Diamondbacks need their stars to be stars, and on Friday they were

PHOENIX — Ketel Marte crushed RBI doubles in back-to-back plate appearances on Friday, while Gabriel Moreno singled Marte home each time. Corbin Carroll started 0-for-3 after missing two games with a back injury, but then he tattooed a ball into the left-field seats for his first home run of September.

The best thing that can happen for an Arizona Diamondbacks offense that had been leaking oil recently is production from its stars, and while Friday’s 9-1 win was a lineup-wide breakout, the faces of Arizona’s franchise were at the forefront.

The Diamondbacks did their damage in the middle innings after what looked like more of the same execution shortfalls through four frames. Arizona plated nine runs between the fifth and sixth innings, the most runs they’ve scored in a game since Aug. 28 and most runs at home since Aug. 5.

Arizona’s last five wins had come by one run or in extra innings, so Friday provided quite a stark contrast.

Marte — who was cheered, not booed at Chase Field — extended his hitting streak to nine games, but Friday was the first time in this stretch in which he delivered multiple hits.

And they came from opposite sides of the plate. With two runners in scoring position and no outs, right-handed Marte crushed a ball into the left-field corner off Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore. An inning later, left-handed Marte delivered a two-out double into the right-field corner to kickstart a rally that eventually brought five runs home.

Carroll had been on the snide, hitting .118 over his last 14 games and missing time after a back spasm. His first three at-bats did not look the most comfortable either, as they resulted in a strikeout and couple balls chopped right into the ground.

Carroll did what he needed to do in that fourth at-bat. He got ahead in the count, saw a fastball (which have given him trouble) over the middle and had to crush it. The blast gave Arizona an 8-1 lead, and Nolan Arenado followed with another home run, his team-leading 24th.

The All-Star, despite the ups and downs, has reached 20 home runs for the fourth straight season.

Here is the list of players with multiple seasons of 20 home runs, 30 doubles, 15 triples and 20 stolen bases in the history of Major League Baseball:

• Corbin Carroll (2025, 2026)

That’s it. Those numbers have been reached seven times in MLB history, and Carroll has done it in each of the last two seasons.

The Diamondbacks leaned heavily on their bullpen again, as Merrill Kelly got through 4.1 innings with one earned run, but the sizable lead allowed Arizona to rest most of its higher leverage arms.

Justin Martinez was the standout, as he threw the fifth immaculate inning in franchise history and second of the season (Michael Soroka). His dominant frame came between Arizona’s run-scoring innings, creating one of the most electric in-game stretches of the season at Chase Field.

Friday attendance

32,849

Saturday starters

Brandon Pfaadt (3.53 ERA) will pitch for Arizona with a chance to claim a third straight series.

Right-hander Kumar Rocker (4.61 ERA) will go for Texas.

First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. The first 20,000 fans will receive a Merrill Kelly bobblehead. 

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