👋 GOOD MORNING — Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a good start.

Have I mentioned recently that college football starts this week?! Are you a college fan, or the NFL? I’m going to date myself a bit here, but I remember back when folks said they enjoyed college football more because student-athletes compete “for love of the game,” though that theory continues to quickly slip away in a day and age where players are rewarded with multi-million dollar NIL deals.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I really love college football. It’s not just the sport itself, but the game day experience and old school rivalries are just so captivating to watch.

On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

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Ketel Marte Addresses Media Amid Drama

Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ketel Marte is sorry.

The Diamondbacks All-Star addressed the media for nearly 10 minutes prior to yesterday’s 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, responding to recent stories from multiple outlets that indicated his teammates — and possibly D-backs brass — have been frustrated with his time off requests this season.

Marte has appeared in 93 of the Diamondbacks’ 126 games this season, but his absences were put under a microscope recently, most notably when he missed the first series back following the All-Star break — a series, by the way, that Arizona swept.

Still, when you’re the All-Star face of a franchise, it doesn’t take much for a narrative to take off, and that’s exactly what happened here.

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So, what exactly has gone down with the D-backs and Marte?

Reports Indicate Internal Strife, but Marte & D-backs Respond

If you haven’t kept up with the drama, here’s a quick recap:

Marte has been the subject of several reports indicating his “teammates and others in the organization have quietly grumbled about his propensity to ask for days off,” according to AZCentral’s Nick Piecoro.
Marte missed the series following the All-Star Game after his Scottsdale home was burglarized, though it was reported he was in the Dominican Republic during that time, as opposed to Arizona.
Teammate Geraldo Perdomo and manager Torey Lovullo have publicly stated their support for Marte
Marte addressed the stories before yesterday’s game fielding questions for about 10 minutes from reporters.

A few highlights from Marte’s remarks. For the sake of clarity he used an interpreter, so though these are direct responses to reporters, note the use of “he” refers to Marte.

“His goal in baseball, and his responsibility with the organization is to help them win. In the nine years that he’s been here, he’s always tried to play hard to support the team, his teammates, and the organization, and that’s still going to be his goal.”
On what he uses the days off for
“He doesn’t think that it’s too many days off. He’s had injuries in the past, and this is the plan that’s been integrated, taken by the coaching staff and himself, in order to keep him on the field.”
“[The days off are] intended to be for recovery. He know this, and he does everything that he needs to do to get himself back on the field and help keep this team winning.”
On the recent reports that have come out
“He can’t control the outsiders, and he feels fine about the fact that his intent is always to help the team win, and support his teammates, and everyone around the team.”
On his post-All-Star Game absence
“He obviously knew the circumstances of the situation, he got frustrated and wasn’t in the best spot, but he truly wants to apologize to his teammates and everyone else that’s supporting the team.”

Lovullo, meanwhile, reiterated his report for the second baseman, as well:

"I know there's an elephant in the room and I'll just say what I want to say about it. I know that Ketel talked to you guys and I'm proud of him for doing that. That's not easy for him to do. I know he showed some vulnerability and I'm really proud of him for digging in the way that he did.

“What I'll say about Ketel are the things that I know -- he's a great teammate, he's a great young man, he plays hard every single day for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He just wants to win baseball games. That's it."

My Take: I mean, this one got ugly in a hurry, didn’t it? It feels like any time something like this comes up, both the media and the team get put in the spotlight, for much different reason. My two cents: There’s no way Piecoro would have published that story if it wasn’t true and it’s honestly not surprising to hear Marte’s absences have struck a nerve.

But, you know why this has really come up?

Losing.

If the D-backs were leading the NL West race, or battling for Wild Card positioning, there’s no doubt in my mind that this wouldn’t be the focus right now. The problem is, when you’re losing — especially in a sport that plays 162 games — someone has to answer for it. So here we are. Winning cures all, and if the Diamondbacks had done more of it this season, we likely wouldn’t be talking about this.

Let Your Guard Down: Speaking of losing, the D-backs dropped their fourth straight game with yesterday’s 3-1 home defeat to the Guardians. The Diamondbacks have two more games against Cleveland, and tomorrow’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm.

Golden: The Mercury are back in action tonight, facing Golden State in the second of three straight road games (7 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports). Phoenix, which has won four of its last six games, then wraps up the trip in Vegas on Thursday evening.