The worrying about the right shoulder of Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star Corbin Carroll didn’t even last 24 hours.
Carroll surprisingly was back in the lineup on Friday night and figures to be in it again Saturday when the Diamondbacks face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle contest of a three-game set in Phoenix.
Carroll departed Thursday’s loss to the New York Mets after hurting his shoulder while swinging and missing at a pitch in the seventh inning. It is the same shoulder he had surgically repaired in 2021 and many members of the Diamondbacks organization were highly concerned, including Carroll.
“Pretty much thought the season was over,” Carroll said before Friday’s game. “I was pretty crushed.”
Carroll was highly relieved when an MRI exam on Friday came back clean, as it was the second time in a seven-day span that he injured the shoulder. Perhaps more stunning was that Carroll successfully lobbied himself into Friday’s starting lineup.
The 22-year-old Carroll went 2-for-5 with two runs and two steals to help Arizona snap a four-game slide with a 7-3 victory.
Carroll is batting .291 with 18 homers, 47 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in 84 games. He is the leading Rookie of the Year candidate and is being mentioned in the MVP race.
Another Arizona All-Star outfielder was the bigger star in the series opener as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs.
“I was focusing myself on the middle of the diamond and it worked out well,” Gurriel said through an interpreter of his 15th homer, a three-run shot off Rich Hill.
Pittsburgh has dropped six of its past seven games.
The Pirates have lost by three or more runs five times during the stretch. Though the club had just six hits on Friday, manager Derek Shelton said he is pleased with the club’s offense.
“It’s more about staying with it and continuing to get better,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “We need to continue to build off of it.”
Carlos Santana had a two-run single on Friday. Tucupita Marcano’s RBI singled accounted for the team’s other run.
Pittsburgh All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller (9-4, 3.52 ERA) will aim to stifle the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Keller has made a major turnaround this season. He had a 12-29 record in four seasons entering the 2023 campaign.
Making the All-Star team is a big deal for the 27-year-old, however he doesn’t want to say he has arrived.
“As soon as you say you made it, the game will humble you right back,” Keller said. “Just trying to stay the same guy. Really cool recognition.”
Keller received a no-decision against Arizona on May 20 when he struck out eight and gave up two runs and three hits over six innings.
He won the lone other time he faced the Diamondbacks and has a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings against them. Ketel Marte is 3-for-6 with a homer against Keller.
Pittsburgh placed outfielder Andrew McCutchen (elbow) and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes (lower back) on the 10-day injured list. Hayes was activated to play in Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers before finding himself back on the injured list one day later.
McCutchen has been dealing with soreness in the elbow and it flared up again Thursday.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said right-hander Kyle Nelson (4-1, 2.76) will serve as the opener on Saturday. He has made 38 relief appearances this season totaling 32 2/3 innings.
Nelson, who celebrates his 27th birthday on Saturday, started once last season and tossed one inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Nelson is 1-0 with a 20.25 ERA in three career appearances against Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
