Diamondbacks catcher and pitcher talk best of game moments
Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt and Adrian Del Castillo talk about game performance. It was Del Castillo’s first game back after a two-month recovery.
Jose Romero
The Diamondbacks defeated the Cardinals 10-1, fueled by Eugenio Suarez’s two home runs and Corbin Carroll’s two triples.Ketel Marte is expected to rejoin the team after dealing with a home burglary.
Eugenio Suarez had seen the rumors and heard the noise about him as a potential candidate to be dealt before the Major League Baseball trade deadline at the end of July. He’s taken it in stride and tried to block it out.
That said, the price for Suarez’s coveted power just might be going up for any contending team after his two-home run game on Saturday, July 19, a 10-1 Diamondbacks win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Or maybe 33 home runs and an All-Star Game appearance, and a prolonged run of winning, will keep Suarez in a Diamondbacks uniform, and perhaps the team could become buyers at the deadline instead of sellers.
The Diamondbacks (49-50) have come out of the All-Star break hitting well, and, for the first game in franchise history, a Diamondbacks player hit two home runs and a teammate hit two triples.
Suarez authored the home runs. Corbin Carroll tripled twice and Geraldo Perdomo drove in four runs to reach 71 RBIs this season.
“What can you say about what Geno continues to do?” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He just doesn’t miss the pitch that he’s looking for. He’s almost setting up the pitcher, staying one step ahead of what the game plan might be, and when he gets his pitch, he doesn’t miss it.”
Carroll is alone as the leader in MLB in triples with 12.
“I guess just trying to hustle out of the box and get going until they stop me,” Carroll said.
According to OptaSTATS, Carroll is the only player in MLB history with a season of four multi-home run games and a season with three multi-triple games.
Starting pitcher Ryne Nelson (6-2) allowed one run on four hits over six innings, and Adrian Del Castillo and Blaze Alexander had two hits and an RBI each.
In the first two games of the proverbial second half of the season, the Diamondbacks have 17 runs and 24 hits combined, plus two wins from starting pitchers.
“Really good vibes in here right now,” Alexander said in a quiet clubhouse after the game. “Everyone’s fresh and ready to go. We know what we’ve got to do — just come out, play our game and just win ball games. Play clean and keep winning.”
The climb up the National League wild-card standings remains a difficult task, but the Diamondbacks are doing what they can do for the moment with three consecutive victories.
Most of the damage was done in the first four innings, when Arizona scored nine runs.
Carroll, who also doubled, is the first player in the majors to have three or more games with multiple triples in a season since José Reyes did it three times for the New York Mets in 2011.
The Diamondbacks still have to leapfrog four teams to move into the position for the final wild card, but they’ve gained ground on the Cardinals (51-48) this weekend.
In a three-run first inning, Josh Naylor reached base on catcher’s interference and trotted home on Suarez’s 32nd home run of the season. Suarez added a solo shot in the third inning for No. 33, and the fans behind the Arizona dugout chanted “Geno! Geno! Geno!”
Suarez is one of two players in Diamondbacks history to hit 30 or more home runs within the team’s first 100 games of a season. Luis Gonzalez hit 40 in 2001.
Since June 1, Suarez’s 18 home runs are the most in the majors. Suarez had his fifth multi-homer game of the season and second in his past four games, also hitting two on July 12 against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Boys came out today and played hard,” Nelson said. “We played the kind of baseball that we like to play.
-José M. Romero
Ketel Marte on his way back to Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks played their second straight game without All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte on July 19. Marte, Lovullo said, is in Arizona, but is “getting grounded back in his own personal space” after Marte’s Scottsdale home was burglarized while he was in Atlanta for the All-Star Game.
Marte is expected to rejoin the team on Sunday, July 20, Lovullo said, but the manager didn’t commit to Marte being back in the lineup right away.
“My instinct is, he’s been dealing with a lot emotionally,” Lovullo said of Marte. “You can probably magnify that time 10 when he walks into his house and sees what’s taken place. I’m going to take my time with this. I’m going to be patient and when he’s ready, we’ll get him in there as soon as possible.”
The hope was that Marte would get to Chase Field on Saturday and possibly be available off the bench. That was what Lovullo aimed for in his pregame comments.
The Diamondbacks would need to make a roster move once he arrives.
—Nick Piecoro and José M. Romero
Diamondbacks players trade autographs with special kids
Diamondbacks players took part in an autograph exchange with a group of kids hosted by pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children.
Each youngster received their own custom baseball card to highlight their strength, resilience and love of baseball. Several players lined up to receive a signed baseball card from the kids, trading it for an autograph on a baseball from the players.
Kelly and players Brandon Pfaadt, James McCann, Randal Grichuk, Naylor and Carroll were among those who took part.
Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly enjoyed the reverse autograph session with young cancer patients before today’s game. pic.twitter.com/HSIatcs25W
— José M. Romero (@RomeroJoseM) July 19, 2025
The kids got to watch batting practice on the field, then took their seats at an autograph table and had brief conversations with the players.
Kelly said it was special to “flip the script” and have the kids be the focus of attention.
“Pretty much all of them are just out of treatment,” Kelly said. “To see them so positive, it makes you kind of put things in perspective. If they’re smiling, we really don’t have any reason not to.”
Kelly’s agency helped organize the event. He sought to learn about the kids’ personalities by talking to them, and he admires their attitudes.
“With the struggles that they’ve been through, it’s always cool for me to see who reacts differently to what,” Kelly said. “I think that was one of the coolest parts, is you talk to any one of these kids and … if anyone just met these kids on the street, I don’t think you’d have any idea of what they’ve gone through.”
-José M. Romero
Coming up
Sunday, July 20: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (8-5, 3.34) vs. Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (5-6, 4.94).
Monday, July 21: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (7-10, 5.40) vs. Astros TBA.
Tuesday, July 22: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-6, 5.94) vs. Astros TBA.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)