Diamondbacks cruising with big lead over Padres

Smooth sailing

The Diamondbacks scored three runs in the fourth to make it 10-1 and starter Robbie Ray has done his part, giving up just one hit through six innings. He’s struck out nine and walked two. At 95 pitches and with Arizona in control, he might be done for the night, though. No reason to tax him with such a big lead. Let the bullpen finish it off.

No place like home

The Diamondbacks bats may go silent on the road but boy do they make a lot of noise when they get back to Chase Field. 

Arizona burst to a 7-0 lead over the San Diego Padres after two innings Tuesday, thanks to two hits and four RBIs from Jake Lamb and a three-run homer by Chris Owings off San Diego starter Dinelson Lamet. It was Owings’ seventh home run of the year, a career high.

Meanwhile, Robbie Ray has been dealing, striking out four of the Padres’ first six batters without allowing a hit. His scoreless inning streak ended on a fourth-inning Hunter Renfroe home run.

Delgado to stay in D-Backs rotation

Randall Delgado and Zack Godley are now part of the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation. Taijuan Walker soon will be.

All of which leads to one question: What to do with left-hander Patrick Corbin, who has allowed 12 earned runs in his last two starts and sported a 9.00 ERA the month of May?

“We have a lot of plans,” manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday.

Let’s start with Delgado, who has a 1.80 ERA in three starts since Walker went on the disabled list with a finger blister. Delgado has struck out 15 batters in 15 innings while walking just two, convincing Lovullo that he deserves to remain in the rotation rather than returning to his role as a long man out of the bullpen.

“We’re going to allow Randall to continue getting the ball every fifth day,” Lovullo said. “He’s been throwing the ball extremely well. Things I’m talking about: Repeating his delivery, a three-pitch mix, big outs, big moments, not getting glassy-eyed and on the attack.”

Delgado will start Friday against Milwaukee. Godley, who was recalled when the Diamondbacks placed outfielder Yasmany Tomas (groin) on the disabled list and optioned pitcher Braden Shipley to Triple-A Reno, will take the ball on Saturday.

Godley was 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in six starts when the Diamondbacks optioned him to Reno on June 1. The move was made because Arizona needed another arm in the bullpen, Godley had options, and he wouldn’t have pitched for another five days. At the time, Lovullo called it a “difficult conversation.”

“I’m excited to have him back,” Lovullo said. “He was throwing the ball very, very well for us … We encouraged him to keep the same work habits he had up here and he did that. He did his job and he deserved the call-up.”

Godley said that while he understood the Diamondbacks’ decision to send him down, “I’d be wrong to say I wasn’t disappointed … Really and truly it is the business of baseball I have to live with no matter how I feel about it. I can either dwell on it or move forward.”

When Walker returns to the rotation will be determined in part by how his blister responds after he pitches a simulated game Wednesday at Salt River Fields. Walker said “everything feels good,” but he’s also mindful of what he was told by Toronto pitcher Aaron Sanchez, who has dealt with an ongoing blister problem this season

“He told me the biggest thing is to take as much time as you need,” said Walker, who was placed on the disabled list May 21. “You don’t want to pitch, go back on the DL, pitch, go back on the DL. If there’s one piece of advice, it’s that. Make sure it’s 100 percent.”

Lovullo said the Diamondbacks will wait to see how Walker comes out of the simulated game before deciding when to reinsert him into the rotation. Once he’s ready to go, however, the Diamondbacks will have six starters: Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Walker, Delgado, Godley and Corbin.

Lovullo wouldn’t specify what he’ll do when all six starters are available, but it’s fair to wonder whether Corbin might be sent to the bullpen if he struggles in his start Thursday against San Diego. Corbin was 4-12 with a 5.58 ERA as a starter in 2016 but excelled coming out of the ‘pen, with a 2.70 ERA in 12 appearances.

Tomas to DL

Lovullo said Tomas (right groin tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day disabled list to “get ahead” of the injury, which has bothered him since May 24, the day before Arizona left for its 11-day, 11-game road trip.

“This is something he’s been battling for a little while,” Lovullo said. “Let him get off his feet, get him healed up and get himself back in the lineup as quickly as possible.”

With Tomas out, the Diamondbacks outfield consists of four left-handed batters – Gregor Blanco, David Peralta, Rey Fuentes and Jeremy Hazelbaker – plus left-handed reserves Chris Herrmann and Daniel Descalso, who got the start Tuesday in left field.

“Those guys are going to have to grind out some (at-bats) they might be uncomfortable with,” Lovullo said.

One possible solution: Lovullo said Chris Owings, who has played shortstop and right field, will get some reps in left field and could get a start there.

Pollock update

Center fielder A.J. Pollock said rehabilitation for his injured right groin is “going really well. I’m running and getting better every day.”

Pollock said he’ll run the bases sometime this week, the next step in his rehab, and that he’s been encouraged by the recent progress he’s made. There’s still no set timetable for his return.

“We’re excited to keep him progressing where he can get to the point where he returns and helps us win some games,” Lovullo said.

Pollock said trainers have him working on strengthening his hamstrings and hip abductor muscles in an attempt to prevent any further groin injuries. He also believes he’s discovered the reason he injured his groin in mid-May.

“I was pretty sick the day before, so I was pretty dehydrated,” he said. “That was kind of one me. I probably should have been a little more aware. Be a little more careful, drink a little more water. I wish it was less of a warning from my body but it happens and you just learn from it. Hopefully I can learn from it and grow.”

Catching up with the San Diego Padres

Padres update: When the Diamondbacks last saw the Padres, San Diego was in the midst of a miserable stretch, losing 14 of 17 games. But starting with a victory in the finale of that series against the Diamondbacks, the Padres have been playing much better, having won eight of 13 games, including three in a row against the Chicago Cubs.

A pair of prospects who were recently promoted from the minors have contributed. RHP Dinelson Lamet, whom the Diamondbacks will face on Tuesday, has thrown well in two outings, and CF Franchy Cordero has gone 8 for 25 (.320) with a double and a triple.

The Padres are last in the league with a .221 average and .286 on-base, but they do show some power from time to time, with four hitters already in double digits in home runs: 3B Ryan Schimpf (14), 1B Wil Myers (12), C Austin Hedges (11) and RF Hunter Renfroe (11). Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba is hitting .287 with a .748 OPS in 108 at-bats despite having never played above rookie ball prior to this season.

Tuesday’s game

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262).

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (5-3, 3.00) vs. Padres RHP Dinelson Lamet (2-0, 2.70).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1).

Ray has not allowed a run in his past three starts, and counting the final inning of his start before that, he’s logged 24 2/3 scoreless innings. … He dominated the Pirates last week at PNC Park, logging the first shutout and first complete game of his career, giving up just four hits and no walks while striking out 10. … He induced an incredible 18 swings-and-misses on his fastball. … Lamet, 24, signed with the Padres three years ago out of the Dominican Republic for $100,000, and he moved quickly through their system, touching three levels last season before getting the call to the majors two weeks ago. … He’s gone five innings in each of his starts, striking out eight both times, and allowed a combined three earned runs. … He has averaged 96.2 mph with his fastball and 86.3 mph with his slider, which is considered his best secondary pitch. He also throws a change-up.

D-Backs’ stolen-base threat a factor, even when they’re not thieving

The Diamondbacks ran wild on opposing teams in the season’s first month, stealing not just second base but often third, as well, and sometimes both at the same time.

But the running game has stalled out in recent weeks, with the Diamondbacks becoming an increasingly sedentary offense. Some of that might be related to personnel – A.J. Pollock has missed the past 20 games with a groin injury – but, more than likely, it’s a matter of opportunity. And that isn’t entirely bad, in the eyes of Diamondbacks baserunning guru Dave McKay.

The Diamondbacks had just three stolen-base attempts during their 11-game road trip – partly a byproduct of an offense that struggled to produce baserunners – but McKay believes just the threat of a steal helped them secure at least one victory.

“What you’re seeing – and I mentioned this to the guys – is that these pitchers are quick to the plate and when you force guys to be quick to the plate they make mistakes with their pitches, and that’s a good thing,” said McKay, the Diamondbacks’ first base coach. “Then you’ve got shortstops and second basemen holding you close to the bag and playing out of position, and it gives your partner, the hitter, a chance to hit a ball through there.”

Coming up

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (7-3, 3.06) vs. Padres RHP Luis Perdomo (0-2, 5.01).

Thursday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (4-6, 5.43) vs. Padres LHP Clayton Richard (3-6, 4.33).

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Randall Delgado (1-1, 3.24) vs. Brewers RHP Zach Davies (6-3, 4.69).

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