The Diamondbacks have won three straight contests and picked up a game on both the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card race on Friday.

PIÑA POWER IS SO BACK. pic.twitter.com/uW5N9VBGMo

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 21, 2024

Gurriel had not played a game since Sept. 1 after a left calf strain, but he came up clutch to smoke an outside changeup to deep left field off southpaw DL Hall.

He did so at the perfect juncture, too, considering the D-backs just lost a 4-0 lead after three Brewers homered off Zac Gallen in the fifth inning: Joey Ortiz, William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell.

The offense picked up Gallen right away, as Gurriel’s 18th homer of the year supplied a 5-4 lead. The D-backs scratched across another pair of runs to give the bullpen some breathing room. Corbin Carroll plated a run on a slow ground out, and pinch hitter Randal Grichuk walked with the bases loaded on nine pitches.

“It’s always a great thing after the opposite team comes and scores a few runs, if you come back and — boom — hit them back, it will shut down their momentum and actually pick up momentum on our side,” Gurriel said through a translator.

Arizona’s bullpen was excellent to preserve the lead, as Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez and Ryan Thompson each tossed scoreless frames before the ninth inning. A.J. Puk shut the door for the save on three strikeouts.

The Diamondbacks reinstated Gurriel from the 10-day IL before first pitch on Friday, designating infielder Luis Guillorme for assignment to create the roster spot. Gurriel was hot at the time of his injury, hitting .354 with three homers and five doubles over his previous 19 games.

Gurriel came out of the game after a walk in the seventh inning for a pinch runner, ending his return 2-for-3 and reaching base three times.

“It feels really satisfying to, one be back on the field, and two, in a crucial week like it is,” Gurriel said through a translator. “And then the fact that I didn’t just come back, I had an opportunity to help the team, too. It was a great night for me.”

Arizona took a 1-0 in the first inning on a Ketel Marte solo shot, his career-high 33rd of the season. Marte reached base four times on Friday with three hits and a walk, including an RBI double and bunt single.

Geraldo Perdomo singled in the second run off Brewers starter Colin Rea during the second inning, and Carroll hit a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead. Marte’s double scored Perdomo in the fifth inning.

Gallen opened the game with four scoreless innings before the long ball bit him in the fifth. He finished with five innings and four earned runs.

NL Wild Card check-in

Arizona (86-68) reclaimed sole possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, one game up on the Mets. The D-backs also jumped to three games up on the Braves, who are on the outside looking in.

“It’s a good feeling, but we’ve got eight more games to go,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “No deal is done. We’ve got to go out and play our best baseball from here on out.”

D-backs starter Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.00 ERA) pitches on Saturday against Milwaukee right-hander Aaron Civale (7-8, 4.48).

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star Ketel Marte set a new career high with his 33rd home run of the season in the first inning of Friday’s 7-4 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Marte jumped on the first pitch from Brewers right-hander Colin Rea and just got enough of it to deep right field. Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick — who robbed Corbin Carroll of a home run last weekend at Chase Field — leaped but came up short of bring it back.

Ketel Marte sneaks one out to give the @Dbacks an early lead 🐍 pic.twitter.com/0Pa971lCHK

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2024

The shot gave Arizona an early 1-0 lead after it defeated Milwaukee 5-1 in Thursday’s series opener. Marte nearly missed his 33rd big fly on Thursday with a shot off the wall.

Marte hit 32 home runs during his breakout 2019 campaign and had yet to eclipse 30 game until this season. He hit 25 in 2023. Injuries over the years have impacted his output, and even with an injured list stint last month (ankle), Marte’s power has been so consistent this year as one of baseball’s premier power hitters.

There was a stretch this summer in which he seemed to homer every day, as he blasted 13 dingers from July 10 to Aug. 10 (26 games).

The switch-hitter entered Friday tied for fifth in the National League in home runs, only trailing Shohei Ohtani (51), Marcell Ozuna (38), Kyle Schwarber (35) and Pete Alonso (34).

Twelve of his home runs this season have come in the first inning, a feat only Paul Goldschmidt has accomplished in a D-backs uniform (13 in 2018), according to Stathead.

Importantly for the D-backs, Marte is finding a groove again. He started 0-for-11 after coming off the IL on Sept. 6. Since then, he entered Friday 7-for-27 (.259) with an .873 OPS over his last eight games.

Marte recorded three hits on Friday, including an RBI double down the left-field line and a bunt single.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks have more starting-caliber players than spots in the batting order, but keeping the red-hot Pavin Smith involved has been discussed as the club embarks on the final week of the regular season.

Manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday he spoke with general manager Mike Hazen on ways to continue giving Smith opportunities even with left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back from the injured list.

Gurriel rejoined the lineup after nearly three weeks down (calf) on Friday for a matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers, but Lovullo kept Smith in the starting nine in right field against right-handed starter Colin Rea. Corbin Carroll slid over to center field, while Jake McCarthy was out of the lineup for the first time in weeks.

Pavin Smith provides some 2-run insurance for the @Dbacks!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/2zPdfZs0Si

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 20, 2024

“We’re gonna be as creative as possible,” Lovullo said. “We’re gonna try to make sure the best combination of baseball players are gonna help us win baseball games, that’s it, bottom line. If that includes Pavin Smith, we have to find time for him. His OPS is in the .950 range (.969), he’s helped us win games, he’s killing the baseball. I’m not gonna put everything down and say, ‘Okay, you’re on the bench.'”

Smith smoked a two-run home run for insurance in Thursday’s 5-1 win over Milwaukee, his fifth of the month.

“Lourdes is going a have a bit of a return-to-play program, I’m going to give certain guys days off at the right times to create some space for Pavin. He deserves this opportunity,” Lovullo added.

Smith and right-handed platoon slugger Randal Grichuk have been Arizona’s two hottest hitters in September. Grichuk leads the team with a 1.475 OPS in 38 plate appearances, while Smith is close behind at 1.355 in 50 PAs.

Since Sept. 8, Smith leads all of baseball with a 1.526 OPS in 39 plate appearances — even ahead of Shohei Ohtani and his historic 6-for-6 Thursday night against the Miami Marlins.

Smith has had an up-and-down role this season without a spot on the roster on Opening Day. He has been optioned three times since then. Yet he stepped up while filling in for Gurriel against right-handed pitching and even started games against lefties.

Torey Lovullo tells @BurnsAndGambo Pavin Smith deserves the opportunity to stay involved even with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back from injury.

The Torey Lovullo Show is presented by Estrella Jalisco. pic.twitter.com/E3A91vKRq1

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 20, 2024

“It kind of seems like that’s sort of the theme for this team this whole year, where guys go down and people step up. So being able to do my part in that is pretty cool,” Smith told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Sept. 10, after he hit three home runs on Sunday Night Baseball in Houston.

McCarthy is in a bit of a funk, but he is Arizona’s best bet in center field defensively — as long as Alek Thomas is in Triple-A — and had been the hot hand for a stretch this season. With Grichuk penned in against lefties, Joc Pederson the designated hitter against righties, the team will have to run out some different-looking combinations to keep Smith in even a semi-regular role.

It’s a great problem to have, and it goes beyond Smith with questions of what to do with Josh Bell or whether Thomas can make his way back for a postseason roster spot if the D-backs get there.

For now, Smith will have a chance to continue producing in another key game Friday at 5:10 p.m. Zac Gallen is on the mound for Arizona.

The game will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.

Diamondbacks’ lineup

Game 154.https://t.co/epBmrbY9CZ | https://t.co/k9Xjx1tKgF pic.twitter.com/UHBxDInHe0

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 20, 2024

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The D-backs designated infielder Luis Guillorme for assignment in a corresponding roster move.

Gurriel will bat fifth and start in left field on Friday.

He landed on the IL with a left calf strain on Sept. 2, missing more time than the minimum stint manager Torey Lovullo was initially optimistic about.

The veteran played in continuation camp games this week after taking live at-bats, the final step before jumping back into the lineup.

Gurriel was hitting the ball very well before hitting the shelf, hitting .338 with a .976 OPS in his last 20 games. He has a .744 OPS this season with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs over 125 games in his second season with the club.

Arizona’s fill-ins have stepped up admirably, though.

Pavin Smith has seen an increase in playing time in left field. In 13 games since Gurriel suffered the injury, he is batting .400 in 45 plate appearances with five home runs.

Smith’s season OPS is all the way up to .969, as he is making a case for a role down the stretch.

Randal Grichuk, typically Arizona’s designated hitter against lefties, has offered immense power this month with six home runs and four doubles while hitting .455.

After getting Gabriel Moreno back from the IL (adductor strain) last weekend and now Gurriel, Arizona has a full arsenal offensively. Even center fielder Alek Thomas and shortstop Jordan Lawlar recently returned from injuries and provide depth in Triple-A Reno.

There are nine games left in the regular season, and Arizona’s final six games are at home starting Monday against the San Francisco Giants.

Guillorme, a midseason pickup, played in 18 games with Arizona and hit .162 with 11 walks and three stolen bases while providing plus defense.

He helped fill in with Ketel Marte suffering an ankle injury last month.

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Infielder Demetrio Crisantes, a 2022 seventh-round pick from Nogales High School, reached base safely in 57 consecutive games from June 25 to the end of the regular season at Single-A Visalia in a breakout campaign.

Crisantes is tracking down the unofficial MiLB record of 71 straight games, set by former Boston Red Sox players Kevin Millar and Kevin Youkilis. Crisantes will have the opportunity to do next season.

The prospect joined MLB Network’s Intentional Talk last week, and Millar himself got to ask him about coming for his record.

“100%,” Crisantes said. “I read that you had 71, and I told my mom I’m gonna get there and my dad too. I’m gonna get past 71, I’m gonna break that record.”

Demetrio Crisantes is coming for your MiLB on-base streak record, @KMillar15 👀

The @VisaliaRawhide standout joins Intentional Talk from the bus ON THE WAY to a playoff game to talk about his 57-game on-base streak and more! pic.twitter.com/hVIv0JyhaI

— Intentional Talk (@IntentionalTalk) September 12, 2024

Beyond the on-base streak, Crisantes has dominated for the Rawhide since his promotion from rookie ball in June.

Crisantes hit .333/.429/.478 in 63 games with 16 double, six home runs and 20 steals. He ranked 12th in the California League in steals despite the delayed start. And his .921 OPS ranks sixth among minor leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances — D-backs catcher Adrian Del Castillo is first at 1.017, according to FanGraphs.

On Wednesday, MiLB named Crisantes to the California League All-Star team, along with fellow Visalia teammates outfielder Druw Jones, designated hitter Angel Ortiz and pitcher Daniel Nunez.

Crisantes jumped from outside the top 30 to No. 13 on MLB Pipeline’s D-backs prospects rankings this season, and Pipeline named him Arizona’s breakout prospect of 2024.

D-backs farm director Shaun Larkin said Crisantes is as good a bet as anyone to break the on-base record given his approach.

“He just has a good, quality, advanced approach, especially for his age and for the levels he was at this year,” Larkin told Arizona Sports. “Swings at strikes, takes balls, moves the ball forward, hits it hard. And you combine all those things, especially at the A-ball levels, you’re gonna have a lot of success.

“You watch him take batting practice, you watch how he goes about his work, the conversations you have with him. He’s just an advanced, confident hitter who’s humble enough to keep working but confident enough to not be afraid of anything.”

Demetrio Crisantes finished the Single-A regular season with a 57-game on-base streak!

The @Dbacks‘ No. 13 prospect and the @VisaliaRawhide begin the Cal League playoffs tonight. pic.twitter.com/hVleFUkqrl

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 10, 2024

Larkin said Crisantes will likely start next season one level up in High-A Hillsboro.

“Our job is to make sure we’re constantly putting our players in a position of success, while also making sure they’re being challenged,” Larkin said. “And he’s proved the challenge point at the levels he was at this past year, and I think he’ll continue moving up.”

Druw Jones closes season strong

Jones, Arizona’s Minor League Player of the Month for August, is also expected to start next season in Hillsboro after spending all of 2024 in Visalia.

The 2022 No. 2 overall pick produced a batting line of .275/.409/.405 with six home runs and 21 stolen bases while continuing to play elite defense in center field. He finished the season 12-for-36 with four extra-base hits and six walks over his final 10 games.

Jones was held back by injuries after the draft in 2022 and throughout the 2023 season, so getting a full year under his belt was valuable.

“Just a great year on lot of levels for him,” Larkin said. “Not only the production, but the mechanical adjustments he made, the mindset he had and how he handled the ups and downs of a full season, the health, the teammate part of it, just a great year for Druw. We’ll continue to push him as he’s ready. And I think he proved that he’s ready for the next challenge.”

The 20-year-old is Arizona’s No. 2 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s list.

Druw Jones calls game … off the barn! 🛖@VisaliaRawhide | @Dbacks | @jones_druw pic.twitter.com/Ynjefpq4c5

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 12, 2024

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Arizona Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt struck out seven straight Milwaukee Brewers hitters during a dominant seven-inning outing at American Family Field on Thursday. The D-backs (85-68) finished off a key 5-1 victory to kick off the final 10 games of the regular season.

Coming off giving up eight earned runs in 1.2 innings against the Brewers at Chase Field last weekend, Pfaadt opened Thursday’s game with three perfect innings to set the tone.

Brice Turang gave the Brewers their first hit to lead off the fourth, but Pfaadt stranded him on second after a pair of strikeouts.

The punch outs kept rolling, as Pfaadt struck out the side in the fifth inning, caught Sal Frelick looking to lead off the sixth and punched out Andruw Monasterio swinging for seven Ks in a row. That tied a franchise record for consecutive strikeouts in a single game. Randy Johnson did so three times and Curt Schilling once — all in 2001.

Pfaadt struck out 11 batters through six scoreless innings to tie a career high. And at 85 pitches, there was something left in the tank.

The right-hander came out for the seventh, recorded two outs but surrendered a solo shot to Garrett Mitchell to end the shutout.

Pfaadt struck out Blake Perkins to end the inning, setting a new career high with 12. He came out of the game with a 3-1 lead after a season-high 104 pitches. Pfaadt dotted up the top of the strike zone with his heater, which he used for 14 of his 21 whiffs on Thursday. Paired with the sweeper he appeared to have a better feel for than last week, and Pfaadt had Brewers hitters looking off-kilter all game long.

He relented two hits and no walks.

Brandon Pfaadt, K’ing the Side in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/HBRYRKYwZu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 20, 2024

This season, there had only been 10 starts made in MLB with at least seven innings, 12 strikeouts and one earned run for fewer entering Thursday, according to Stathead.

The last Diamondbacks pitcher to do so was Merrill Kelly, who put together two such starts last season.

Pfaadt had not recorded a quality start in his previous six outings, as the second-year big leaguer has been in a funk of late (9.00 ERA in that span). He went on a five-game quality streak earlier this season as a staple in a banged up rotation.

American Family Field was the venue for Pfaadt’s postseason debut last October in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, which kicked off a run that put Pfaadt on the map with a 3.27 ERA in five games.

The Diamondbacks have received back-to-back stellar outings ahead of Zac Gallen Friday and Kelly on Saturday. Eduardo Rodriguez threw 6.1 innings with two earned runs and 11 strikeouts on Wednesday in Colorado.

This is only the eighth instance in club history when D-backs starters struck out at least 11 batters in back-to-back games. Gallen and Kelly did so last season. Johnson was involved in five of these.

Brandon Pfaadt’s 10th and 11th Ks. pic.twitter.com/MibrFv7EMb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 20, 2024

Arizona gave Pfaadt a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning, as Brewers starter Tobias Myers dueled Pfaadt early, albeit without the efficiency.

The D-backs took the lead 1-0 on an error by Monasterio at third base. Ketel Marte hit a single off the wall for an RBI, and the third run scored on a deep sacrifice fly out by Christian Walker.

Pavin Smith smacked a two-run shot in the eighth inning for insurance. A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez locked the game down in the final two frames.

The Diamondbacks entered Thursday tied with the New York Mets — but without the head-to-head tiebreaker — for the second NL Wild Card spot. New York defeated Philadelphia on Thursday.

The D-backs will see Brewers right-hander Colin Rea on Friday with first pitch at 5:10 p.m.

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The southpaw allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk to preserve an early lead. Arizona jumped ahead 6-0 by the second inning, as Corbin Carroll homered twice to drive in three runs. Randal Grichuk doubled and went yard, scoring twice.

Wednesday marked Rodriguez’s deepest start of his eight with the Diamondbacks (84-68) thus far and his first quality start. His 11 strikeouts were his most in a single game since the 2019 season with the Boston Red Sox.

Eduardo Rodríguez’s 10th and 11th Ks pic.twitter.com/NFtzGRlbr0

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 18, 2024

Rodriguez dotted up the strike zone, finding particular success with the four-seamer, which drew 11 of his season-high 16 swings-and-misses.

His sole hiccup came in the third inning with three straight singles, none of which were hit particularly hard but flared into the outfield. Rodriguez faced 25 batters and allowed two hard-hit balls in play (95 mph off the bat or harder). By the time Rodriguez exited, Arizona had nine hard-hit balls, eight off Rockies starter Austin Gomber in two innings.

It was a welcome follow-up to his last outing, as the veteran threw five innings with two earned runs and seven strikeouts on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed 12 earned runs in 13.1 innings over his previous three starts. With Ryne Nelson on the injured list and Brandon Pfaadt scuffling of late, Rodriguez hitting his stride down the stretch provides a bit of stability to a rotation in need of it. He is lined up for two more starts with 10 games left on the schedule.

Eduardo Rodríguez’s 2Ks in the 4th.

8Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/7210l19mmD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 18, 2024

Arizona relievers Ryan Thompson and Justin Martinez put up zeroes before Colorado charged Joe Mantiply with two runs.

The offense had chances to tack on but came up short until the ninth inning. Carroll scored his third run of the game by walking, advancing to third on a Joc Pederson single and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Christian Walker. Carroll has 115 runs scored this season, second-most in the NL.

The D-backs tacked on two more runs on RBI knocks from Pavin Smith and Eugenio Suarez.

Arizona avoided a three-game sweep against the now 94-loss Rockies and head to Milwaukee for four games against the Brewers, who took two of three games at Chase Field last weekend.

Milwaukee clinched the National League Central title on Wednesday after the Chicago Cubs lost against Oakland.

The Diamondbacks matched their 2023 season win total.

Diamondbacks’ next game

Thursday’s series opener bring up a pitching matchup of Pfaadt against Brewers righty Tobias Myers.

First pitch is at 4:15 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.  

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Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll crushed two home runs in as many innings off Colorado Rockies southpaw Austin Gomber on Wednesday, giving Arizona an early lead and himself another milestone.

Carroll earned his second straight 20-home run, 20-stolen base season, as he has clubbed 19 homers over his last 61 games to reach 21 on the year.

Welcome back to the 20/20 club, Corbin Carroll! pic.twitter.com/22vwwlMhfx

— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2024

Only five Diamondbacks players have recorded multiple 20-20 campaigns. Chris Young leads with three (2007, 2010 and 2011), while Paul Goldschmidt (2015 and 2016), Justin Upton (2009 and 2011) and Eric Byrnes (2006 and 2007) each have a couple.

Carroll blasted 25 home runs with 54 stolen bases last season and can become the first D-backs player with consecutive 20-30 campaigns. He entered Wednesday with 29 steals.

The 24-year-old is the 14th major leaguer to reach the 20-20 mark this season.

His first home run kicked off a three-run first inning for Arizona coming off back-to-back losses at Coors Field with four runs scored.

Randal Grichuk doubled and scored on a Christian Walker screaming single to left. Pavin Smith walked, and Gabriel Moreno punched an RBI single to center to take a 3-0 lead.

Carroll’s second-inning dinger was a two-run shot, and Grichuk followed a deep homer to center for a 6-0 lead.

Corbin Carroll has two homers in two innings in Colorado! pic.twitter.com/bXTww7hGGq

— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2024

Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.

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“Where would the Arizona Diamondbacks be without A.J. Puk?” is a question that by the day becomes more relevant.

The D-backs’ bullpen entered Wednesday with the highest ERA in baseball during September at a whopping 7.53, a significant difference than the results it saw down the stretch last year. Puk, meanwhile, has been arguably the most dominant reliever in MLB since joining Arizona from the Miami Marlins with a ridiculous 42% strikeout rate (fourth in MLB).

The 6-foot-7 left-hander is one of two relievers in the league with at least 22 innings and one earned run or fewer since his D-backs debut on July 27. His 20-game scoreless streak is climbing the franchise leaderboard, as he is six back of Yoshi Hirano (26 in 2018) for the club record.

“A.J. has been exactly what we needed,” assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Tuesday. “Obviously, he’s given Torey (Lovullo) a guy who he can rely on to come in and put a fire out for the best part of the lineup. And we’ve had that in the past with certain guys, and it’s good to always have that person in your back pocket, but you can’t pitch them every night, as we know.”

No Diamondbacks pitcher has ever started their tenure with an 0.41 ERA through 24 outings before Puk. Doug Slaten (0.60) had the previous best mark, according to Stathead. There’s arguably no trade deadline acquisition doing their job better than Puk even if position players have the greater WAR impact.

Puk’s dominance has been a need for a bullpen that has plenty of arms having excellent seasons but difficult stretches. Chalk it up to heavy usage, the natural ups and downs of being a reliever or what have you, but the Diamondbacks’ bullpen has become a bit of a puzzle.

AJ Puk, K’ing the Side…with 2 Swords. ⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/NmJkhUhzPu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 25, 2024

“I think it’s hard sometimes for people to remember individual performances. But I think back to last September at this time, there were games where Kevin Ginkel struggled last September at this time and in the playoffs, he was a monster,” Sawdaye said.

“The last couple nights haven’t worked out as well for Gink, but he’s been a mainstay and a stud for us all year. … We’ve seen Thompson get back on track and hit a little bit of a bump in the road a couple weeks ago and get back on track. We have Justin (Martinez) and (Joe) Mantiply and Puk and that group that’s in the bullpen down there. … I do have confidence they’ll right the ship and they’ll definitely be a high-performing group in the next couple weeks.”

Diamondbacks senior vice president and assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye discusses reliever Kevin Ginkel’s recent struggles with @WolfandLuke.

Front Office Focus is presented by Canvas. pic.twitter.com/2nnt0hZej2

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 17, 2024

Diamondbacks’ bullpen going through ups and downs

Ginkel has had a couple weeks to forget after he entered September on a 12-game scoreless streak. He surrendered the lead in each of his last two appearances but has been Arizona’s trusted fireman all year, moving about in different situations. Thompson has had a sub-2.00 ERA for most of the season, and after a tumultuous August, his last five outings have been closer to what has been expected of him. Mantiply has not allowed an earned run over his last eight appearances.

And Martinez continues to receive the toughest challenges late in games, coming in with runners on and is growing as a potential future closer.

“He’s gotten plenty of reps this year, and you can see he’s kind of embraced that role and he just looks comfortable out there. He’s not scared of any situation, he’s not scared of any hitter,” Mantiply said of Martinez on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.

It’s just not as deep a group of pitchers firing at their best as last season, when the bullpen was a prime reason for Arizona’s run to the World Series.

Losing Bryce Jarvis for the year hurts, and the Dylan Floro trade was a dud. Perhaps the most significant departure is a version of Paul Sewald who can lock down the ninth inning. There’s a reason Lovullo had stayed firm that the best version of the bullpen had Sewald in the back end up until recently. Now, Sewald is on the injured list with left neck discomfort, likely ending his regular season at least.

Starting prospects Yilber Diaz and Blake Walston are to eat innings, along with Scott McGough and Brandon Hughes, who have spent most of the year in the minor leagues. That’s essentially half the bullpen stitched together in the past 10 days, which heightens the importance of shutdown innings from the A-team relievers.

“It’s the waves throughout the year you go through, especially as a relievers, they’re constantly going up and down,” Mantiply said of the struggles. “When guys struggle, it’s for probably a bunch of different reasons. I mean, myself, I’ve definitely had my struggles. They come and go, and you try to have a short memory and just get back out there.

“You just hope that you can be the guy that picks us up when somebody’s struggling. Because when I’m struggling, I’m hoping somebody’s gonna pick me up. So that’s just kind of the waves that you ride. Nobody wants to struggle right here at the end in a playoff push but sometimes they come and go and you just hope to get through them.”

The Diamondbacks remain in prime position to reach the postseason with projections of doing so at 77.5% on FanGraphs and 87.9% on Baseball Reference. They have had to win differently than a year ago with an offense that has largely made up for the pitching, although that was not the case the past two losses in Colorado.

Puk has been as reliable as possible, and getting the best version of the other core four (Ginkel, Thompson, Martinez and Mantiply) will create better opportunities for Arizona to clinch and shorten games in the postseason.

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The D-backs rallied for three straight hits to start the 10th inning from Adrian Del Castillo, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll off Brewers lefty Jared Koenig. Christian Walker tied the game with a hit-by-pitch, still with no outs, and Suarez muscled a 3-1 sinker to deep right. Milwaukee left its two-time All-Star closer, Devin Williams, in the bullpen.

Arizona (83-66) avoided a three-game sweep at home after it led 5-0, trailed 8-5, tied the game 8-8 and fell behind 10-8 in a near-four-hour marathon.

Eugenio Suárez walks it off for the @Dbacks! pic.twitter.com/IAqzdSsFu2

— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2024

“Crazy game,” Suarez said.

“The at-bat Del Castillo had left-on-left and then Corbin had a good at-bat too, base hit, all those little things that’s why I hit that walk-off. They gave me an opportunity to be at the plate with that situation. I never thought to hit a homer or whatever. I just tried to put one in play, clear my mind, see a ball as long as I can, pick one good pitch to swing at.”

wheeee! pic.twitter.com/DlSDSNzR0S

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 16, 2024

Brewers red-hot rising star Jackson Chourio delivered the go-ahead double off Arizona reliever Justin Martinez with two outs in the top of the 10th.

Diamondbacks acting manager Jeff Banister chose to intentionally walk the speedy Brice Turang ahead of Chourio. D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo spent Sunday at a celebration of life for his late friend Billy Bean.

“I walked him right into their hottest hitter, I know that. That’s on me,” Banister said. “I take that responsibility. It came down to a little bit of the math for me … Turang is a contact-type guy who has been really good this year. Chourio has been really good this year. If we had to face Chourio and (Willy) Adames, two right-handers against our best guy out of the bullpen, right-handed, I’d rather have whatever pitches he had left against those two guys.”

Chourio drove in five runs on Sunday, including a three-run shot off Zac Gallen after the D-backs led 5-0.

Arizona’s Blake Walston, called up from Triple-A Reno before the game, earned his first career win by striking out Adames to end the top of the 10th.

Arizona improved to 5-8 in extra innings. It has nine walk-off wins and 30 comeback wins this season. The D-backs are one victory away from matching last year’s total of 84.

“I mean, that just kind of speaks to the culture in here,” Gallen said of the win. “It was a good game, obviously on the pitching side, we’d like to not rely so much on the offense, but it is nice because those guys are there and they tend to pick us up more often than not.”

Zac Gallen’s start

Gallen threw five innings with three earned runs on 98 pitches. He exited with a 5-3 lead, as the D-backs rallied for two in the first and scored three more courtesy of a Pavin Smith bases-clearing double in the third.

Gallen was in a bind immediately, as the first four Brewers hitters worked full counts, two of whom walked. Gallen threw a scoreless first inning, but it took 28 pitches.

Milwaukee put the lead-off man on board in four of Gallen’s five innings and finally broke through in the fifth. Chourio’s homer ended Gallen’s 18-straight scoreless innings streak.

“I was on a pretty good run at keeping offenses at bay,” Gallen said. “So just to allow one swing to ruin it kind of sucks.”

He finished with seven strikeouts and forced 14 whiffs. Arizona has won his last three starts.

Gallen said he regretted a couple of moments, including the pitch to Chourio he wanted low-and-away that crept in. He also wished to make a defensive play. Otherwise, he felt Sunday was one of his best starts for the fastball in particular this season.

With Ryne Nelson on the injured list and inconsistency throughout the rotation and bullpen at this point, getting as much out of Gallen as possible becomes that much more pertinent. He was not dominant on Sunday, but he pitched well enough to give the club chances to win.

Tough day for bullpens

The Diamondbacks quickly lost the lead after Gallen’s exit, though, as Kevin Ginkel failed to record three outs before allowing four runs. Brewers backup catcher Eric Haase pounded the game-tying homer, while Adames followed a two-homer game Saturday with a go-ahead double.

Ryan Thompson allowed the eighth Brewers run, but the Diamondbacks’ offense continued to find ways to claw back in.

Two scored in the seventh inning from a Geraldo Perdomo RBI single and Randal Grichuk RBI double. Grichuk was scratched from the lineup with “lower-body tightness” and replaced with Smith before he pinch-hit. Kevin Newman pinch-ran for Grichuk at second base.

Carroll tied the game on a manufactured run in the eighth inning. He walked, stole second, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Suarez.

Suarez drove in three runs, increasing his RBI total to 95.

Milwaukee scored seven runs (six earned) against Arizona’s bullpen, although the D-backs tagged a daunting Brewers bullpen with six runs.

Gabriel Moreno returns

The D-backs activated catcher Gabriel Moreno from the injured list pregame, and he came up off the bench in a big spot in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitting for catcher Jose Herrera, Moreno hit into a fielder’s choice, as Newman was thrown out at third base. Del Castillo entered the game to catch the following inning.

“We knew we had him available, but it was pinch-hit only knowing that he caught yesterday,” Banister said.

Diamondbacks’ next series

The D-backs travel to Coors Field for three games at the Colorado Rockies starting Monday.

Arizona gets four more cracks against Milwaukee at American Family Field in a series that begins Thursday.

Sunday’s win coincided with losses by the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, giving the D-backs a two-game cushion as the second wild card team.

The opener in Denver begins at 5:40 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.

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The D-backs also placed reliever and former closer Paul Sewald on the 15-day injured list with left neck discomfort, retroactive to Thursday.

The Diamondbacks will roll with three catchers for the time being: Moreno, Jose Herrera and Adrian Del Castillo.

The club announced Moreno’s return just over an hour before first pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field on Sunday. Herrera remained in the batting order with Moreno available off the bench. The D-backs will head to Colorado for a three-game series starting Monday against the Rockies.

Gabriel Moreno is back for the Diamondbacks

Moreno played five innings in a continuation camp game on Saturday at Salt River Fields, which went as planned.

He rejoins the club with only four series remaining until the postseason, as the regular season finale is on Sept. 29, and the D-backs are in an increasingly tight wild card race.

The 2023 Gold Glove backstop was heating up offensively before he suffered the injury. From the start of July until he went down on Aug. 5, Moreno slashed .333/.412/.476 with two home runs and six doubles. He upped his season OPS from .659 to .729.

On defense, Moreno has been a key run stopper over the past couple seasons, as he led the league with a 39% caught stealing rate last year. He has thrown out 31% of base stealers this season, well above league average (21%).

“Having Gabi back there, I think the number one thing pretty automatic, is shutting down the running game,” general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke this past week. “If you can take one of those weapons away from some of these teams that rely on it to be dynamic, it can alter the game quite a bit.”

Diamondbacks’ 3 catchers

Herrera and Del Castillo were filling in with Moreno on the shelf. Manager Torey Lovullo said on Saturday there had not been decisions made regarding which catcher the club would keep as the backup.

The duo this season in Arizona has thrown out five of 52 base stealers, as the D-backs have struggled at times to control the run game without Moreno as a deterrent.

Herrera has been a trusted backup over the past couple seasons and has caught each of Zac Gallen’s outings since Moreno landed on the IL. Gallen is the starting pitcher on Sunday.

Del Castillo provides more offensive punch than Herrera, as he burst out of the gates with three home runs and 14 RBIs in his first nine MLB games. The rookie has an .879 OPS in 86 plate appearances.

He has improved his defense this season, but there is still a learning curve.

“It’s a crash course,” Lovullo said on Saturday. “He’s handled it well. He follows the game plan perfectly. But there are times you need to improvise, and I think experience reading swings, knowing hitters, knowing his pitchers, in time, he’ll start to figure out when it’s time to adapt and improvise.”

Bench coach Jeff Banister said Del Castillo has “come as far as we’ve seen any player” since spring training.

“I like the way he manages the game from behind the plate in a short snapshot,” Banister said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of growth still to go. I mean, typically it takes a young catcher more than a year to learn how to, let alone a month-and-a-half.”

Paul Sewald injured

Sewald had not thrown in a game since last Sunday in Houston.

Since losing his closer’s spot following a brutal July, Sewald has thrown 13 innings in a lower-leverage role with a 4.15 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 15 strikeouts and three walks.

Lovullo said on Friday he did not want to rule out Sewald pitching meaningful innings again this season.

“He’s been throwing the ball a little bit better,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “We know that. The fastball is going where he wants to, the secondary stuff is landing. So we don’t feel like he’s too far off.”

Sewald is not eligible to return until the final weekend of the regular season against San Diego.

The Diamondbacks continue to wait on left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (calf strain) and starter Ryne Nelson (shoulder inflammation) to get back from the IL.

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Grichuk was initially set to hit third against Brewers southpaw DL Hall, but the club swapped him for Pavin Smith in left field and reorganized the batting order. Christian Walker hopped up to third, Eugenio Suarez fourth and Smith eighth against the lefty.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is not with the club on Sunday, as he is in California to present a eulogy for his late friend and teammate Billy Bean.

Bench coach Jeff Banister is managing the team in Lovullo’s place, and he said pregame Grichuk is dealing with “lower-body tightness.”

Grichuk is available off the bench, as keeping him out of the lineup was precautionary, Banister said.

“As these things happen with guys after a quick turnaround, he had a little lower-body tightness,” Banister said.

“We felt, based on going to Colorado, a lot of factors there, and pitchers that we’re facing down the stretch and the importance of him in our lineup is not to push anything, to give him an opportunity to get work done. He’ll be available off the bench.”

The Diamondbacks have a three-game series at Coors Field against the Rockies that starts Monday.

Grichuk has been on a heater of late, which continued with a two-run homer in Saturday’s 15-8 loss.

The veteran is 14-for-35 (.400) with a 1.404 OPS and six home runs in his last 14 games played (nine starts). He has 10 home runs this season and improved his OPS to .843.

Diamondbacks’ updated lineup

Updated lineup:

Marte | 2B
Carroll | RF
Walker | 1B
Suárez | 3B
Bell | DH
McCarthy | CF
Perdomo | SS
Smith | LF
Herrera | C https://t.co/8OsyFLM6ko

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 15, 2024

First pitch at Chase Field is at 1:10 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app. 

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Manager Torey Lovullo is away attending the celebration of life for his late friend, former teammate and MLB inclusivity champion Billy Bean. Bean, a former major leaguer who took the helm as senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, died last month after a battle with leukemia at the age of 60.

Lovullo traveled to California to present a eulogy for his friend.

Banister has been Lovullo’s bench coach since 2022. He has managerial experience, leading the Texas Rangers from 2015-18. His record as Texas’ skipper was 325-113, with a pair of postseason appearances.

“I get to work with one of the best managers of the game,” Banister said. “That’s how I feel about it. He gives me great latitude to do things on a daily basis. We talk every day, all day, throughout the game. There are times that we have, I don’t think differing views on the game, but I think he has his lens and I have mine, and it finds a way to meet in the appropriate place.

“This is not the first time we’ve had this situation where he’s had to step away for different reasons. … He’s driving the G wagon, and he flips me the keys. I just get in and enjoy it.”

The Diamondbacks are looking to avoid a sweep against Milwaukee, and Arizona ace Zac Gallen is the starting pitcher tasked with stopping the slide.

Milwaukee will send out left-hander DL Hall.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks designated veteran reliever and trade deadline acquisition Dylan Floro for assignment on Sunday, the club announced. Arizona recalled left-handed pitching prospect Blake Walston.

Walston provides length to a bullpen that threw 7.1 innings in Saturday’s 15-8 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Floro threw two frames with five earned runs during the defeat, upping his ERA to 9.37 in 16.1 innings pitched since the trade deadline.

Floro came over as a nine-year veteran with a 2.06 ERA and 2.64 FIP this season for the Nationals. The Diamondbacks made two trades for relievers, nabbing former Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk along with Floro to strengthen the unit at a time of transition with Paul Sewald exiting the closer’s role around the deadline.

Floro’s velocity took a nosedive after the trade, as his sinker dropped from 90.4 mph in July to 88.4 mph in September, according to Statcast. Similar occurrences happened with his four-seamer, changeup and slider, and his average exit velocities jumped.

The Diamondbacks traded minor league infielder Andres Chaparro to the Washington Nationals for Floro at the buzzer of the trade deadline — the deal went down while the two clubs faced each other, so Floro just switched clubhouses. Chaparro has a .744 OPS in 109 plate appearances in Washington, although he would not have had any obvious role in Arizona this season.

Floro has primarily filled out lower-leverage innings but had not earned a higher-stakes role.

Blake Walston returns to Arizona

Walston returns for his third stint in the major leagues this season. In 12.2 innings across two starts and a relief appearance, Walston owns a 2.84 ERA with nine walks and 11 strikeouts.

He landed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation on June 6 and missed more than two months before returning to Triple-A Reno.

The 23-year-old last pitched on Tuesday for the Aces, tossing 5.2 innings with one earned run.

Blake Walston (@Dbacks No. 25) was sharp in his first MLB start.

4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K pic.twitter.com/nw4Rf3xnSo

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 26, 2024

The Diamondbacks placed starter Ryne Nelson on the 15-day injured list Saturday retroactive to Wednesday, likely moving Jordan Montgomery from his long relief role back into the rotation. Yilber Diaz threw 71 pitches out of the bullpen on Saturday, so length quickly became a need.

By designating Floro for assignment, the Diamondbacks have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

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PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt allowed eight earned runs for the first time in his MLB career during a 15-8 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Pfaadt exited after recording only five outs, chased by a Willy Adames grand slam. The D-backs fell behind 13-0 after five runs scored off reliever Dylan Floro, who has allowed more runs than innings pitched since joining the team at the trade deadline.

The bats woke up for eight unanswered runs to avoid a more embarrassing final and give a charge to an announced crowd of 44,886 — although that certainly was not the number by the eighth inning.

“Tonight was a total lack of pitch execution, missed pitches in the middle of the zone, lack of command with our secondary stuff, just too many misses to a team that is just going to fight you the whole way and not give in,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

Seven of Milwaukee’s eight runs scored off Pfaadt came with two outs in the second frame, a rally started by Sal Frelick poking a single into the 6-hole. Frelick robbed Corbin Carroll of a home run in the first inning, so his two plays changed the outlook of this game. The Brewers (86-62) racked up four straight singles followed by two walks to set up Adames, who hit two homers on Saturday.

Willy Adames doubles the @Brewers lead with a GRAND SLAM 😮‍💨

(MLB x @DairyQueen) pic.twitter.com/btKsrF1O9Y

— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2024

Pfaadt did not allow much hard contact but failed to miss bats. He did not strike out a batter despite working six two-strike counts.

“Definitely not how we wanted it to go,” Pfaadt said. “I think we know how important these games are, to let the team down with the game like that, I think is unacceptable and we’ve got to do better.”

This has been a very difficult stretch for the 25-year-old who had been the rock for a banged up rotation throughout much of the season — he is the only member of the starting five to not spend time on the injured list.

He has allowed 25 earned runs on 40 hits over his last 22 innings across five starts, including Saturday. He has a 7.58 ERA in his last nine outings overall.

“I think the slider hasn’t felt great, and it’s a work in progress but that’s obviously our best pitch,” Pfaadt said. “And when we don’t have that, when we’re not commanding that, we have to rely on other pitches. And so I think the adjustment we need to make before next week, before we face them again, is getting that back and being aggressive with that.”

Pfaadt’s next outing will be in Milwaukee this upcoming week, as Arizona has a four-game series at American Family Field starting Thursday.

“Unacceptable” Brandon Pfaadt describes tonight’s performance. pic.twitter.com/OL1NIAtpsn

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 15, 2024

Is Brandon Pfaadt fatigued?

The Diamondbacks (82-66) gave Pfaadt some additional rest coming into Saturday, as they flipped him and Eduardo Rodriguez this weekend using Thursday’s off day. Pfaadt is up to 166.2 innings this year. He threw 178.2 innings last season between Triple-A, Diamondbacks regular season games and postseason appearances.

Pfaadt pushed back on the notion he may be fatigued at this point.

“No, physically I feel great and ready to finish out strong and rebound,” Pfaadt said.

“Do I think it’s a part of a fatigue factor? It could be, but he says he feels good,” Lovullo said.

Torey Lovullo comments on the loss. pic.twitter.com/re3yKVANoi

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 15, 2024

Diamondbacks score 8 unanswered runs

Yilber Diaz made his relief debut for the Diamondbacks and went three scoreless innings before giving up a two-run shot to William Contreras in the ninth. Still, Diaz ate four innings as the offense started to make noise.

The Diamondbacks took out starters such as Ketel Marte, Carroll, Christian Walker and Eugenio Suarez early, but the club battled.

Josh Bell came off the bench and delivered a two-run single in the sixth, Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer in the seventh and Arizona tacked on four runs in the eighth.

“If we got a little slug, we were actually going to be right back in the game,” Lovullo said. “So I’m very satisfied with a few things that happened late. … We closed up that gap with a solid approach, but we got to be better on the mound.”

Geraldo Perdomo drove in two runs with a double, although the D-backs stranded runners on second and third. Brewers third baseman Andruw Monasterio helped out with a pair of misplayed balls, although shortstop Joey Ortiz made a diving stop to save two runs.

Eight unanswered. 👏 pic.twitter.com/AhpyOImWYx

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 15, 2024

The Diamondbacks received multi-hit nights from Bell, Grichuk, Perdomo, Adrian Del Castillo and Pavin Smith, finishing with 14 hits total. Arizona entered Saturday 17-0 when racking up 14 hits this season.

No position player pitching?

By cutting Milwaukee’s lead, Arizona actually eliminated the option to use a position player on the mound. MLB’s rule says a team must be trailing by eight or more runs or ahead by 10 or more runs. Thus, Diaz had to come back out for a fourth inning in relief.

“I wanted to clip him at three (innings) max, and to be honest with you, we were gonna throw a position player, but it’s got to be eight runs or more,” Lovullo said. “And we got inside of that. So I was kind of trapped.”

Diamondbacks’ next game

The D-backs can avoid the sweep on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.

Zac Gallen (3.55 ERA) gets the start against Milwaukee southpaw DL Hall (4.01 ERA).

The Diamondbacks remain the second NL Wild Card team going into Sunday, but they only lead the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves by a game.

Sunday’s matchup will air on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app. 

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are placing starting pitcher Ryne Nelson on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Saturday.

Nelson underwent an MRI Saturday morning after feeling discomfort while throwing on Friday. The issue did not pop up during Nelson’s last start Sunday at the Houston Astros.

“We’re going to pull him back and we remain very optimistic and hopeful that on the 15th, 16th day, he can rejoin this ballclub,” Lovullo said.

Nelson has been the Diamondbacks’ most effective starting pitcher since the start of July, leading the club in innings (79.2) with a 3.16 ERA in that span. Arizona is 10-2 in his last 12 starts, eight of which were quality starts.

Lovullo confirmed Nelson was lined up to be one of Arizona’s postseason starters after Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly — which is not necessarily ruled out by this injury.

“We would not be where we are without Ryne Nelson and his ability to go out and help us win baseball games,” Lovullo said.

The right-hander will continue his throwing program to maintain his range of motion.

Arizona only had 15 games remaining in the regular season entering Saturday with the second wild card spot in hand.

Nelson’s IL placement is retroactive to Wednesday, which gives him a small window at the end of the regular season to get a start in before the postseason. That start would have to come during Arizona’s final series against the San Diego Padres.

In that case, he would miss only two starts, as the D-backs had already pushed him back for rest and to move Gallen and Kelly up. The D-backs reshuffled the rotation for this weekend, but his injury was not part of the calculus.

Gallen will start Sunday with Kelly looking set for Monday in Colorado despite leaving his last start early with hamstring cramping.

The Diamondbacks are placing Ryne Nelson on the IL with shoulder inflammation. pic.twitter.com/01OudQb7Ny

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 14, 2024

Which Diamondbacks’ pitcher will fill in for Ryne Nelson?

Lovullo all but confirmed Jordan Montgomery will jump back into the rotation to spell Nelson for the time being.

“We feel very strongly that could be our best consideration, yes,” Lovullo said. “We haven’t yet announced it.”

Yilber Diaz, who has moved to the bullpen and was called up on Thursday, is not an option, Lovullo said.

Montgomery moved to the bullpen after his 19th start on Aug. 21, as the Diamondbacks had Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez back from injury and Montgomery sported a grisly 6.44 ERA. The left-hander has made four long relief appearances, but Lovullo said he is still stretched out enough to start. If the veteran starts Tuesday, he will be lined up for games against the Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers before Nelson is eligible to return.

Diamondbacks roster moves

With Nelson headed for the IL, the Diamondbacks selected the contract of left-handed reliever Brandon Hughes for bullpen depth.

Hughes produced a 10.29 ERA in 14 innings with Arizona this season and was outrighted to Triple-A Reno on Aug. 2. He has a 2.03 ERA in Triple-A in 2024.

To create 40-man roster space, the D-backs designated catcher Andrew Knizner for assignment.

Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. update

D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno (adductor strain) played five innings at Salt River Fields on Saturday, and Lovullo said all reports indicated it went as planned.

Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (calf strain) also participated with four at-bats, although he is not yet running at full speed.

Lovullo said he expects Moreno back first, but both players are getting close.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks looked poised for a crooked number in the first inning of Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, but after taking a 1-0 lead, the offense went quiet after scoring 32 runs over the previous three games.

The D-backs (82-65) managed six hits and four walks against Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, starting the game with a Corbin Carroll walk and Ketel Marte single.

Manager Torey Lovullo did not see approach problems, as against a quality pitching staff, the D-backs just came up short of a game-altering knock.

“I’m not upset with the approaches. It’s just the results didn’t happen today,” Lovullo said. “So we just gotta keep banging away at it. And traditionally, this team has been throwing up a ton of runs, and that’s why I maneuvered into the bullpen the way you saw today.”

“Peralta has one of the best fastballs, I think, in the big leagues, it just gets on you,” Pavin Smith, who delivered the lone RBI on a sacrifice fly, added. “It looks a little weird. They’re back-end of their bullpen is very good too. … Credit to them tonight.”

Smith perhaps came the closest to breaking through with a deep fly ball to center field that fell just short of catching the overhang. The 391-foot shot would have been a homer in seven MLB parks, according to Statcast. Instead, it ended the fifth inning with two base runners stranded.

Another potentially key moment came when Christian Walker was thrown out at third base trying to advance on a ball in the dirt to end the third inning. Lovullo told him to trust his first instinct, as Walker started, stopped and went.

After Peralta exited after the fifth inning, Milwaukee’s bullpen — which entered the game with a National League-best 3.14 ERA — tossed four hitless innings, closed out by two-time All-Star Devin Williams.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo on the team’s offensive approach tonight. pic.twitter.com/Cr7DzNR9YG

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 14, 2024

Friday’s game was the first of seven matchups between the Diamondbacks and Brewers (85-62) through next weekend, giving Arizona’s league-leading offense a challenge against a strong Milwaukee pitching staff (3.59 team ERA).

“They’re built to play these types of games. I think we’re versatile, and we can play these types of games, too,” Lovullo said. “They just got the better of us today. We know there’s going to be a wide range of games. You’re probably going to see games like this, innings like this, and you’re going to see it totally different. So we just got to get after it.”

Arizona had hit 14 home runs over its last four games and entered Friday on a three-game winning streak. The D-backs are 13-34 this season when they hit no home runs.

Milwaukee’s magic number to clinch the NL Central, meanwhile, dropped to five.

Eduardo Rodriguez “solid” for Diamondbacks

Rodriguez threw at least five innings with two earned runs or fewer for the second time in seven starts since coming off the injured list.

The lefty struck out seven batters through three scoreless innings to begin his outing, punching out six of eight Brewers in one stretch.

Rodriguez, however, missed his spot on a sinker to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth inning, and he blasted a towering two-run homer to left field to take a 2-1 lead.

“The only pitch I feel like I missed in the whole game was a sinker, and when you miss a pitch, you pay for it,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been happening to me the last three, four games. … But overall, I feel like location-wise on everything was really good.”

Rhys Hoskins puts the @Brewers ahead with his 24th home run of the year. 💪 pic.twitter.com/4xMGjbOkuo

— MLB (@MLB) September 14, 2024

Lovullo said Rodriguez wanted to stay in the game after the fifth inning but the D-backs’ bullpen was rested. Ryan Thompson, Joe Mantiply, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk kept the deficit 2-1.

“I thought E-Rod was solid,” Lovullo said. “Just couldn’t get that big momentum push on our side … It was one two-seam fastball that missed on the plate to a really good hitter … and that was the difference in the game.”

Eduardo Rodríguez’s 3Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/FlmeaF9ky7

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 14, 2024

Notably, Arizona picked off two Brewers base runners, as Milwaukee came into the game third in MLB in stolen bases.

Diamondbacks’ wild card check in

This was a particularly tough night to lose, considering fellow wild card contenders the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and San Diego Padres all won their respective games. Arizona fell to the second wild card spot, a half-game back of San Diego, one game ahead of New York and two up on Atlanta.

The Braves are taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Mets are facing the Philadelphia Phillies, so all three have their hands full with division leaders this weekend.

Diamondbacks’ next game

Arizona’s series with Milwaukee continues Saturday at 5:10 p.m.

Brandon Pfaadt (4.42 ERA) is probable for the D-backs against Brewers rookie right-hander Tobias Myers (2.93 ERA).

Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have their starting rotation mapped out “as far as we can go” with only five series remaining before the postseason.

The D-backs reshuffled their starters to set up their desired matchups before the end of the year, moving Zac Gallen up to Sunday and moving back Ryne Nelson to next week’s series in Colorado.

A small wrench is the status of Merrill Kelly, who exited his last start with right hamstring cramping but is not expected to miss any time. Whether he starts on Monday to stay in line behind Gallen or Tuesday for an extra day of rest is to be determined. The Diamondbacks have one more off day this season to set up the rotation behind presumptive Game 1 starter Gallen.

“I don’t want to make any assumptions, every series we play, I mean, is huge,” Lovullo said.

“Every game has been huge, as it should be. We’ve earned that. But there are times where I have to step outside of that a little bit and start to see different projections. I’m not the only one. We’re up at my the board in my office, constantly moving things around. It is to get the right guys on turn, the guys that are probably gassed up the most, the guys we want to have start against certain teams. And then it does go beyond the end of the season.”

If Kelly starts on Monday, the rotation as it stands would go Gallen, Kelly, Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt after Rodriguez and Pfaadt swapped places in this weekend’s reshuffle. That’s not to say that will be the exact order entering the wild card round — Arizona entered Friday as the top wild card team and three games up on the Atlanta Braves on the outside looking in.

As far as who the three starting pitchers in a wild card series would be, Lovullo said, “We’ve got it mapped out as far as we can go. I don’t want to talk about it … That’s all in play and considered when we are talking through some of the rotation switches we made.”

What is Yilber Diaz’s role?

The Diamondbacks recalled top pitching prospect Yilber Diaz to fill a bullpen role after he had been starting for most of the year. They did the same with Bryce Jarvis last year and Slade Cecconi this season.

“Probably more than one inning, not the long man, probably one- plus two-inning stints, and he could throw in any situation, in any game,” Lovullo said. “Might want to give him a little bit of a soft landing, but I don’t think he cares. I think he wants to go out there and compete. Was really excited to see him here in this new role. We threw him out of the bullpen a few times in Triple-A, and I’m sure he was starting to add things up.”

Diaz said there is a mental adjustment to prepare for a bullpen role but he has experience relieving from his first minor league season. He was explained that making the switch gave him his best opportunity to get back to the majors this year to help the club.

Diaz and Lovullo expect his stuff to spike up, and the young arm said he plans to continue using all three pitches (fastball, slider and curveball). But there are some unknowns, particularly on how he would handle pitching on back-to-back days.

In a three-game wild card series, the Diamondbacks will have to decide — if they have not already — whether to use Diaz on the roster without needing all of their starters. Keeping Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery seems a bit redundant in a short series if not starting.

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PHOENIX — If it feels like Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez is hitting balls over the fence and pulling out his binoculars just about every other game, that’s because he nearly is.

Suarez has been on a shortlist of the league’s premier power threats for months now with a major-league-leading 22 home runs and 60 RBIs in 62 games since July 1.

He blasted his 27th and 28th home runs of the season on Wednesday in a four-hit game against the Texas Rangers.

Suarez has been an All-Star and received down-ballot MVP votes before, but he cannot remember being hotter than this extended stretch that turned his season completely around.

“I think this is the best stretch that I have in my career,” Suarez said. “Feel good, to be honest. And I don’t want to change anything. I just want to keep going and let it happen.”

By the numbers: Eugenio Suarez is crushing the ball for the Diamondbacks

.808 OPS

Suarez had a history of cold starts in his career to this point, but nothing compared to the struggles early on in 2024.

Through the end of June, an 80-game sample size, Suarez hit .196 with a .591 OPS and six home runs. He had a 29.2% strikeout rate.

Since then, his slash line is .328/.378/.690, upping his season OPS to .808. His K rate since July 1 is way down to 22.8%.

To compare, Suarez was a desirable offseason target after he produced a .714 OPS and 22 home runs last year, and he is blowing past those marks.

“What Geno’s done, the numbers that Geno is going to end up with at the end of the season compared to what he did the first three months, is insane,” pitcher Merrill Kelly said on Wednesday.

.500 batting average

In September, Suarez has started 19-for-38, a .500 batting average with a 1.690 OPS and seven home runs in 10 games. No other qualified hitter in MLB has started the final month like this.

Since the start of July, Suarez has four games with at least four hits and four games with at least five RBIs. Babe Ruth for the 1927 Yankees is the only other player since 1920 who has accomplished both feats after July 1 in a season, according to Stats Perform.

No other major leaguer this season has delivered five RBIs four times this season, and only Luis Arraez has more four-hits games with six.

The @Dbacks‘ Eugenio Suárez since the start of July:

4 games with 4+ hits
4 games with 5+ RBI

Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, the only other MLB player to have at least 4 of each in July or later in a season was Babe Ruth in 1927. pic.twitter.com/N28jlJzw0g

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 12, 2024

“I just want to have a good at-bats. Even when I have walks, it feels great,” Suarez said. “It’s not only about hitting homers or doubles or whatever, just have good at-bats and that result is going to be there. Like I always say, I’m never going to chase results.  … Try to see a ball the longer I can and make good decisions, make swings and the result is gonna be there.”

Before this season, Suarez had not put together a four-hit game since 2018. He has two in the past week.

30-100

In a season when Suarez reportedly came dangerously close to getting cut due to his lack of production over the first three months following an offseason trade with Seattle, the veteran is right on pace for 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the third time in his career. His last 30-100 season came back in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds. The last time Suarez had a 60-game stretch with 20 home runs and a .300 batting average was also back in 2019.

He is one of eight Diamondbacks third basemen to put together 28 homers and 90 RBIs in a season, and only four have reached the 30-100 threshold: Mark Reynolds (2009), Eduardo Escobar (2019), Matt Williams (1999) and Jake Lamb (2017).

It took keeping a never-give-up approach and adjustments to his pregame routines to get back on track, including work with the Trajekt machine that mimics any pitcher’s delivery for higher-intensity batting practice.

List of players with more home runs than Eugenio Suárez since July 7th:

Nobody.@markdero7 | @CY24_7 | @Dbacks | #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/6o8uicWeu0

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 12, 2024

$15 million

Add in a consistent, positive clubhouse presence and solid defense with Suarez’s final numbers, and the 33-year-old has given the D-backs so much of what they were looking for when trading for him.

“I wish you could get a most improved player award for his turnaround here in the second half,” team president and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “More importantly … it’s how he handled the adversity. It’s how he handled the slow start. He never changed. He always came in with a great attitude.”

Suarez is making a loud case for the D-backs to pick up his $15 million club option for 2025 after that looked like a nonstarter three months ago.

Batting 7th …

Suarez has almost exclusively hit in the lower half of the batting order this season. Even on Wednesday against a left-handed starter, Suarez hit seventh. And right-handed bats Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno are still on the injured list. It’s a testament to how deep a lineup Arizona has, especially once its gets healthy. Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Joc Pederson and Christian Walker provide the punch up top, and Suarez among others do not allow pitchers to breath.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled top pitching prospect Yilber Diaz from Triple-A Reno and optioned reliever Slade Cecconi, the club announced on Thursday.

Diaz returns for his second major league opportunity after making four starts for the Diamondbacks in July. He filled in with Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez on the injured list.

The 23-year-old put together three very promising starts at Chase Field totaling 17 innings with two earned runs, 14 strikeouts and seven walks. He also allowed seven earned runs in Kansas City, so overall he worked a 4.05 ERA in his first MLB look.

Diaz returned to Reno with Rodriguez and Kelly rejoining the mix, and over his last two appearances, the Aces had him working out of the bullpen. He threw two shutout innings in relief on Saturday, his most recent outing. Diaz produced a 3.18 ERA in Triple-A after getting sent down on July 29.

The right-hander from Venezuela leans on a mid-90s heater with a wipe-out slider and a curveball.

He is Arizona’s No. 6 prospect on MLB pipeline, and his journey to the major leagues has received attention as he overcame overwhelming odds from stepping away from baseball as a teenager, selling candy and energy drinks on the street to signing a contract with the Diamondbacks.

Diaz rejoins the club as it holds onto the top National League Wild Card spot — three games up on the Atlanta Braves on the outside looking in — with 16 games to play.

How about a ANOTHER baker’s dozen for Yilber Diaz?

The @Dbacks‘ No. 6 prospect equals a career high with his second 13-strikeout performance of ’24 for the Triple-A @Aces! pic.twitter.com/jL5SI42vHM

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 28, 2024

Diamondbacks option Slade Cecconi

Cecconi heads back to Reno after another turbulent outing in relief on Wednesday. The right-hander entered a game against the Texas Rangers after Kelly exited with right hamstring cramping.

With a runner on first, Cecconi committed a disengagement violation — as the two check-ins carried over. The runner, Leody Taveras, stole third and scored on an infield single on which it appeared Cecconi failed to cover first base.

Cecconi was pulled with the bases loaded and two outs after allowing another run to score.

The 25-year-old allowed earned runs in all five relief appearances for the Diamondbacks after transitioning from a starting role.

Cecconi has a 6.66 ERA in the big leagues this year and has started 13 major league games while Arizona dealt with its pitching injuries throughout the first half.

The Diamondbacks host the Milwaukee Brewers for three games, starting on Friday.

Jordan Lawlar update

Diamondbacks top prospect Jordan Lawlar was assigned from Double-A Amarillo to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Lawlar was activated on Sunday after spending nearly three months on the injured list with hamstring issues. He played two games with the Sod Poodles before being returned to Reno.

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