Corbin Carroll, bullpen pull Diamondbacks through emotionally taxing day

PHOENIX — Bad injury news just piled up on the Arizona Diamondbacks both before and during Friday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, but a combination of Corbin Carroll’s brilliance, a gritty effort from the bullpen and timely hitting pulled the club through.

The D-backs won on an emotionally adverse day, 9-5, after receiving eight innings from their bullpen following starter Michael Soroka’s early exit (left glute discomfort).

Carroll finished a home run shy of the cycle, including his 52nd career triple that tied Stephen Drew for the franchise record. Carroll reached base four times and drove in four runs, three on a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning that put the game out of reach. His OPS rose to .925, the fourth highest in the National League.

“I think it was a big ask on the bullpen today, so I thought they did a really nice job,” Carroll said. “Never good to see your guys go down.”

“In my opinion, we were kind of flatlined, looking uphill after Soroka came off the field and then we fell down by a couple of runs,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “But I think this team showed some toughness.”

Taylor Clarke, Ryan Thompson, Drey Jameson, Jonathan Loaisiga, Brandyn Garcia, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald — seven of Arizona’s nine available relievers — had to handle eight innings.

It was not always pretty, specifically when Ginkel allowed back-to-back home runs in the eighth to cut Arizona’s lead to 6-5, but recording 24 outs from the bullpen and winning a game is not an easy task. Loaisiga threw 1.1 scoreless innings and worked out of an inherited jam to earn the win.

Diamondbacks bats get going

This game flipped in the fifth inning when Arizona trailed 3-1.

Through a combination of the Diamondbacks putting hard-hit balls in play and shaky Twins defense, Arizona scored four runs to take its first lead of the game.

Carroll smoked a double that sparked the home run light show at Chase Field, and Twins defensive miscues gave the D-backs opportunities to turn in a crooked number (fielding error, botched inning-ending double play and a balk).

Ketel Marte tacked on with a solo home run in the sixth, his first long ball since walking off the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4.

The offense as a whole finished with 13 hits, as eight of nine starters recorded a knock. Geraldo Perdomo was the only starter without a hit, but he walked twice and scored two runs.

In case you didn't vote for Ketel, here's your reminder.

⭐️: https://t.co/4SLoL8HfgQ pic.twitter.com/sMh7QVbMDx

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 20, 2026

Bad news hits Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks were hit with an overwhelming amount of injury adversity for one day, from Ryne Nelson landing on the injured list, A.J. Puk’s diagnosis shutting him down for at least four weeks, Soroka coming off the mound and then outfielder Jordan Lawlar suffering a hamstring strain late. Lawlar left in the eighth inning after beating out an infield single.

Soroka and Lawlar will undergo MRIs on Saturday, and there is a chance they both will miss time.

Despite the circumstances, the D-backs grinded out another gritty win, their fifth victory in the last seven games, to improve to 39-36. The Diamondbacks are now 28-13 against teams under .500.

“It’s been brutal, I’m not gonna lie,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to try to get everybody healthy. … It’s been a tough 24-48 hours for this ballclub. But we know that we have to budget for very hard days.”

With so many pitching injuries, an inconsistent offense will be counted on to find some level ground, which begins with its stars. Arizona’s top four hitters (Marte, Perdomo, Carroll and Gabriel Moreno) drove in six runs on Friday.

Not to be overlooked early in the game were key defensive plays.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. threw out Twins star Byron Buxton at second base on a ball hit off the wall and made a sliding catch. Carroll followed with another sliding grab to keep the Twins from rallying. Aside from a Nolan Arenado error, the D-backs’ strong defensive performance made a difference compared to their opponent.

Corbin Carroll lays out for an incredible grab 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ZEU4xekjbA

— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2026

Friday attendance

25,110

Saturday starters

Zac Gallen (3-5, 5.35 ERA) will start Saturday’s game for the Diamondbacks, while right-hander Taj Bradley (5-3, 4.14 ERA) will take the ball for the Twins.

The first 20,000 fans at Chase Field will receive a Gabriel Moreno soccer jersey.

First pitch is a bit later than usual at 7:10 p.m., and it can be heard on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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