Corbin Carroll's 2-run triple lifts Arizona Diamondbacks over St. Louis Cardinals
Corbin Carroll leads comeback as Diamondbacks beat Cardinals
There were key hits late in the game and a strong outing from a starter. There were good plays in the field and aggressiveness on the bases. And, this time, there was no late-game meltdown from the bullpen.
In beating the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night by a 3-1 score, the Diamondbacks came out on top in the sort of game they had won what felt like countless times early this season. It was also the sort of game that had been getting away from them what felt like every other night over the past month.
They are hoping it is a sign of things to come.
“It’s really nice, especially winning that way, coming back, when we’ve been in a few games and we’ve lost them,” Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy said. “I definitely think that helps with some momentum.”
Trailing 1-0, the Diamondbacks scored three times in the eighth, an inning capped by Corbin Carroll’s two-run, pinch-hit triple. Ketel Marte led off with a triple, scored on McCarthy’s game-tying single through a drawn-in infield, all of which set the stage for Carroll’s shot off the center-field wall.
Kevin Ginkel worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the save, bringing an end to the Diamondbacks’ five-game losing skid.
The win allowed the Diamondbacks, now 55-47, to keep pace with the mass of clubs bunched together in the wild-card race.
For a Diamondbacks team that has been losing games in a variety of ways in recent weeks, this was a win that resonated.
“Yeah, I think that one meant a little more,” Carroll said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are grinding right now. No one wants to be playing the way we are, struggling the way we are. Just to put one in the win column, I think that takes some pressure off.”
Manager Torey Lovullo used a favorite phrase of his — “push moment” — to describe the win.
“These are the things that kind of push you to the next day and create a little bit of energy and excitement,” Lovullo said. “We were kind of flat. We were super flat. It was a great team effort, a great win and a very well-timed win that’s going to hopefully give us a push and more energy for tomorrow.”
A night after his bullpen management was subject to scrutiny, Lovullo pushed all the right buttons in the eighth. With McCarthy on second and two out, Lovullo called Carroll back from the on-deck circle and sent Dominic Canzone to the plate instead. With first base open, he figured Cardinals manager Oli Marmol would have walked Carroll intentionally.
“I felt like if he had to choose between ‘A’ and ‘B’ he was going to choose anybody other than Corbin,” Lovullo said. “That was my gut feel.”
After Canzone worked a walk, laying off several close pitches, Lovullo then pulled the trigger on Carroll. Lovullo said a topic among his coaches after the game was whether they would have opted to walk Carroll to load the bases.
“We, at times, consider third base a base open,” Lovullo said. “Possibly, yeah. I’d have been very careful. I’d have asked our catcher and pitcher to be very careful.”
Cardinals reliever Chris Stratton was not careful enough, leaving an 0-1 change-up over the heart of the plate. Carroll did not miss it.
The comeback allowed the Diamondbacks not to waste what was an impressive return from the injured list for right-hander Merrill Kelly, who fired six innings of one-run ball, walking two and striking out five.
“It just felt good to get my feet back wet and get back on the mound,” said Kelly, who had not pitched in a month due to a blood clot in his right leg.
The Diamondbacks have a chance to secure a series victory on Wednesday with their best pitcher, Zac Gallen, on the mound.
“We played good baseball out there today,” Marte said. “We’re going to be all right. It’s part of the game (the team’s recent struggles). We’ve got a good team. Today we just had fun out there and we got the win.”
—Nick Piecoro
Brent Strom: DBacks’ Ryne Nelson tipped pitches vs. Cardinals
Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom believes part of right-hander Ryne Nelson’s struggles on Monday night might have been the St. Louis Cardinals knowing what was coming.
“I know last night there were extenuating circumstances,” Strom said on Tuesday, a day after Nelson gave up five runs in six innings. “We looked at video and everything and got some feedback from some secret sources in terms of tipping and things like that that I think took place last night. When I look at the board and I see one strikeout or two strikeouts for a guy like that, I know something is going on.”
Strom declined to go into detail on what Nelson was doing, but he said he figured something might be going on in the fifth inning when the Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar hit a hard liner back at Nelson on a 94 mph fastball above the zone.
“I think it happens all the time,” Strom said. “I think guys run into habits. With all the videos and the tapes that are going around, everybody is looking for this kind of stuff. It could be the smallest little thing. You’d be amazed at what it can be.”
—Nick Piecoro
Strom suggests DBacks' bullpen struggling for confidence
In Tuesday’s press conference, Strom was asked whether he believes the Diamondbacks’ bullpen is struggling for confidence amid its recent struggles.
“I'm sure,” Strom said. “You go in streaks and they're trying as hard as they can. … Losing late has kind of a cumulative effect on a team. You've worked so hard for two hours and then to let it slip away.”
In July, Diamondbacks’ relievers rank 28th with a 6.86 ERA. They’ve collected six bullpen losses in the month, including on Monday, when Andrew Chafin and Kevin Ginkel combined to allow five runs in a 10-6 loss to the Cardinals.
Lately, the performances have been even worse. Since the All-Star break, Diamondbacks’ relievers have allowed 34 earned runs in 32 1/3 innings pitched, good for a 9.46 ERA. Only the Nationals have been worse.
“I will say one thing, we don't have anybody in the bullpen that doesn't want the baseball,” Strom said. “And I think that's the biggest important thing. Especially when we're not going well, there's a tendency to want to gravitate away from that and to not take the ball for whatever reason. Everybody in that bullpen wants the baseball, wants to help us win.”
—Theo Mackie
Diamondbacks reinstate Merrill Kelly, designate José Ruiz for assignment
The Diamondbacks reinstated Merrill Kelly ahead of Tuesday night’s game, which Kelly will start. Kelly, their second-best starting pitcher, has been on the injured list for nearly a month with a blood clot in his right calf.
Prior to the injury, Kelly had a 3.22 ERA in 16 starts. His return provides a major boost to a team that has gone 5-13 in July.
In the corresponding move, the Diamondbacks designated reliever José Ruiz for assignment. The Diamondbacks traded for Ruiz from the White Sox in April for cash considerations. He proved to be a useful addition for a while, with a 3.55 ERA in his first 28 appearances with the club. This month, though, he had allowed seven runs in 7 2/3 innings.
—Theo Mackie
Tuesday's Diamondbacks-Cardinals pitching matchup
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (9-4, 3.22) vs. Cardinals LHP Steven Matz (1-7, 4.67).
Kelly returns from his month-long stint on the injured list. … Kelly made a pair of rehab outings, both of them in simulated game scenarios, and should be able to have a pitch count in the neighborhood of his normal range. … Kelly has a 3.00 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals, including one earlier this year in which he gave up one run in six innings. … Matz gave up one run in five innings in a win against the Cubs last week, his first victory of the season in 21 games (13 starts). … It was his third consecutive start. Prior to that, he made eight appearances in relief from late May through early July. … Matz has a 3.77 ERA in five career starts against the Diamondbacks but has not faced them since 2019.
Coming up
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (11-4, 3.18) vs. Cardinals RHP Jack Flaherty (7-6, 4.39).
Thursday: Off.
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (5-3, 4.01) vs. Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (8-5, 3.88).
Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-4, 8.81) vs. Mariners RHP Bryan Woo (1-3, 4.91).
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Corbin Carroll's pinch-hit, 2-run triple lifts DBacks over Cardinals
