BOSTON — The Diamondbacks avoided a sweep and finished their road trip with as many wins as losses. But from the size of the smiles in the handshake line to the tones of their voices in the visitors’ clubhouse, it carried more significance than that.
In outlasting the Boston Red Sox, 7-6, in 10 innings on Wednesday, the Diamondbacks won a game without Ketel Marte. They had done it before. But they felt they needed to do it again. And they did.
“This has been a challenging couple of days,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’m trying to do my best to keep the ship on the course and these guys went out there and did everything they were supposed to do.”
Said right-hander Brandon Pfaadt: “It was a huge win. I think we knew that going into this game.”
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt pitches against the Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 19, 2026.
Nolan Arenado’s jam-shot single over shortstop brought home the go-ahead run in the 10th, and the D-backs added another run, then held on to win. They won despite a less-than-stellar performance from Pfaadt, getting excellent work from their bullpen and contributions from up and down their lineup and bench.
People are also reading…
With the win, Arizona, at 67-61, moved to within one game of the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card spot in the National League.
Two days earlier, the Diamondbacks were blindsided by the sudden absence of their mercurial star. Marte was expected to serve as the designated hitter in the series opener. Instead, he never showed up to the ballpark — and it is not clear when he will do so again.
The D-backs were thumped by the Red Sox in consecutive games on Monday and Tuesday. Perhaps they lost for no reason other than their starting pitching was crummy. But it was hard to escape the possibility that they lost, at least in part, because of everything going on around them.
When Marte was away from the team last year after the All-Star break, the Diamondbacks still managed to sweep their series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Lovullo said this felt different because Marte’s absence came without notice.
“I had a little heads-up last year,” he said. “I didn’t have a heads-up this year.”
How the team proceeds with Marte — or why things went haywire with him — remain unknowns. Placed on the restricted list earlier in the week, Marte was set to undergo an MRI on his knee Thursday and was expected to meet with general manager Mike Hazen at Salt River Fields.
“I think, listen, when it comes to Marte as a player, there’s not too many players that can replace a player like that,” Arenado said. “He’s one of the best in the game. It is a miss — we’re missing a top-tier player. At the end of the day, we’re going to continue to fight.
“Ferny had a great series here to help us win ballgames,” Arenado continued, referring to rookie Jose Fernandez, who replaced Marte on the roster. “Everyone stepped up. That’s what we’re focused on.”
On Wednesday, Fernandez had a pair of doubles before working a key, bases-loaded walk in the 10th to force home an insurance run that turned out to be the difference in the game.
He was just one of many contributors. Relievers Juan Morillo, Brandyn Garcia and Kevin Ginkel combined to cover 2⅓ scoreless innings before handing off to right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga, who worked the game’s final two innings, permitting only the automatic runner to score in the 10th.
Lars Nootbaar blasted a pinch-hit, two-run shot in the sixth, his first home run since the Diamondbacks acquired him at the trade deadline. Gabriel Moreno laced a two-run double. Ryan Waldschmidt reached base four times.
“We did a lot of things right today,” Lovullo said. “That’s why we won a baseball game.”
The trip started with a series win against a first-place Braves team in Atlanta. The Red Sox are another team that appears bound for October. All told, a 3-3 record might not have been the trip they wanted, but it didn’t feel so bad, either. And it sure beat the alternative.
“I think it would have hurt a little bit with what’s going on,” Arenado said. “Getting swept and then have the day off and we’d have to marinate on getting swept a little bit. It was great to win. We split the road trip. We’ve got to get ready for Friday.”
Marte's agent issues statement
The agent for Ketel Marte issued a statement on Wednesday, two days after Marte was placed on the restricted list after not showing up.
“He is currently managing a personal matter and will be undergoing an MRI on his knee,” Charisse Espinosa-Dash told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, who posted the comment on X.
“Ketel appreciates the unwavering support from fans, teammates, the Diamondbacks organization, and Torey Lovullo during this time. He remains optimistic about his recovery and looks forward to returning to the field to contribute to the team as soon as possible.”
Coming up
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 2.71) vs. Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (3-2, 4.52).
Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (8-3, 2.93) vs. Reds RHP Rhett Lowder (4-8, 5.17).
Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:15 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Mitch Bratt (1-2, 4.17) vs. Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (6-8, 4.07).
