‘They know what the job is’: Next-man-up D-backs log 6th straight win
Steve Gilbert
PHOENIX — If you looked at the Diamondbacks roster three weeks ago and asked yourself which position player they could least afford to lose to injury, you would have had to say either Ketel Marte, Christian Walker or Gabriel Moreno.
So when Walker went down with an oblique strain on July 29, there was serious cause for concern.
After Wednesday’s 11-4 drubbing of the Rockies, though, the D-backs are a stunning 13-2 since Walker’s injury — thanks in part to general manager Mike Hazen snagging Josh Bell at the Trade Deadline to replace him.
And then when Moreno strained his left adductor muscle on Aug. 5 in Cleveland, it looked like another tough blow that would hamper the offense.
Of course, Adrian Del Castillo would be called up from Triple-A Reno to make his big league debut and he’s been a big contributor ever since, with Arizona going 8-1 since Moreno joined Walker on the injured list.
Marte, meanwhile, is a leading candidate for the NL MVP Award. So when he suffered a low-grade ankle sprain and has been largely absent from the lineup the past four games, you had to think the compound effect of the losses would add up to problems.
Instead, the D-backs have been 4-0 since.
It’s been quite a run the D-backs have been on lately, having now won 18 of their last 21 games. And since July 1, no team in baseball has as many wins as the D-backs’ 28 victories.
In the absence of three of their best offensive performers, the D-backs have gotten contributions up and down the lineup.
Outfielder Corbin Carroll, who drew a pair of walks, scored two runs and picked up a hit Wednesday, has rediscovered his stroke at the plate.
The same is true for third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who was hitting .198 on July 2, has hit .312 with 12 homers and 13 doubles over the past 38 games.
On Wednesday, Suárez hit a grand slam that put the game on ice in the sixth inning, and also collected a pair of doubles.
The mood always seems to be good in the Arizona clubhouse, but it’s been even more so over the past month.
“It’s fun to come here and compete,” Suárez said. “You feel that good energy, that good vibe, like I always say, and you want to be part of that. For me especially, you know, after my first two months of the season, when I was struggling, now my hard work has paid off and I feel great. Obviously you have a good series, a good game like today and you have to feel good about yourself. That’s me right now.”
The D-backs finished the homestand, which also included a four-game set with the Phillies, with a 6-1 record. They now hit the road for a 10-day, nine-game road trip that includes stops in St. Petersburg, Miami and Boston.
“I’m always concerned about going west to east because you’re playing in a different time zone,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “But we have the off-day [Thursday]. These guys will get acclimated. They know what the job is. They know what they’re supposed to do on Friday afternoon when they get to the ballpark in Tampa.”
