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Groover, Marte go big as Diamondbacks bats awaken in rout of Cardinals
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- Groover, Marte go big as Diamondbacks bats awaken in rout of Cardinals
ST. LOUIS — On this night, the Diamondbacks did not have to wait until the ninth inning for their first big hit. That arrived in the fourth — and then they kept coming.
Whether the outburst that led to a 9-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, June 24 — their second victory in as many days here at Busch Stadium — is a sign of things to come offensively remains to be seen. But, for now, the Diamondbacks will take it, and they will hope there is more to come.
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It was a win led in large part by youngsters. LuJames Groover connected for the first home run of his big-league career. Tommy Troy delivered a pair of run-scoring hits. Left-hander Mitch Bratt, working with a limited pitch count, turned in three innings of one-run ball in his big-league debut. All three opened the year in Triple-A Reno.
In moving to 41-39, the Diamondbacks will look to take three of four from the Cardinals on Thursday in the series finale.
A few hours before the game, Bratt emerged from the Diamondbacks' clubhouse, stepped onto the grass outside of the visitors' dugout and tried to take in the scene. The moment was a way of getting his "bearings," he said, as he was following advice from his friend Jonah Tong, a fellow rookie who debuted last year with the New York Mets .
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He thought it helped, but he said it still took about an inning for him to settle down and have it feel like a normal game.
"Really happy with how it went," Bratt said. "I didn't throw enough strikes at times when I got to two strikes. But overall happy with it, happy with the debut and how everything transpired."
Pitching for Reno last month, Bratt fielded a bunt down the line and tried to make a spinning throw to first. He wound up suffering a bone bruise in his shoulder, an issue that cost him a couple of weeks on the injured list.
"I tried to be Derek Jeter and make a play," he said. "Things didn't transpire too well."
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The bone bruise resulted not from hitting the ground after the throw but from the throw itself.
"It was the awkwardness of where I was with the throw," Bratt said. "The shoulder socket, I believe, came out, rolled over a tendon and then went back in place."
He said he was told the injury could take months to fully heal but that he could pitch through it so long as he could tolerate the discomfort. He felt fine on Wednesday, he said, but was permitted to throw only 54 pitches because of the downtime from the injury.
Bratt's time in the majors is not expected to be long — this was likely a spot start — but he showed flashes of how he could help this pitching staff going forward. It was no surprise to Groover, who said it was the same sort of performance he had seen from Bratt while playing with and against him the past few seasons.
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"What he did today," Groover said, "is exactly what he's done every single time I've seen him."
Trailing 1-0, the Diamondbacks scored six times in the fourth inning. Troy's RBI single tied it, Ildemaro Vargas ' two-run double put them in front, and Groover and Ketel Marte added back-to-back homers to cap the scoring against Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore .
"When I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good, but I couldn't really tell how good I got it," Groover said. "It was a cutter. I hit it a little bit off the end. I knew I hit it good, but I was like, 'OK, I backspun it good, it may carry.'
"And it ended up carrying. Even though I hit it off the end a little bit, it still felt really good off the bat."
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The homer was Groover's second extra-base hit in the past two days. He also worked a pair of walks.
Troy added an RBI double in the Diamondbacks' two-run seventh.
"It was so cool seeing guys like Tommy and Gino (Groover), guys who started the year in Reno, and seeing them excel and have the years they're having here," Bratt said. "It's so much fun. It almost brings a bigger smile to my face seeing them do that than the experience I had today on the mound and everything."
Brandon Pfaadt nearing return from minors
The Diamondbacks are planning to have right-hander Brandon Pfaadt return to the rotation on Friday, June 26, in Tampa, a source said, though those plans could change due to rain in the forecast here in the coming days.
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Pfaadt slowly rebuilt his pitch count during a stint in Triple-A Reno, going from 33 to 45 to 52 pitches in three starts since he was sent to the minors earlier this month.
He is expected to start against the Rays in the opener of the Diamondbacks' three-game series at Tropicana Field and likely will be permitted to throw something in the neighborhood of 65 pitches.
However, rain is in the forecast in St. Louis for each of the next two days, with the outlook particularly ominous on Thursday, June 25. If the teams are unable to get that game in, it would force the Diamondbacks to rearrange their pitching plans.
Either way, Pfaadt's impending return to the rotation is expected to be for the foreseeable future. More than likely, left-hander Mitch Bratt's outing will be a spot start. Right-hander Jose Cabrera, who threw well in his debut on Sunday, June 21, against the Twins, is expected to remain in the big leagues and is penciled in to start next on Saturday, June 27.
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Pfaadt opened the year in the Diamondbacks' rotation but was shifted to relief when right-hander Merrill Kelly was reinstated from the injured list. Pfaadt spent the next six weeks working in relief before the club decided to send him to the minors in part to ensure it had rotation depth ready in the event of an injury.
Carlos Santana designated for assignment by Diamondbacks
First baseman Carlos Santana was designated for assignment on Wednesday, June 24, as the Diamondbacks cut ties with the veteran hitter after a slow and injury-plagued start to the season.
Santana, 40, went just 2 for 24 to start the season before landing on the injured list with a right adductor strain on April 7. He was nearing a return from the IL in May before having a recurrence of the injury while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno.
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Santana is believed to be healthy now but no longer has a place on the roster. He was signed in large part for his defense at first base with the hope he would produce against left-handed pitching; those are the same strengths of veteran Ildemaro Vargas, who has carved out that role on the roster.
"I feel terrible that it came to that," manager Torey Lovullo said. "He got injured, never really got any footing here. He was getting some playing time and all of a sudden he was gone."
Santana, who has played parts of 17 seasons in the majors, signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Diamondbacks in February. He was a legitimate on-base/power threat earlier in his career. He averaged 25 homers with a .366 on-base percentage over his first nine full seasons in the majors.
Mitch Bratt added to roster
The Diamondbacks, who announced left-hander Mitch Bratt as their starter the night before, officially added him to the roster on June 24.
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To make room, left-hander Kohl Drake was optioned to Triple-A Reno.
Drake was in the majors for three days but did not appear in a game.
Both Drake and Bratt were acquired in the same trade that sent right-hander Merrill Kelly to the Rangers last July. The Diamondbacks also received High-A right-hander David Hagaman.
Coming up
Thursday, June 25:At St. Louis, 4:45 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (3-6, 6.10) vs. Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (3-6, 3.35).
Friday, June 26:At Tampa, 4:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 5.92) vs. Rays RHP Nick Martinez (6-2, 2.73).
Saturday, June 27:At Tampa, 3:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Jose Cabrera (0-0, 0.00) vs. Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (6-4, 2.62).
(This story has been updated to add information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks beat Cardinals as Groover, Marte hit home runs
