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By Sean Brennan
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo wasn’t surprised to see first baseman Christian Walker put up a two-home-run performance recently against the Texas Rangers.

And he knew that second baseman Ketel Marte’s 3-for-4 day less than 24 hours later, which helped the team to a two-game sweep of Texas, was in the making.

Marte and Walker, two cornerstones of Arizona’s infield, missed significant time with injuries, but Lovullo could afford to be patient.

The duo returned to a team firing on all cylinders, leading the major leagues in several offensive categories, including runs, where they have scored more than 70 more than the New York Yankees, who rank second.

Without Marte or Walker in the lineup, the Diamondbacks went 23-11 thanks in part to the play of backups like Pavin Smith, who has played 17 games at first base, and Kevin Newman, who has filled in at first, second, third and short.

Immediately after Marte headed to the IL after aggravating an ankle injury, the Diamondbacks rattled off six straight wins. Thanks to their depth, and the plate resurgence of centerfielder Corbin Carroll and third baseman Eugenio Saurez, the Diamondbacks are just 1 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the NL’s first wild-card spot with 13 games remaining, beginning Monday when they visit the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

The Diamondbacks will need all of their pieces in the stretch run. Arizona is in a battle with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, each with 81 wins, for the final two playoff spots in the NL.

And while Marte and Walker took a few games after their returns to find their footing, they are getting hot at the right time.

“In both cases, I’m thankful for the way they worked as hard as they worked and as quickly as they got back to us,” Lovullo said last week. “We need both of those players.”

When Marte first injured his ankle on Aug. 12 after colliding with Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs while sliding into second base, he was in the midst of an All-Star and MVP-caliber campaign, hitting .299 with 30 home runs and a .932 OPS. Six days and three games later, he aggravated the injury and was sidelined for 16 more games.

At that point, Walker was already down with a strained left oblique muscle, which he sustained on July 30. The 33-year-old Walker has hit at least 20 long balls in his past three seasons, and was at 23 prior to missing more than a month because of the injury.

Arizona went 35-17 in July and has had one of the league’s most potent offenses for most of the season, despite slow starts by Carroll and Saurez. The loss of Marte and Walker meant that Lovullo needed to lean on replacements to keep the club in postseason contention. Many of those options came from within the organization.

Smith, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, has split time between the Diamondbacks and the Triple-A Reno Aces this season and has experience playing first base. Newman, a University of Arizona product, has been a pleasant surprise after being signed to a minor league deal in December. General manager Mike Hazen even worked the phones after both injuries occurred, trading for first baseman Josh Bell and signing second baseman Luis Guillorme.

Knowing the quality and experience on the roster gave Marte and Walker a sense of relief as they rehabilitated.

“There was never a doubt, nothing but trust and faith in this group,” Walker said. “We’ve got a lot of really good leaders, a really solid core group, a lot of hard workers. I just felt like it was a matter of time, and honestly, it made it easy to rest and recover and try to find the silver lining in this process.

“But it looked like they were having so much fun in the dugout, I wanted to be in the fight with them.”

It helped that the Diamondbacks’ main catalysts at the plate began to deliver.

Suárez has been one of the best hitters in the league of late, boasting the most home runs and RBI along with the highest average and OPS in the NL since July 1.

And despite struggling through the spring and early summer of his second season, Caroll has turned his season around. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 40 runs in July and August and was named NL Player of the Month for August. Meanwhile, outfielder Jake McCarthy has been as consistent as can be, accruing a .288 average through 399 at-bats.

With an abundance of players contributing, the Diamondbacks lead the league in both on-base percentage (.337) and slugging (.441) while also boasting the seventh-fewest strikeouts.

However, it’s been the depth pieces that stepped up in place of Walker and Marte that proved pleasant surprises.

In 35 games since being traded from the Miami Marlins, Bell has only provided four home runs but has hit .269 and knocked in 19 runs. Newman has been a reliable bat who can be used at every position in the infield, and is 80-for-283 (.283) with 21 extra-base hits.

Though he’s been up and down this season, Smith has delivered multiple big moments including a three-homer, eight-RBI game against the Houston Astros on Sept. 8. And Guillorme has supplied strong defense, playing 15 games in the field without an error to his name.

The depth extends beyond the infield, though. As starting catcher Gabriel Moreno is working his way back from a left abductor strain sustained on Aug. 5, rookie Adrian Del Castillo has brought some pop to the lineup by posting a .304 average to go with four home runs.

“I think it’s been great to see the guys step up,” Smith said.

They will have to continue to step up over the next 13 games as the defending NL champions hope to extend their season into the playoffs.

Nobody appreciates the opportunity that lies ahead for the Diamondbacks more than Lovullo, who was there with Walker and Marte on the roster in 2021 when the Diamondbacks posted a 52-110 mark — the second-worst season in franchise history.

“It excites me to come to the ballpark,” Lovullo said. “I don’t think anyone that’s walked through 110 losses is afraid because of what they had to go through that year as well … There’s no better preparation for when and if you do get to the postseason, so we’re embracing it.”

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