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SAN FRANCISCO — Ketel Marte blasted a pair of homers in the first four innings on Wednesday, May 14, but was lifted from the game for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, raising alarms that the Diamondbacks’ star second baseman had suffered another injury.
As it happens, both he and manager Torey Lovullo described the decision to remove him from the game as being made in hopes of avoiding an injury.
“I feel good, just a little bit stiff,” Marte said, speaking through interpreter Alex Arpiza. “That always happens here in San Francisco with the climate. Up by four, it’s better just to kind of do this as a preventative measure.”
Marte and Lovullo both said they expect him to return to the lineup on May 16, when the Diamondbacks open a three-game series at Chase Field against the Colorado Rockies.
Marte was removed for pinch-hitter Jordan Lawlar in the top of the seventh inning with the Diamondbacks holding an 8-4 lead over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. They wound up holding on to win, 8-7, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory.
Less than two weeks ago, Marte returned from a month-long stay on the injured list and has been gradually building toward being able to avoid the sort of built-in off days that are typical for players returning from injury.
Lovullo said he had a discussion with Marte on May 13 about whether he would even play the following. Lovullo mentioned the chilly weather each of the previous two nights — temperatures were in the 50s — and the toll that could have taken on Marte’s body.
“He pounded the table and said, ‘I want to play. We’ve got to win the series and I want to play,’” Lovullo said. “So it was a big ask to go night, night, day. First time he’s done that.”
Lovullo said he remained in touch with Marte throughout the game and learned that around the sixth inning he began to feel “really, really stiff,” Lovullo said.
“Before I removed him, I went down there and said, ‘What do you got?’” Lovullo said. “And he said, ‘I need to come out of this game.’ I want to respect that. I want to respect the athlete who knows his body.”
Lovullo said that when Marte describes that kind of stiffness he usually is talking about his hips, adding that the discomfort can then lead to issues with his hamstrings and his back. Marte, though, said it was more than that.
“Even my teeth hurt,” Marte said, seemingly half-joking. “Everything.”
Said Lovullo: “He knows when it’s tight he needs to come off the field. He’s an elite athlete. He’s wired very, very tight. When the wind is blowing in your back for two games like it was the past couple nights and you’re standing out there for long innings, it adds up.”
Lovullo, who was ejected from the game in the eighth inning, said he had “a little extra time” while the game was finishing to visit with Marte in the trainer’s room. Marte assured him he will be ready to play this weekend.
“It’s a partnership,” Lovullo said. “Me and Ketel have a great partnership. We need him to play the entire year. I wouldn’t put him in the lineup on Friday unless we all believed that was the case and he feels very strongly about it.”