The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to pursue their sixth consecutive series win when they face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday evening, continuing their three-game series in Pittsburgh.
In the series opener on Friday, the Diamondbacks kicked off with an impressive performance. They quickly took control, with the first four batters scoring in the opening inning as part of a five-run surge. Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, and former Pirate Josh Bell hit consecutive home runs in the first inning. Marte and Bell later added solo home runs, leading Arizona to a narrow 9-8 victory.
Josh Bell, making his debut for the Diamondbacks after being traded from the Miami Marlins earlier in the week, had a significant impact. Geraldo Perdomo also played a crucial role, hitting a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning. Despite a lapse where they lost an early five-run advantage, Arizona managed to move eight games above .500, marking their best record of the season.
Arizona’s manager, Torey Lovullo, praised his team’s resilience. “They’re fighters,” Lovullo said. “They had every reason to feel sorry for themselves. They didn’t. They had every reason to shut down, and they didn’t. They believed they were going to win this game even when things were looking very, very desperate.”
In the ninth inning, Marte added further insurance by launching a home run deep into the Allegheny River. Since June 23, Marte has been hitting .368 with 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 26 runs. Meanwhile, Bell has been in excellent form, hitting seven home runs in his last eight games and boasting a .438 average with 11 RBIs in that period.
Arizona has been in strong form, winning four straight games and eight of their last nine.
For the Pirates, Oneil Cruz stood out with a career-high five hits, including two RBI singles. His performance was a bright spot despite a throwing error that allowed Corbin Carroll to score from a game-opening triple. Cruz expressed satisfaction with his game, acknowledging the importance of learning from mistakes. “It just feels good to have a 5-for-5 game,” Cruz said. “But the most important thing is you learn from your mistakes. And today, I was able to bounce back.”
The Pirates managed to take a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning when Cruz’s infield single brought in Andrew McCutchen. Despite their comeback efforts, Pirates manager Derek Shelton noted the team’s struggle to close out the game. “We were down 5-0 in the first, and we continued to battle and took the lead. We just didn’t finish it. We did a nice job of moving the ball forward, with runners in scoring position, and had good at-bats. We just didn’t finish the game.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup, the Pirates aim for a strong start against Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.51 ERA). Montgomery, who did not factor into the decision in his last outing against the Washington Nationals, has a 2.63 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates. He will face Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.30 ERA), who also had a no-decision in his last game against Arizona but has a 2.49 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks.
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