Nolan Arenado added another milestone to his resume when he ripped the 2,000th hit of his 14-year career on Monday night.
Arenado will look to tack on to the hit total on Tuesday night when the Arizona Diamondbacks face the Athletics in the middle contest of a three-game series in Phoenix.
The Arizona third baseman laced a double into the left-field corner in the fifth inning on Monday. That made him one of six active players in the 2,000-hit club, joining Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado.
Though he’s in his first season with the Diamondbacks, Arenado received a boisterous ovation. He said he appreciated it because he played with the rival Colorado Rockies from 2013-20.
“The fans were awesome,” Arenado said after Arizona’s 5-2 setback. “The love they showed, that meant a lot to me. The fans have embraced me, tremendously. We used to be rivals for eight years back in the day.
“I know they haven’t liked me a lot at times, but for them to stand and give me a standing ovation like that … just the respect they showed me, that meant the world to me.”
Arenado also joined another impressive list. He is the sixth player in big league history with 2,000-plus hits, 350 or more homers and 10-plus Gold Glove Awards. The others are Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Jr., Al Kaline, Willie Mays and Mike Schmidt.
Arizona lost the game — just its second setback in eight contests. Ketel Marte’s two-run homer accounted for his team’s runs.
The Athletics won for just the third time in the past 18 games.
Jeff McNeil delivered a tie-breaking, pinch-hit, two-run single for the A’s during a three-run seventh inning, and Tommy White went 4-for-5 with a run in his third major league game.
“That pinch hit by McNeil, a guy that has been grinding and battling and to come through with the big knock, he should feel good about that at-bat,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said.
Jacob Wilson and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer homered for the A’s. Kuroda-Grauer (testicular contusion) later left the contest and underwent an ultrasound. Colby Thomas (left wrist contusion) also left early, and his X-rays were negative, according to Kotsay.
Meanwhile, Arizona All-Star right fielder Corbin Carroll missed the series opener due to a hyperextended right elbow. He sustained the injury while swinging at a pitch during the seventh inning of Sunday’s victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Carroll said it wasn’t the first time he has hyperextended the elbow.
“It lingers, but it hasn’t really been an issue in the past,” Carroll said.
Carroll is batting .250 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs this season but has just six hits in 61 at-bats (.098) over his past 18 games. He has one homer, four RBIs with 22 strikeouts during the stretch.
Right-hander Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.87 ERA) will start for the A’s on Tuesday. Perkins, 26, has served up four homers and 10 runs over 6 2/3 innings in his last two appearances.
He lost in relief against the Detroit Tigers on July 9 when he gave up three runs on two homers in three innings. Six days earlier, he was roughed up for seven runs and seven hits over 3 2/3 innings while losing to the Miami Marlins.
Perkins lost to the Diamondbacks last Aug. 3, when he gave up four runs and five hits over three innings.
Left-hander Kohl Drake will make his major league debut for Arizona. Drake, who turned 26 last Friday, was 3-5 with a 6.92 ERA in 17 appearances (16 starts) for Triple-A Reno.
Drake originally was an 11th-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 2022. He was acquired by the Diamondbacks at last season’s trade deadline when right-hander Merrill Kelly (now back with Arizona) was dealt for three pitching prospects.
–Field Level Media
