PHOENIX — After a walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was motivated, saying, “We have to start setting a tone and making statements.”
In the next two games, the D-backs (66-53) completely swept the Phillies (69-49) – even though MVP candidate Ketel Marte played less than four innings due to a bruised ankle, Zac Gallen left early on Saturday due to cramps and Merrill Kelly threw on Sunday after a pitch count.
Arizona won 11-1 on Saturday with 15 hits. On Sunday, the Diamondbacks got 18 hits and won 12-5, winning three of the four games and the season series 4-3 – the same score they had in their NLCS win over the Phillies.
The Diamondbacks fell behind 2-0 in the first inning on Sunday, facing All-Star starter Cristopher Sanchez, who threw seven scoreless innings against them in June.
The D-backs scored five runs for Sanchez in the first three innings and took the lead on a two-run single by catcher Adrian Del Castillo.
Del Castillo — who is on the injured list along with Gabriel Moreno — finished with three hits, bringing his total through the first three games of his career to seven. No Diamondbacks player had ever had more than six hits.
Jake McCarthy had three more hits, including a three-run triple, and he has eight RBIs in the last two games. Kevin Newman, filling in for Marte, also had three hits.
Arizona put multiple runners on base in each of the first seven innings and finished the game with 6 of 16 runners in scoring position, a constant threat for false numbers.
“It’s great. I just love when it seems like it’s someone different every night,” McCarthy said Saturday. “It’s really encouraging when we have nights where maybe we’re not in the mood or we’re down a couple runs in the late innings and we think, ‘OK, we’re still in it, we can get something out of this.'”
Jake McCarthy clears the bases with a triple!
He has 7 RBI in his last two games š pic.twitter.com/KnR4GMoenH
ā MLB (@MLB) 11 August 2024
With run support, Kelly looked like “old-school Merrill,” as Lovullo put it, going five innings with two earned runs in his first start since April 15. His return completes Arizona’s healthy rotation for the first time this season, just in time for the home stretch (43 games left).
The Diamondbacks began their week with a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, who at the time had the best record and home run record in baseball.
The Phillies overtook the Guardians for the highest winning percentage in MLB, winning the series opener at Chase Field.
The Diamondbacks fought back with a chance to win their eighth straight series, and manager Torey Lovullo was eager to see how his club would respond on Sunday.
“We’ve discussed it since spring training, what are we going to look like when we have a chance to win a series on a Sunday… when you have a chance to win three games, three out of four? I think this team answered that question excellently,” Lovullo said after the game.
“That’s what stands out the most. … It was an incredible approach against an All-Star pitcher. That was not an easy day considering what it’s going to look like against him? We had a really good game plan.”
The Diamondbacks’ unbeaten streak began on June 27. That’s 12 straight series, and it was no walk in the park.
The Dodgers, Padres, Braves, Royals, Guardians and Phillies are all in playoff position. Against teams with a record above .500 on July 1, Arizona was 16-25. Since then, the D-backs are 18-9, combining the extra boost on offense with an elite defense and an improved pitching staff.
“We come out to compete the same way every day,” Newman said. “I think these wins show us that we are who we thought we were. We can compete with anybody. I think internally, it’s definitely a confidence booster and something we want to build on. We let other people talk about other teams.”
With a Diamondbacks win and a Padres loss on Sunday, the two NL West rivals are neck and neck as the best wildcard team and are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers in the race for the division.
Merrill Kelly is keen to join the fight
Kelly spent the last three months watching the D-backs struggle to reach a .500 record in the first half of the season and eventually finish 25-10, their best record in baseball since July 1.
“This is a lot more fun than watching it from the couch,” Kelly said. “It’s a lot of fun watching these guys do what they’re doing. I hope I can get in and keep the momentum going.”
“No matter who you are or what team you’re on, if you’re on a team that’s already doing well, you obviously don’t want to be the troublemaker.”
Kelly felt like he was being pressured a little early in Sunday’s game when he allowed two runs in the first inning, but he pulled himself together. He managed five innings of 85 pitches and allowed no runs and one hit after the first inning.
Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly spoke about his return after Sunday’s win against the Phillies. pic.twitter.com/9zPnpX3AEl
ā Arizona Sports (@AZSports) 11 August 2024
Corbin Carroll strikes again
The D-backs didn’t start Corbin Carroll with a left-hander on the mound, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the game after three innings with a hamstring strain. Gurriel is day-to-day and will not be placed on the injured list, Lovullo said.
Carroll hit an opposite-field home run for the second consecutive game in the seventh inning, making it the first time he hit home runs in back-to-back games this season.
On Saturday, Carroll hit a ball over the strike zone of right-hander Yunior Marte. On Sunday, it was a 98.6 mph fastball from left-hander Jose Alvarado that Carroll hit into left field.
CORBIN BARRELS. pic.twitter.com/rtJ6G55iYr
ā Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) 11 August 2024
Carroll hit two home runs in 87 games and added nine more in his last 28 games.
“That was a really impressive swing. The left-handed pitcher he hit the ball against is very tough,” Lovullo said. “The way he stayed behind the ball, kept it straight and hit it the other way, to me, tells a really good story about everything being in the right place. You don’t hit a ball like that by accident. … He stayed with it. They talk about keeping your head down and hitting the ball. That was a perfect example.”
His strike rate, fly rate and exit velocity are all increasing. Through the end of June, Carroll’s average exit velocity was 87.6 mph, one of the lowest in the league. Since July 1, it’s been 90.4 mph, about the same as last season (90.0 mph).
Given the offensive evolution of this team, getting a version of Carroll like this is a significant development in the hunt for the postseason.
Who will the Diamondbacks play next?
Arizona’s home series continues with three games against the Colorado Rockies, starting Monday at 6:40 p.m.
Brandon Pfaadt gets the ball in the opening game against Cal Quantrill of Colorado.
Follow the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
