The Arizona Diamondbacks, for the most part, had a rough weekend against the Washington Nationals.

After getting outscored 20-2 in the first two games of the series, Arizona bounced back with a 5-1 win on Sunday. While the Diamondbacks were able to get back in the win column, the month of June so far has been a struggle for Ketel Marte.

After going 0-for-4 on Sunday, Marte is hitting just 0.87 (2-for-23) through six games in the early days of the month. Both of his hits have been home runs, one of which was a walk-off solo shot against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4, but that has been the lone highlight for him recently.

Beyond his hitting struggles, Marte also caught flak for taking the June 3 game against the Dodgers off when Shohei Ohtani was pitching. Marte has not been portrayed in the greatest light recently, but Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo recently came to his defense.

In an appearance with Diamondbacks Baseball on 12 News, Lovullo commented on Marte’s walk-off homer and the decision for him not to play on June 3.

"Yeah, it was pretty special. You know, I know Ketel so well," Lovullo said. "We've been together for 10 years. I know when he is really aching and he needs some time off. It just landed on Ohtani.

"I know everybody wanted to see that matchup, and that's gonna happen for a long time," he added. "We know those moments are gonna happen, and I just felt like it was gonna pay us back handsomely in the future by us preserving him and keeping him healthy."

Lovullo also revealed a moment he had with Marte where Marte expressed a great deal of gratitude.

"It was a special moment," Lovullo said. "You know, he jumped on the first pitch. It all paid off. It's so great. And you know, he hit the ball and he sent me that he sent me the video of it last night.

"Ketel and I have a very different, special relationship," Lovullo added. "He sent me the video and he's like, 'Hey man, thank you for supporting me this way. Thank you for this moment.’ He’s such a special human being who means a lot to me."

The Diamondbacks are certainly at their best when Marte is as well, and the three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner will break out of his slump eventually. In the meantime, Lovullo had to make sure he stood up for him.

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