How did Ketel Marte’s Diamondbacks clubhouse address go?

PHOENIX — Ketel Marte felt positively about how his pregame apology to his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates landed.

Marte played in his first game since Aug. 16 on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he had a responsibility to smooth things over with the clubhouse first.

After a 2-1 loss that included some heavy booing for Marte by fans, the veteran stood at this locker and said his teammates accepted the apology, and that he was ready to help the team win again.

“I stood in front of them and apologized for what happened, as a man,” Marte said via Spanish interpreter. “I think everyone accepted my apologies. I hope that I keep getting along well with my teammates and help them. The most important thing is that I stay healthy and help the team win.”

Manager Torey Lovullo said the message was fast and simple, 5-10 minutes, and it accomplished what it needed to.

“It was good. Obviously there’s mixed feelings in the room, but for me, I’m glad to have him back,” starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt said.

It will take time for Marte to regain the trust of everyone in the room if he ever will after his no-show in Boston two weeks ago, which added to a four-year saga of opting out of critical games. But he can help his standing by performing.

Same goes with the fanbase, as Marte was booed every time he walked up to the plate on Monday, especially for his first at-bat. When he hit a single in the eighth inning, the fans cheered.

“I really didn’t expect that kind of reaction from fans,” Marte said. “I felt a little strange in my first at-bat but that’s hopefully going to go away. … The boos were a little less (in my last at-bat).”

 

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Lovullo was not surprised to hear the reaction from the crowd and felt Marte handled it well.

Marte shook his head before the game when asked whether he had a message for the fans. During his postgame scrum, he went back on that sentiment:

“Going back to the press conference, when the question was made to me, I didn’t really quite understand the word that was used at that moment,” Marte claimed. “I’m never going to stop loving my fans, and that’s what I want them to understand.”

Marte went 1-for-3 with a walk in his first game back.

What happened to the Diamondbacks against the Phillies?

A moment of pure baseball drama was a batter away from happening.

The Diamondbacks had runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. Gabriel Moreno, who already cracked two hits, was at the plate with Marte on deck. A walk would have set Marte up for a movie-like opportunity to win the game with the bases loaded. It would have been a chance to win back a large group of fans right then and there.

Alas, Moreno chopped out, as the game ended in a much more conventional manner.

The Diamondbacks’ execution with runners on base lacked throughout the night, as Arizona squandered ample chances to take the lead and break it open.

The D-backs went 0-for-9 with RISP and left 11 runners on. They left four runners on base over the final two innings, alone.

Pfaadt bounced back after giving up a 464-foot home run to Bryson Stott in the second inning and an RBI double to Bryce Harper in the third. He quieted the Phillies from there and ended up with a quality start of six innings and two earned runs.

The bullpen also did its job with three scoreless frames, as Juan Morillo stranded the bases loaded in the eighth.

The San Diego Padres won their game over in Cincinnati, so the D-backs dropped to a half-game back of the third National League Wild Card spot.

The Diamondbacks enter September with a 73-66 record, which is actually better than 2023 (69-65), setting up a sprint to the finish against San Diego.

“It’s the best time of the year, and we’re in this race,” Lovullo said “I know the standings have flipped a little bit. It’s going to happen the entire month. I think we’re going to go out and play our finest month of baseball, and that’s what we’re going to prep for.”

Monday attendance

21,314

Tuesday starters

Tuesday’s game will be a matchup of All-Star left-handed starters: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (14-4, 2.50) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (12-5, 3.09)

 First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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