D-backs @ Giants Discussion

DIAMONDBACKSGIANTSLars Nootbaar – LFJonah Cox – CFCorbin Carroll – RFRafael Devers – 1BGabriel Moreno – DHBryce Eldridge – DHGeraldo Perdomo – SSAndrew Knizner – CTim Tawa – 1BJung Hoo Lee – RFJose Fernandez – 3BShay Whitcomb – 3BJames McCann – CTurner Hill – LFIldemaro Vargas – 2BChristian Koss – SSJordan Lawlar – CFOsleivis Basabe – 2BKohl Drake – LHPBlade Tidwell – RHPThe Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 39.

• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: LHP Kohl Drake
• Optioned to Triple-A Reno following last night’s game: RHP Juan Burgos

Another starter arrives, and with Jose Cabrera remaining on the roster (understandable given a decent performance last night, after a rocky first inning), a reliever needs to be sent down to make room. Burgos is the receiver of the bus-ticket back to Reno. We’ll see if Drake can join Cabrera on the “Better the second time train.” Like him, Kohl had a solid first start, pitching five innings of one-run ball against the Athletics. But the three which followed were less impressive. He didn’t get an out past the fourth in any of them, allowing nine earned runs over 11.2 innings. though his K:BB ratio wasn’t too bad (8:4, or 13:6 if you include his debut).

It has now been ten games since the start of KetelGate 2026, with the player failing to show up for the opening game at Fenway Park. Does the team miss him? That question is very much a Rorschach test for your opinion regarding the matter. Those sympathetic to Marte will likely answer in the affirmative, while those who regard Ketel as the villain of the piece will say the team is doing just fine without him. Looking at the numbers, it does seem that the offense is feeling his absence. Over those ten games, the D-backs are averaging 3.90 runs per game, with a .688 OPS. That compares to 4.54 runs/game to that point and an OPS of .715.

Of particular note, is the performance of the player directly replacing Marte, Ildemaro Vargas. In his last ten games, Marte had hit a mediocre .250. But he had almost as many walks (7) as strikeouts (9), and had also hit a pair of home-runs. His overall line was 250/.400/.469 for an .869 OPS. Vargas across the ten games since has been flat-out dismal: 5-for-41 with one walk. That’s a line of .128/.146/.205 for a .351 OPS. That seems fairly undeniable. To be fair, it probably wouldn’t have changed any losses into wins: every one of the five defeats in that time have been by at least five runs. But it certainly isn’t helping.