Arenado's clutch knock in extras caps eventful road trip for D-backs 

BOSTON -- There are no must-win games in August, but there certainly are much-needed wins, and the Diamondbacks got one of those Wednesday evening at Fenway Park.

Nolan Arenado's jam-shot bloop single to left scored Gabriel Moreno from third as they beat the Red Sox, 7-6, in 10 innings in front of a sellout crowd.

The win snapped Arizona’s three-game losing streak and gave the team something to smile about after a rough week that saw one of its star players, Ketel Marte, not show up for Monday's game. The Diamondbacks placed Marte on the restricted list and dropped the first two games of the series without him.

"I couldn't be more proud of these guys," manager Torey Lovullo said. "Winning makes all the bad go away. We've dealt with some difficult circumstances, and they just blocked it all out. You can hear the music bumping in there right now. They deserve it."

The Diamondbacks opened this six-game road trip by taking the first two games against the Braves before dropping the finale on Sunday.

Things got worse for them when they got to Fenway Park on Monday and Marte did not show up for the game. Communication with him was sparse and the team did not know why he was a no-show and he was put on the restricted list.

The Diamondbacks played a poor game that night in an 11-1 loss, and then they followed it up by losing, 9-4, on Tuesday.

While losing the finale against the Red Sox would not have been the end of the world, every game at this point matters for the Diamondbacks as they chase a National League Wild Card berth. Wednesday’s win combined with the Padres’ loss to the Mets pulled Arizona to within a game of San Diego for the final Wild Card spot.

"It was a huge win," starter Brandon Pfaadt said. "I think we knew that [it would be] going into this game. I think we all played together today and came out on top."

With Marte scheduled for an MRI exam on his left knee Thursday and then a meeting with GM Mike Hazen to clarify the situation, both Lovullo and the players in the clubhouse seem ready to turn the page on the Marte saga and turn their focus onto the field.

If they get Marte back at some point, great, but if not, they know they still have a job to do, the manager included.

"We're going to be fine no matter who's in that lineup," Lovullo said. "We've got 26 engaged dogs out there that want to win a baseball game, and that's all I care about. I will put in the best players that I possibly can, that are going to focus and execute to win baseball games. This is a big boy league, and you got to win baseball games. And that's what we do every single night, we try to win every game we play."

It was a rewarding night for Arenado, who injured his left oblique on Sunday in Atlanta. An MRI exam in Boston on Monday showed a little bit of a strain, but Arenado is determined to try and play through it with the postseason on the line.

After taking Monday and Tuesday off, Arenado served as the designated hitter on Wednesday. Following the team’s off-day Thursday, the plan is for him to try and play the field on Friday in the series opener against the Reds at Chase Field. Defense, specifically throwing the ball, is what irritates the injury the most.

"Listen, when it comes to Marte as a player, there's not too many people that can replace a player like that," Arenado said. "He's one of the best in the game. So it's a miss. We're missing a top-tier player, but you know, at the end of the day, we're going to continue to fight. I think we just focus on what we have right now and we have some good players in here, and we have guys that are gonna go out and compete.

“We're missing a great player and someone that can carry, literally carry a team, but there's nothing we could do about it. We're gonna focus on doing our job here, and then we'll see what happens."