The Arizona Diamondbacks are searching for consistency from their top three hitters—Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, and Geraldo Perdomo—who have yet to recapture the form that fueled the team’s offensive resurgence over the last two seasons. Manager Torey Lovullo continues to adjust the lineup in hopes of sparking a turnaround.
After combining for four hits and the only run in Monday’s 1-0 series-opening win against the Texas Rangers, the trio will look to build on that performance in Tuesday’s middle game of a three-game set at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Lovullo has shuffled Marte, Carroll, and Perdomo among the first three spots in the order as the Diamondbacks try to jumpstart an offense that ranks in the bottom third of MLB in scoring this season. That’s a steep drop from 2024, when they led the majors with 886 runs, and last season, when they ranked sixth with 791.
“We need those top three to get moving in the right direction,” Lovullo said.
They took a step forward Monday, as back-to-back doubles from Carroll and Perdomo in the first inning provided all the offense Arizona needed. Marte finished 1-for-4, Carroll went 1-for-2 with two walks, and Perdomo was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Lovullo acknowledged the narrow win wasn’t sustainable: “It’s not anything we want to keep doing. We want to bang the baseball and score a lot of runs.”
Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen (1-3, 4.70 ERA) is set to face Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 5.18) on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks rank 27th in on-base percentage and 24th in OPS. Carroll has been the steadiest of the top-three group, batting .261 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Perdomo raised his average to .228, while Marte sits at .213.
“They are all doing OK, but I think they are better than just doing OK,” Lovullo said.
Texas managed only four hits off Michael Soroka and three relievers on Monday, following back-to-back shutouts of the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.
“The last two days were good,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “(Monday) not so great. Lot of ground balls to the pull side, which falls into (the D-backs’) game plan. We chased some sliders off the plate that we were trying not to do, obviously.”
Gallen is 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA over his past six starts, seeking his first win since April 1. He threw a season-high 100 pitches in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, allowing four runs and two homers in six innings. He has struggled on the road this season, going 0-2 with a 7.13 ERA in four starts.
Gallen has historically pitched well against the Rangers, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.67 ERA in six career starts, though he holds no decisions and a 5.40 ERA in two starts at Globe Life Field. Jake Burger is 4-for-8 with two homers off Gallen, while slumping Corey Seager is 7-for-24 (.292) against him.
Gore, after a strong start, is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA since April 8, when he threw five scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. In his last outing Thursday, Gore carried a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning against the New York Yankees before allowing five runs and taking a 9-2 loss. A catchable popup that dropped for a hit helped fuel the Yankees’ rally.
“I think after every good or bad outing, you have to be honest,” Gore said. “There’s definitely some things we did better than the last one here. We’re going to move on. It’s frustrating right now.”
Gore is 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in four games (three starts) against Arizona. Nolan Arenado is 4-for-12 with a homer off him, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 5-for-9.
May 11, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
