The Diamondbacks Fall Flat vs. Giants Without Marte and Moreno

A 6-3 loss puts the D-backs on their heels and forced to answer uncomfortable questions

Sep 23, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) slides home with an inside the park home run as Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera (11) defends in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost ground in the NL Wild Card Monday night with a lackluster 6-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. With the loss the D-backs fall a half game behind the New York Mets and are now in the third NL Wild Card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Braves.

With five games left to play, the D-backs are 87-70. The Braves are 85-71 with six games remaining. Atlanta holds the tie-breaker due to the better head to head record. In order to keep the third Wild Card spot Arizona needs any combination of D-backs wins and Atlanta losses to total five.

It didn't have to be this way.

First the D-backs blew an 8-0 lead to the Brewers on Sunday, dropping a game they absolutely had to put in the win column. On Monday they entered play without Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the lineup.

Those lineup decisions created some controversy and confusion before the game. Questions were raised as to why Marte especially was out of the lineup.

But as we reported prior to the game, Torey Lovullo defended his All-Star second baseman, insisting his ankle and back were too sore to start, and that he was in a "Dangerous Spot". Lovullo also admitted that Marte might have come back too soon from the injury.

After the game Marte was asked how he felt about the lineup decision, and speaking through translator Alex Arpiza he gave a somewhat surprising answer.

"I’m not somebody that asks for a lot of days off but when I do ask for it it’s because I need it”. At the same time Marte also indicated he was "fine" and would be good to go for the remaining five games.

While all three of those starters ultimately entered the game in the late innings, their efforts were in fact too little too late.

Hayden Birdsong and the Giants bullpen kept the league's leading offense in check, limiting Arizona to just three runs

As has so often been the case, the D-backs staked their pitcher to an early lead, scoring a run in the bottom of the first thanks to Joc Pederson's RBI double.

That lead provided to D-backs starter Eduardo Rodriguez was quickly erased however. Matt Chapman hit a two-run inside the park home run in a three-run Giants third inning.

The ball was crushed to the left-center field wall to the left of the 413 mark. Jake McCarthy almost got there, but fell just short of making the catch. As the ball caromed all the way back towards right center field, left-fielder Pavin Smith ran after it, but right-fielder Corbin Carroll was no where to be found.

By the time Smith finally retrieved the ball third base coach and former D-backs legend Matt Williams was furiously waving Chapman around third. After the game Torey Lovullo said he had not seen the replay and at one point thought that it was Carroll that retrieved the ball and threw it back in.

Informed it was in fact Smith, Lovullo acknowledged that the play was not covered properly. "They're supposed to converge, that's what we train our outfielders to do. When a ball goes over an outfielder's head they're supposed to pinch and converge."

That play set the tone for the night. The D-backs answered back with a run in the bottom of the third, but homers by Casey Schmidt and Michael Conforto extended the Giants lead to 5-2.

Rodriguez final line was 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 3 HR. His record went to 3-4 and his ERA bounced to 5.56. Rodriguez had good stuff, as evidenced by the eight strikeouts and 13 swing and miss on 45 swings.

But the command also wasn't there at times, as evidenced by the three walks and poor locations on the big Giants hits. Rodriguez allowed six batted balls over 100 MPH and one more at 99.

Speaking after the game Rodriguez said "It's frustrating. I know how important this game was for us. Even though I struck out a lot of guys, I gave up five runs."

Rodriguez is a pitcher who relies on hitting the edges and cannot afford to be in the middle of the plate. That kind of command is his calling card, and he just didn't have it.

"I feel like the homers were just pitches in the middle of the plate. When you miss in the middle of the plate you pay for it, no matter who you play," he said.

Scott McGough relieved Rodriguez with two on and two out, and struck out Casey Schmidt to stop the bleeding. He also pitched a scoreless sixth. But asked to go out for one more inning to protect a tired bullpen, McGough gave up a one-out double and then an RBI triple to Chapman.

Brandon Hughes and Blake Walston each pitched a scoreless inning, and overall the low leverage relievers did a fine job, combining to give up just one run in 4.1 innings. That kept the game close, but the offense just couldn't get enough going.

Geraldo Perdomo had an RBI single in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-3, but the D-backs could draw no closer. Marte pinch hit for Jose Herrera in the eighth, and even hit a foul ball batting left-handed nearly 115 MPH. He ultimately struck out swinging to end the inning, however, flinging his equipment in all directions.

Moreno, who had an injury scare with his left adductor muscle on Sunday, replaced Herrera on defense in the ninth. Gurriel, who sat due to the "return to play" protocol, pinch hit in the ninth, but grounded out.

The D-backs will try to regroup Tuesday night behind Brandon Pfaadt. The task gets even harder however, as Giants Ace Logan Webb will be on the mound in what is now almost certainly a must win game.

The D-backs can't count on backing their way into the Postseason like they did in 2024 by losing their final four games of the year and still getting in. They need a victory now to not only put some pressure on the other teams, but to relieve some of the pressure they've put on themselves these last two games.