To start by answering the obvious question: nobody knows anything. Ketel Marte failed to show up at Fenway for the opening game in Boston — not the first time he has gone AWOL. He was put on the restricted list initially, but is now on the IL with a bad knee (which, to be fair, had been an issue for a while). Exactly what was going on has been the subject of a LOT of speculation, people poring over every social media “like”. But that’s all it is: speculation. Everyone who does know has been very tight-lipped. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens – both when Marte is fit, and perhaps, during this off-season. He now has full no-trade rights: between that and this incident, if the team does want to trade him, it won’t be easy.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is busy fighting Philadelphia and San Diego for a wild-card spot. The only thing consistent about the team is their lack of consistency. They’ll look great one series, then flat and lacklustre the next. Beat the Dodgers, and win the season set for the first time since 2018. Then lose a series to the Rockies, at home. Then beat the Braves on the road. Early on, it seemed Arizona could only beat teams with losing records. Now it seems they’re the ones which give them the most trouble. Arizona had to come from behind in the seventh inning on Sunday to scratch out the series win over the Reds.
With Marte out, while Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll are both well down on last year’s production, Gabriel Moreno has become the team’s MVP. He goes into Sunday’s game batting .307, with a 134 OPS+. But Nolan Arenado has also surpassed expectations, and is tied for the team lead with 21 HR. At the other end of the age spectrum, outfielder Jordan Lawlar recently returned from another IL stint, and if he can stay healthy, could provide an offensive boost down the stretch.
On the pitching front, the Cubs will see Brandon Pfaadt, who was on a real roll until meeting the Red Sox buzz-saw; Eduardo Rodriguez, the most consistent starter for Arizona; and Merrill Kelly, about whom, the less said the better. Since we last met, the D-backs have dumped original closer Paul Sewald, who is now with Toronto. It’s been a loose committee since, though Brandyn Garcia has seen most of the saves. The bullpen recently got previous closer Justin Martinez and his 102 mph fastball back after Tommy John, so he may become a high-leverage option as well.