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Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock talks about his play on Aaron Hill’s third-inning drive and Jake Lamb’s go-ahead, three-run triple.
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Lefty Robbie Ray worked around five walks and was helped by his defense in the Diamondbacks’ win over the Giants on Tuesday night.
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Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker said he made a mistake by trying to throw home on a strange play against the Giants in Monday’s loss in San Francisco. Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports
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Arizona Diamondbacks’ Patrick Corbin talks about his personal performance so far this season after the team swept the series against the Indians, April 9, 2017. (Bob McManaman/azcentral sports)
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Jay Dieffenbach and Dan Bickley disagree on the NBA MVP and share their thoughts on the D-Backs’ hot start.
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Arizona Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo discusses the team’s win against the Indians, sweeping the series, April 9, 2017. (Bob McManaman/azcentral sports)
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Breaking down the Diamondbacks’ fantastic start to the 2017 season.
Wochit
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Right-hander Zack Greinke gave up just one run in 6 2/3 innings against the Indians as the Diamondbacks rolled to another victory.
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Arizona Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo talks about the team’s ups and downs in a win against the Indians, April 7, 2017. (Bob McManaman/azcentral sports)
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D-Backs’ Shelby Miller talks about his 2017 season start in a win against the Cleveland Indians, April 7, 2017. (Bob McManaman/azcentral sports)
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azcentral sports’ Mark Faller and Dan Bickley discuss the D-Backs’ start to the season as well as the retirement of Shane Doan.
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Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta discusses Thursday’s win over the Giants.
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses his team’s 3-1 start to the season.
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on using humidor for baseballs at Chase Field.
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Starting pitcher Taijuan Walker discusses his first start in a Diamondbacks uniform on Wednesday against the Giants. Bob McManaman/azcentral sports
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talks about his club’s 8-6 win over the Giants on Wednesday. Bob McManaman/azcentral sports
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The Diamondbacks need a shortstop. Scott Bordow and Jay Dieffenbach discuss that and the Hamilton hazing scandal in the Shot Clock.
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Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings talks about his error in the Giants’ five-run fifth inning.
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Diamondbacks lefty Patrick Corbin talks about his outing vs. the Giants and his struggles to retire Hunter Pence.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks dedicated Paul Goldschmidt Field in Goodyear on April 4, 2017. It’s the 39th “Diamonds Back” Field in Arizona. Video: Arizona Diamondbacks
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Former Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals slugger had an emergency brain procedure to address a brain hemorrhage.
USA TODAY Sports
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You can stream baseball online using MLB.TV, but the service does have restrictions.
Reviewed.com – Jeremy Stamas
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Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings delivered the game-winning hit on Sunday vs. the Giants.
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talks about the hug he gave walk-off hero Chris Owings and about his first win in his new job.
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Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke gave up two runs in five innings against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday at Chase Field.
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Diamondbacks insider Nick Piecoro and Jay Dieffenbach talk about the upcoming baseball season. The lineup appears to be solid. What about the pitching staff? Video: Cheryl Evans/azcentral sports
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USA TODAY Sports released its annual list of players to watch for in the upcoming season.
USA TODAY Sports
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The Diamondbacks had their photos taken on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 at Salt River Fields.
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A.J. Pollock talks about his big catch in D-Backs’ win over Giants
Robbie Ray after tossing 6 2/3 shutout innings vs. Giants
Taijuan Walker discusses his errant throw vs. Giants
Diamondbacks’ Patrick Corbin describes personal performance
Shot Clock: NBA MVP and surprising D-Backs
Torey Lovullo on D-Backs’ sweep against the Indians
Diamondbacks’ hot start by the numbers
Zack Greinke after strong start vs. Indians
Torey Lovullo talks about the D-Backs’ win against the Indians
D-Backs’ Shelby Miller describes starting his 2017 season
Shot Clock: What D-Backs’ good start means
David Peralta on hot start: ‘We’re ready for anybody’
D-Backs manager Lovullo on starting year 3-1
D-Backs manager Lovullo on using humidor for baseballs
Taijuan Walker on his first D-Backs start
Torey Lovullo on D-Backs’ win over Giants
Shot Clock: Answer to D-Backs’ shortstop question?
Chris Owings talks about his fifth-inning error
Patrick Corbin after loss to Giants
Diamondbacks dedicate ‘Paul Goldschmidt Field’
Former Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero in critical condition
How to watch every baseball game in 2017
Chris Owings discusses his walk-off hit vs. Giants
Torey Lovullo on his emotional first win as D-Backs’ manager
Zack Greinke after his start vs. Giants on Opening Day
What is in store for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017?
MLB’s 100 Names to Know for 2017
Behind the scenes at Diamondbacks Photo Day
SAN FRANCISCO – The Diamondbacks’ season is nine games old and already there have been constant reminders of the value A.J. Pollock provides, value they were missing for nearly all of last season. They got another, perhaps the biggest yet, in the third inning of Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
On a dead run, Pollock made a highlight reel catch of an Aaron Hill drive at the warning track, taking away what looked to be an extra-base hit before crashing into the wall in center field.
“I thought it was a hit,” Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray said. “When he caught it, that was pretty amazing.”
“That was ridiculous,” third baseman Jake Lamb said. “Unbelievable. That was really impressive. That’s why he’s one of the best out there. He’s unreal.”
BOX SCORE: Diamondbacks 4, Giants 3
It saved a run and, for all anyone knows, maybe the game, too, and it stood in stark contrast to a play Giants center fielder Gorkys Hernandez was not able to make in the top of the same inning, a ball that instead went for a bases-clearing triple for the Lamb.
The Diamondbacks are growing accustomed to those sorts of things working out in their favor through the season’s first 10 days. The win on Tuesday made them 7-2, extending their franchise-record-tying start (the 2007 and 2008 teams also won seven of their first nine).
They hit just enough. They played excellent defense. And they managed to win despite some ninth-inning drama from Fernando Rodney, a famous ninth-inning dramatist, to eke out their fourth win in six games against the Giants this year.
MORE: Diamondbacks (still) off to best start in team history
Ray wasn’t at his best. He issued five walks and allowed seven balls off opponents bats at 95 mph or harder. But none of those walks came around to score and only one of those hard-hit balls went for hits.
“Everything was working for me,” Ray said. “The defense was making some amazing plays. Everything was just kind of clicking.”
The Diamondbacks loaded the bases in the third off Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija, getting singles from Ray and Pollock and a Paul Goldschmdit walk to bring Lamb to the plate. With the count 1-1, he drove a ball to deep left-center. Hernandez raced back, appearing to have a read on it, but seemed to whiff on it at the last instant.
“I almost got it,” he said. “I jumped a little bit and the ball hit my glove.”
Pollock had no such trouble. In the same park where, two years ago, he robbed the Giants’ Jarrett Parker of a home run, he managed to make another impressive grab.
MORE: Diamondbacks’ bullpen effective but roles still in flux
“I was just trying to make a play,” said Pollock, who missed most of last season follow elbow surgery. “Robbie is pitching so well and you take a couple of good steps and think you might have a chance at it. Then the last couple, it’s decision time if you think you can make it or not. I just felt like I could have a chance at that ball and was fortunate enough to catch it.”
Lamb’s hit gave him a team-leading 10 RBIs; six of those have come on two swings against Samardzija, whom Lamb connected off of for a three-run homer at Chase Field last week.
“He walked me twice and I got that hit, but his stuff was really, really moving tonight,” Lamb said. “I just wanted to simplify it and look to get a fastball out over the plate. He threw a couple of good pitches and he left that fastball out over the middle of the plate and I put a good swing on it.”
The Diamondbacks added an insurance run in the eighth on a Chris Iannetta RBI single. It turned out to be important. As a steady drizzle fell, Rodney issued a walk and allowed a pair of run-scoring hits, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of pinch-hitting Brandon Crawford.
MORE: Taijuan Walker still remorseful as Buster Posey lands on disabled list
But Rodney fed Crawford five consecutive change-ups to strike him out. He’s a perfect three for three on save opportunities this year.
“The bottom line is he got the save and we got the win,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We know that there’s going to be some moments that every inning can offer you, but Fernando made pitches when he had to and we couldn’t be more thrilled about that.”
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
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