The results have not been there for Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas, but the major leagues have begun to feel a little different. When he came up for the first time last year, he said, he felt a need to prove, with every at-bat, that he deserved to be here.

“I feel more comfortable (this year),” Rojas said. “I feel like I’m a part of the team.”

Given the circumstances, Rojas isn’t just a part of the team — he and the club’s other young players are, in a way, the Diamondbacks’ raison d’etre as they play out the string of inconsequential games.

They played another on Saturday night and they lost, 3-2, to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Luke Weaver threw well for five innings before things got away from him in the sixth. Kole Calhoun continued to swing a hot bat, launching his sixth home run in five games this road trip. The offense was otherwise quiet and it led to the club’s 33rd loss in 53 games this season.

Manager Torey Lovullo’s lineup would have fit nicely in one of two categories: spring training split squad or September for an also-ran. It featured three rookies (Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith, Wyatt Mathisen) and two second-year players (Rojas, Josh VanMeter). The five went a combined 1 for 14 with three walks, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly.

“We’re getting practice in big situations,” Rojas said. “We’re trying to win ballgames every day, battling out there, facing good pitching, playing some close games. I think these games are always valuable. We’re trying to help out the team win, not just showcase ourselves, but put together team at-bats and quality at-bats.”

In the eighth inning, in particular, Lovullo seemed to err on the side of development. Trailing by a run, the Diamondbacks had three consecutive lefties due up — Varsho, VanMeter and Rojas — against Astros reliever Brooks Raley, a lefty who has held opposing left-handed hitters to a .148 average.

“Look, they are some of our younger core players,” Lovullo said. “I wanted to give them that experience and give them a look at that. I think that’s where we’re at right now.”

Lovullo also stressed that he believed the three would turn in quality at-bats. Varsho grounded out and Rojas struck out in between a VanMeter walk.

On the night, the Diamondbacks had just four hits, two of them from the red-hot Calhoun. Leading off the second, Calhoun got a 3-1 fastball from the Astros’ Cristian Javier and blasted it out to right field. An inning later, he laced a change-up from Javier into right for a single.

Despite the lack of support, Weaver had made a 2-1 lead stand up through five innings. The sixth inning, however, did not go his way. George Springer led off with a soft single to center. Jose Altuve split the gap with a misplaced fastball to tie the game. Michael Brantley grounded an infield single to second, putting runners on the corners.

Weaver rebounded by striking out Alex Bregman, but Kyle Tucker beat him on a high fastball, shooting it into left for a go-ahead single.

“All night, I was able to beat him with the fastball and he made his adjustment,” Weaver said of Tucker. “Bad timing for me, but a pitch that’s relatively where I wanted it.”

Of the young hitters who played on Saturday, the Diamondbacks could give significant roles to several in the coming years. Varsho and Smith could be everyday players. Rojas and VanMeter could be super utility types, if not more. 

Rojas had a sac fly but went hitless in three at-bats, dropping his average to .186. He has just a .440 OPS. Varsho is hitting .160, VanMeter .185. Only Smith has had decent results, with a .273 average, but he has not hit the ball hard consistently in his first week in the majors.

General Manager Mike Hazen said earlier this month that his young players would be judged less on results than on the way they play the game — the quality of their at-bats, their apparent readiness for the big leagues.

Rojas, for one, believes his at-bats have been better than his numbers, but he also thinks he is missing too many hittable pitches on a nightly basis.

“I definitely, like everyone else, can see my numbers,” he said. “I would like to have more success. I think that will come with a little more experience. … I think I just have to stick with that and the success will come.”