Ketel Marte, D-backs eager to cut Giants down to size again

The Arizona Diamondbacks will seek a second series sweep over the Giants in the last 10 days when the National League West rivals wrap up a three-game set on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks will turn to Michael Soroka (6-2, 3.27 ERA) to start the finale versus fellow right-hander Trevor McDonald (2-1, 4.76) of the Giants.

With Ketel Marte following up a 4-for-5 performance on Monday with a two-run homer in the rematch, the Diamondbacks used a 7-5 victory Tuesday to create the first five-game, single-season winning streak in the series since a Giants seven-game run in 2021.

Marte has been the driving force. He went 6-for-12 with two homers and seven RBIs in last week's home sweep, and has added five more hits, including a homer, in San Francisco.

Consistent starting pitching also has played a role for the Diamondbacks, who have won nine of their last 10 games.

Arizona has used four different starters in the five games against the Giants. Each has gone at least six innings and allowed three or fewer runs.

All told, they've limited San Francisco to 12 runs in 32 innings.

The Giants have yet to see Soroka this season. The right-hander started Arizona's only defeat in the last 10 days but did not get a decision in a 3-2 loss to the Rockies, holding Colorado to one run in six innings.

Soroka, 28, has faced the Giants just three times in his career, going 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA.

He will take a personal two-game winning streak into the series finale, having allowed just three runs in 18 innings over that stretch.

Soroka will see a Giants team that has gone just 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the last two games. San Francisco out-hit the visitors 9-8 in Tuesday's setback.

"A lot of guys are pressing a little bit when we get guys on base," Giants manager Tony Vitello said after Tuesday's game. "This sounds a little silly to say out loud, but maybe we're overvaluing runs instead of staying patient and letting things come."

A third-year major-leaguer who has pitched just eight games in his career, McDonald has faced the Diamondbacks just once. That occurred in relief last September, a game in which he allowed two runs in two innings.

McDonald, 25, is coming off his worst start of the season in a 9-4 home loss to the Chicago White Sox last Friday when he served up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. He had allowed just five runs in his first three starts of the year.

McDonald will have to deal with a Diamondbacks offense that has been clicking on all cylinders at Oracle Park, with seven different players recording hits in Monday's 6-2 win before eight got into the act Tuesday.

It's happening despite the absence of injured Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Pavin Smith and Jordan Lawlar, creating potentially a good headache for general manager Mike Hazen to deal with as the trio gets healthy.

"I'll deal with it when I have to," Hazen told reporters Monday. "We'll deal with that happily if everyone's playing that well, and we'll figure something out. The converse is the one I don't want to figure out."

--Field Level Media