Dbacks Recap and News

Vargas started at second base in place of the injured Ketel Marte (knee) and went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday’s 10-3 win over Atlanta.

Vargas finsihed off the scoring with a three-run shot in the top of the ninth inning. He replaced Marte in Friday’s game, when the latter was removed in the second inning, and filled in for him again a day later. Marte was considered a game-time decision Saturday, so this may not lead to a long opporunity for Vargas. The homer was his eighth of the season — a career high — and first since May 12.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a walk, three total runs and four total RBI in a 10-3 win against Atlanta on Saturday.

Arenado drove in his first run in quiet fashion, bouncing into an RBI groundout in the second inning. He made much more noise thereafter, slugging a two-run homer in the third and adding a solo shot in the seventh. Arenado’s pair of long balls pushed him to 20 on the season — the ninth time he’s reached that mark in his career but the first time since 2023. The veteran third baseman already has six home runs through 13 games in August, the most he’s hit in any month so far this year.

Rodriguez (12-4) earned the win over Atlanta on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out five batters over six scoreless innings.

Rodriguez had a rough first inning, allowing two runs on three hits, including a Ronald Acuna homer. However, the veteran hurler bounced back impressively thereafter, at one point retiring 11 straight batters and yielding just two additional baserunners. Meanwhile, Arizona exploded for six runs across the second and third frames, sending Rodriguez to his 12th victory of the campaign — tied for seventh most in the majors. He’s at a 2.71 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 149.1 innings spanning 25 starts this season, with the ERA being by far the best mark of his 11-year career.