Full Breakdown
Cardinals Edge Diamondbacks 5-4 in Wild-Card Battle
7/18/2026, 12:23:58 PM
Game Summary
On Friday, July 17, 2026, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 at Chase Field. Rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt’s solo homer in the fifth gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead, and a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Iván Herrera in the ninth secured the win. The Cardinals’ closer Riley O’Brien recorded his 25th save after a leadoff walk to Nolan Arenado, a pickoff of pinch-runner Jorge Barrosa, and a final-out strikeout of Ketel Marte. Arizona’s offense was stifled, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Key Mistakes and Missed Opportunities
Arizona’s loss featured a cascade of errors: a ground ball off pitcher Merrill Kelly that rolled past second baseman Ketel Marte for two unearned runs, a wild pitch by reliever Juan Morillo in the eighth, and a misplayed ground ball by closer Paul Sewald that set up the Cardinals’ ninth-inning rally. The most consequential lapse occurred when Marte failed to challenge the final strike-three call—an 100 mph sinker that replays showed was high and outside the zone. The Diamondbacks retained both of their Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenges after the play.
Managerial Reactions
Manager Torey Lovullo described the performance as “not DBack baseball” and expressed frustration with the multitude of mistakes, noting that “there are 15 other things that happened in this game that are still eating at me right now.” He said he would address each issue with the coaching staff and players, and that he had not yet spoken directly with Marte about the missed challenge.
Criticism & Opposition
Lovullo’s post-game comments highlighted internal criticism, emphasizing that the team’s defensive lapses and execution failures outweighed any single error. He refused to place sole blame on Marte, instead framing the loss as a collective shortfall that the staff must rectify.
Data & Statistics
- Final score: Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4.
- Cardinals: 6 1/3 innings pitched by Michael McGreevy (2 runs, 1 earned, 5 K, 1 BB, 1.46 ERA in last four starts).
- Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (5 innings, 3 runs, 1 earned).
- Arizona: 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position; two unearned runs resulted from Marte’s first-inning error.
- ABS challenges remaining for Arizona after the game: 2.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
All sources agree that the final pitch was high and out of the strike zone, yet the Diamondbacks did not use an ABS challenge despite having two remaining. No official explanation was provided for why the team chose not to challenge, leaving a gap in understanding the decision-making process.
Verbatim Quotes
- “That’s not DBack baseball.” — Torey Lovullo, Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
- “I was looking for the breaking ball, I got the two-seamer. I was a little bit surprised,” — Ketel Marte, Second Baseman, Arizona Diamondbacks (through interpreter)
- “Clearly — I don't want to speak for Ketel — you guys will have a chance to talk to him, but he thought it was a strike,” — Torey Lovullo, Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
- “We're not perfect, it's frustrating of course, but there are 15 other things that happened in this game that are still eating at me right now and we'll address them one by one,” — Torey Lovullo, Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
What’s Next
The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 4.70 ERA) against the Cardinals on Saturday, July 18, while the Cardinals will counter with Dustin May (5-6, 4.55 ERA). Arizona remains 2½ games behind a wild-card spot, and the outcome of the upcoming series will be pivotal for its postseason hopes.
