Torey Lovullo pushed the right buttons to steer May surge. Is this Diamondbacks team for real?

The Diamondbacks have attractions you won’t find in other baseball cities: The thoroughbred speed of Corbin Carroll, the Secretariat of triples. The scorch and sizzle of Ketel Marte heaters. A manager who occasionally turns into King Midas, turning everything he touches into gold.

It happened with Torey Lovullo in 2017. It happened again in 2023. It’s trending that way in 2026.

Look at the anecdotal evidence. After getting swept in Chicago, Lovullo hauled his starting pitchers into his office for a stern reprimand. They have responded with 15 quality starts in their next 20 attempts entering Tuesday’s game in San Francisco. The turnabout has been so profound that Lovullo created his own champagne problem in the process, a bullpen with too much rest and too much rust.

Next, Ketel Marte. According to a report in The Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks’ slugger was mired in a funk when Lovullo dropped by his locker after a game in Texas, depositing a handwritten note in his shoe while the player was in the shower. It read, “You are the best player I will ever manage.”

Marte has been unstoppable ever since.

These are two major buttons pushed by the manager before the annual milepost of Memorial Day, awakening a skittish staff with tough love, reminding them they are paid handsome sums of money to throw strikes; and doing just the opposite with Marte, a player who occasionally requires some tender loving care.

The Diamondbacks have proven nothing yet. They are good against bad teams and have a losing record against winning teams. The next 34 games will provide some real answers.

But the Diamondbacks responded admirably to an arduous early-season schedule, finishing 16-17 after the first 33 games. They are now feasting on the low-hanging fruit, which requires a certain swagger and maturity and should not be diminished. You love their chances if they continue to get star production from their star players.

Marte was just crowned National League Player of the Week. It looks like boulders have been lifted from his shoulders. He deserves this resurgence, along with a strong finish to his career and legacy in Arizona.

For historical context, Marte recently passed Paul Goldschmidt for second place on the Diamondbacks’ all-time list of games played, and he will eventually overtake Luis Gonzalez. That’s a name you don’t pass without hitting pause.

Marte has been a primary figure in Arizona sports for over 10 years. He’s coming through an offseason where he could’ve easily been traded, sent packing against his will. That is no longer possible, and Marte can now end his career in Arizona on his terms. He will never pass Gonzalez in terms of local popularity or Randy Johnson in terms of generational impact. But with any luck, Marte’s very best is still to come.

To get here, the Diamondbacks and Marte had to repair a relationship that had reached a critical point. Especially Lovullo, whose nurturing nature had enabled Marte to hit rock bottom after last year’s All-Star Game. Many managers might’ve washed their hands and moved on.

The Diamondbacks chose the path of conflict resolution, like strong families do. And now it appears that Lovullo might have exactly the kind of clubhouse in which he thrives, a team with a large swath of youthful exuberance. A team with exactly the right kind of veterans.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

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