the hero with a two-run shot of closer Pete Fairbanks yesterday, he's been ineffective against southpaws, with a .183 average and 58 wRC+ (42% below league average). McCarthy, for contrast, is hitting .375 off lefties, with a .916 OPS and 158 wRC+.

Pitching Matchup

The D-backs will send ace Zac Gallen to try and prevent a series loss. Gallen has shown flashes of the elite pitcher he has been known to be, and always finds a way to provide length, but both the command and run prevention isn't quite there as of late.

He's still put forward respectable numbers, with a 3.69 ERA and 3.34 FIP. He's limited home runs just as well, if not better than previous years with an 0.69 HR/9. But he's walking more batters (3.00 BB/9), striking out fewer (8.49 K/9), and allowing a bit more base traffic than usual across the board (1.28 WHIP).

He seems to still be waiting to hit his ace stride in 2024, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been effective, and his stuff still plays at a high level. He simply needs to sharpen his ability to hit the corners of the zone, and work his secondaries off that fastball command to generate deception.

Meanwhile, the Rays will turn to left-hander Jeffrey Springs. The veteran Springs has worked as both a starter and a reliever, and put out a very solid 2022 season, but has been beset by injuries through his career.

This year, he's making just his fourth start, as he'd been rehabbing Tommy John surgery. He's only gone 13 2/3 innings over those three starts, the last two of which were a bit of a mixed bag.

On August 6th, he went five innings, allowing six hits, three walks and four earned runs on two homers. But against the Orioles on August 11th, he went five innings of one-run ball, striking out eight.

He features a 90 MPH fastball, with a low-80s changeup and slider and a 79 MPH sweeper. He also throws a slow sinker every now and then, but it's not a major part of his arsenal. Most of his pitches are below average in movement, and should be very hittable if the command is even slightly off.

His 4.61 ERA doesn't have enough of a sample size to be a solidifed number, though his FIP is higher, at 6.03. This comes from the fact that a major portion of his runs come from the long ball, something the D-backs have not struggled to hit as of late.

It's rare to say "look to hit homers," as that can lend itself to over-swinging and poor at-bats, but the D-backs have been smoking the ball deep of late, and could have a prime opportunity to tee off on the low-velocity lefty today.