Off-day for naught, Perdomo helps D-backs edge Mets

NEW YORK -- It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Diamondbacks’ two-spots in the seventh and ninth innings were enough to get the job done as they held on to beat the Mets, 4-3, on Wednesday night at Citi Field.

Given that they had lost five of six coming into the game, the Diamondbacks will take any win they can get at this point – especially at Citi Field, a ballpark in which they entered Wednesday 4-18 since the start of the 2018 season.

Here are a couple of key things to know about the game:

Justin Martinez's velocity was down even more

Diamondbacks closer Justin Martinez complained of shoulder fatigue a couple of weeks ago and the team has been careful with his usage since. From Opening Day through his appearance on April 23, Martinez averaged 100.4 with his two-seam fastball.

In his outing Sunday against the Braves, his two-seamer averaged 97.2 mph. At that time both Martinez and manager Torey Lovullo chalked the velocity dip to a little shoulder fatigue and since Martinez had not experienced any pain, he did not undergo any imaging.

In Wednesday night’s game, Lovullo summoned Martinez in the ninth with the Diamondbacks up 4-1 -- and Martinez was clearly not himself.

Martinez allowed a homer to Tyrone Taylor to start the frame and then walked the next two hitters, his fastball averaging just 93.5 mph.

As soon as Martinez entered the game and Lovullo saw the radar gun readings on the scoreboard, he began preparing contingency plans and got Ryan Thompson up in the bullpen.

After the game, Lovullo met with Martinez and the training staff to go over the situation.

"We're still trying to sift through it ourselves,” Lovullo said. “We just wanted to get the feeling from him as to how he's doing. It's clear that the velo is down and the stuff is not the same. We're still evaluating. I'll keep you guys posted as to what happens and what direction we go, but we definitely know that things aren't the same right now, and we're going to figure that out with him.”

Lovullo said a stint on the injured list is a possibility, as is Martinez getting some imagine done on the shoulder.

Martinez is confused by what is happening because he said again after the game that he doesn’t have any pain in the shoulder.

"I don’t know,” Martinez said. “We’re going to figure it out. I feel good.”

So much for Perdomo’s off-day

Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo had started every game this year for the Diamondbacks, with Lovullo trying to find a spot to give him a breather.

Finally on Wednesday, Lovullo submitted a lineup without Perdomo in it ... and the infielder got all of six innings of rest before being summoned to pinch-hit in the seventh.

Perdomo delivered a two-run bloop single to left that gave the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead and then stayed in the game to play short.

In the ninth, Perdomo came through with a sacrifice fly to score the second run of the inning and give Arizona a 4-1 lead. That run would prove to be crucial, as the Mets scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth before Thompson slammed the door.

"It didn't turn into a day off, right?” Lovullo said with a smile. “He took a little bit of a blow, and in the seventh inning, he's right in the middle of it. He gets three RBIs in the final two innings of the game. So a day off, not really, but I think he utilized the afternoon and the morning when he knew he wasn't playing, and that's where he got a little recharged.”