Aug 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo (25) celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona Diamondbacks rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo will have a tough time topping his performance on Monday.
Del Castillo, playing a major league game in his hometown of Miami for the first time, hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs in Arizona’s 9-6 victory over the Marlins. The teams will meet again Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game series.
The Diamondbacks are 7-2 when playing Del Castillo, who has a .333 average, 1.072 OPS, three homers and 14 RBIs in that span.
“He’s got a lot more exciting moments ahead of him,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of the 24-year-old from the University of Miami. “He’s been learning and growing quickly within our system.”
“Normally when a youngster is called up, he’s a backup player. But (Del Castillo) has been included in a playoff race and is getting a lot of reps.”
Tuesday’s pitching duel will feature a pair of Eds: Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 5.06 ERA) and Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera (2-4, 5.76).
Rodriguez, a 31-year-old veteran from Venezuela, has faced the Marlins just once in his career. He suffered a loss while pitching for the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 12, 2015, after allowing eight runs and nine hits in five-plus innings.
Rodriguez, who signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Arizona in December, did not start his season until Aug. 7 because of a shoulder injury. The Diamondbacks are 2-0 when he starts.
Cabrera, a 26-year-old Dominican, has faced Arizona just once. He allowed four runs on two hits with four walks in 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision on May 10, 2023.
The Marlins are 6-7 this year when Cabrera starts, and he has played much better at home (4.11 ERA in seven starts) than on the road (8.14 in six starts).
August has been his best month of the season so far, as he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts.
Cabrera will lead a Marlins team that is missing many of its top players from earlier this season, including two-time batting champion Luis Arraez, 2024 All-Star closer Tanner Scott and notables such as Trevor Rogers, Josh Bell, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz.
Miami has replaced those players with numerous rookies or others with light resumes.
But rookie outfielder Kyle Stowers, who entered Monday hitting just .096 in 16 games since being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles, may be starting to emerge.
Stowers went 3-for-4 on Monday and drew praise from Marlins manager Skip Schumaker.
“His batting practice has gotten better (lately). His early work has been better,” Schumaker said. “What we’re trying to get across to him, he’s digesting it. It just takes a little bit of time.”
As for the Diamondbacks, they had to place star second baseman Ketel Marte on the injured list on Monday due to a sprained left ankle.
Marte was originally injured on Aug. 10 and has appeared in just three games since. He re-injured the ankle on Sunday. Pavin Smith was recalled from Triple-A Reno to fill the roster vacancy, and he went 0 for 3 with two walks and one run on Monday.
–Field level media
