Diamondbacks Announce Lineup For Crucial Game 2 vs Cardinals

The Diamondbacks face a big matchup on Saturday.

Jul 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Tim Tawa (13) hits a RBI groundout during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Diamondbacks, following a sloppy, ugly loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night, face as close to a must-win game as could be imagined in mid-July.

Arizona's playoff hopes are not nonexistent, but the Cardinals are one of the teams that stand in their way, and taking two of three in this three-game set will prevent the season series from coming down to their July 23 makeup game in St. Louis.

Friday's game was not a positive start in that endeavor. The Diamondbacks' parade of mistakes turned a winnable game into a frustrating loss. They'll have a shot to even the series on Saturday, with a 1:10 p.m. scheduled first pitch at Chase Field.

Let's take a look at Saturday's lineup:

Diamondbacks reveal lineup for game 2 vs Cardinals

Jul 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) slides into second base with a double during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here's the D-backs' lineup for Saturday's game against St. Louis:

1. 2B Ketel Marte
2. SS Geraldo Perdomo
3. RF Corbin Carroll
4. DH Gabriel Moreno
5. LF Max Kepler
6. 3B Nolan Arenado
7. 1B Tim Tawa
8. C James McCann
9. CF Ryan Waldschmidt

Arizona's lineup is a relatively standard one against a right-handed pitcher in Dustin May. With Brandon Pfaadt going for the D-backs, Arizona is opting to put the veteran James McCann behind home plate, leaving Gabriel Moreno to serve as the DH.

Corbin Carroll crushed a game-tying solo home run Friday night, which could be a positive sign that his recent slump is coming to an end. The D-backs need him to return to superstar form.

Tim Tawa, who has been exceptionally hot, remains the first baseman. The newly-recalled Tyler Locklear has yet to make an appearance in the majors, but it's hard to justify taking at-bats away from Tawa, who has hit 9-for-17 since the start of Arizona's three-game sweep of the Dodgers prior to the All-Star Break.

Tawa had another two-hit game Friday night, with a home run and a ninth-inning double. He has a 1.275 OPS in the month of July, and has raised his season slash to .227/.303/.432 and .735 OPS. The Diamondbacks need more of that production out of their lackluster first base position — and the lower end of the order in general.

Brandon Pfaadt vs Dustin May

Jun 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pfaadt has looked like an entirely different pitcher since returning from the minor leagues. He's made three strong starts, giving up just three earned runs over the course of his last 15.2 innings. His reduced mechanics appear to be doing the trick.

For his career, Pfaadt has a 4.13 ERA against St. Louis, but most recently threw seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts against the Cardinals on July 18, 2025 — exactly one year ago to the day.

May has seen plenty of Arizona during his time with the Dodgers. He has a 3.48 career ERA against the D-backs with six innings of one-run baseball coming most recently in 2025.