Diamondbacks face Brewers’ Opening Day starter Friday night

D-Backs to give Delgado another start

The Diamondbacks are giving right-hander Randall Delgado another chance to start, saying he’ll remain in the rotation to face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday at PNC Park.

The club is hopeful that right-hander Taijuan Walker will be ready to return from the disabled list when his turn comes up next.

Delgado gave up two runs (one earned) in four innings on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. After throwing 61 pitches in that outing, manager Torey Lovullo said the club could bump him into the 70-75 range on Monday.

Lovullo said part of the reason the Diamondbacks waited until Friday to settle on Delgado was because they wanted to see how they got through Thursday’s game.

Lefty Robbie Ray’s seven-inning outing in a 4-0 win over the Brewers helped provide rest for the bullpen, allowing them to feel comfortable leaving Delgado in the rotation.

“I think what Robbie was able to do for us kind of slowed some things down and solidified that spot for us,” Lovullo said.

Walker, out with a blister on his right index finger, is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Saturday and, if all goes well, a simulated game early next week in Pittsburgh.

D-Backs staying patient with prospect Duplantier

It would be hard for Diamondbacks prospect Jon Duplantier to pitch much better than he has through the season’s first two months with Low-A Kane County, at least in terms of results. In 48 1/3 innings, Duplantier has a 0.56 ERA with 56 strikeouts compared to only 11 walks.

But farm director Mike Bell said the organization is in no hurry to promote him, preferring that he work on some of the “finer” points of pitching at a lower level, a more deliberate approach in the way of development than the club had displayed in previous years.

“I think it’s great that he’s dominating the league; I really do,” Bell said. “I think we look at him as a major-league pitcher … (But) there are still a few things we’d like to see him improve on.”

Duplantier, 22, was the club’s third-round selection last year out of Rice, slipping to them in large part because of injury concerns. Duplantier dealt with shoulder problems during the 2015 season, then after signing with the Diamondbacks he was limited to just one inning due to an elbow issue.

He’s been healthy this year, dominating Midwest League hitters with a four-pitch mix, including a low-to-mid 90s fastball to go with a slider, curveball and change-up. That change-up was one of the things Bell said the organization would like to see him refine before he’s promoted.

“He’s going to start working on his change-up a little bit more,” Bell said. “It’s a plus pitch, he just hasn’t had to use it much there. We want him to focus on some of the finer things. He’ll move in time.”

The organization’s patience with Duplantier could signal a change in philosophy. In the past, the Diamondbacks seemed more aggressive when it came to promotions, saying they wanted to challenge players once they demonstrated an ability to dominate a level.

“I’d prefer these guys to have as much success through the minor leagues for as long as they can,” Bell said. “The game is going to take care of the humbling without us trying to force it. If it appears that we’re more conservative this year, maybe we are. Maybe it’s the personnel that is allowing us to identify players that can benefit from it. I’ve always liked to err on the side of being conservative, but we have been this year.”

Pollock progressing

Center fielder A.J. Pollock did some “light running” and hit in the cage at Salt River Fields on Thursday, and he was planning to hit on the field on Friday as he continues to work his way back from a right groin strain.

“Everything as far as I’ve been told and what I’ve been reading has been very positive for A.J,” Lovullo said. “He’s in a good spot right now.”

Still, Lovullo said Pollock is not expected to join the team on the road trip, and though he didn’t drop any hints on a return date, that means the soonest Pollock could potentially return is June 6, when the Diamondbacks begin a six-game homestand against the San Diego Padres.

Short hops

• A systems malfunction led to both teams getting unlimited replays in Thursday night’s game, something that Lovullo said he interpreted incorrectly when umpires informed him of the situation before the game. He thought it meant both teams had unlimited time to decide whether to challenge. “I raced out there after (the Brewers) lost their first challenge thinking they didn’t have any more,” Lovullo said, adding that the confusion didn’t lead to the Diamondbacks missing out on any plays they would have otherwise challenged.
• Lovullo, his fellow coaches and various support staff played a pickup basketball game on Friday morning at Marquette University. Lovullo grudgingly acknowledged his teams went 0-4. Lovullo, who played baseball at UCLA, said he was recruited to play college basketball by several Division III schools and one Division I school, UC Santa Barbara.

Friday’s game

When: 5:10 p.m.

Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee.

Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (1-1, 2.45) vs. Brewers RHP Junior Guerra (0-0, 6.00).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620), KHOV-FM (105.1).

Godley threw well again on Sunday in San Diego, but the Padres scored three times off him in seven innings, enough to come away with a 5-1 victory. … Godley has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his four starts. Opponents are hitting .195 off him with a .589 OPS. … Godley faced the Brewers in his major league debut in 2015, tossing six scoreless innings against them at Chase Field. … Guerra threw three innings on Opening Day before hurting his right calf laying down a bunt. This will be his first start since. … Guerra, 32, was signed out of Venezuela in 2001 and bounced around before landing with the Brewers, his fourth organization, and getting his first extended big league look last season, posting a 2.81 ERA in 20 starts. … He throws a fastball in the low-90s along with a splitter and a slider.

Friday’s lineup

Yasmany Tomas returns to the lineup after missing a couple games with hip flexor tightness.

In the grand scheme of baseball seasons and careers, Paul Goldschmidt’s sample size of at-bats at Miller Park is relatively small. But his success is staggering enough to take notice. In 71 at-bats, Goldschmidt has 35 hits, including 10 doubles and seven homers.

That’s a .493 average and a .930 slugging in 17 games. And that’s just counting the regular season, although, as it turns out, his results from that postseason series — .333 average with the homer – would drag down the numbers.

His performance in Thursday night’s series opener, which the Diamondbacks won 4-0, also brought his numbers down, despite his going 1 for 3 with a walk, a double and a stolen base.

Goldschmidt didn’t have an explanation for his success. He admits that the memories from his 2011 postseason success in Miller Park – the only playoff experience of his career – come to mind every time he comes to town, and he believes it’s possible that success could lead to more of the same.

Greinke, Counsell texting buddies

Craig Counsell has seen Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke pitch well – and pitch well at Miller Park for extended periods – but the Milwaukee Brewers manager gave his former teammate a hard time about that success coming to an end this weekend.

“I offered some suggestions to him on how he might not perform as well here on Saturday night,” Counsell said, referring to a recent text message exchange with Greinke.

Greinke, who has a 2.82 ERA through eight starts and leads the league with 78 strikeouts, has a history of pitching well in Milwaukee. In 27 games (26 starts) at Miller Park, he has a 3.07 ERA with 197 strikeouts in 167 1/3 innings.

The Brewers, however, feature one of the majors’ more potent lineups, averaging 5.2 runs per game, second-best in the NL.

Counsell said he always enjoys talking baseball with Greinke, who has a “different perspective” on things than most people do.

“He usually gives you something you haven’t heard before and a different way to look at things,” said Counsell, who had two stints as a player with the Diamondbacks, with whom he won the World Series in 2001. “That makes you think about things a little differently. I always appreciate that. He’s got very interesting observations about how he sees the game.”

Coming up

Saturday: At Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (6-2, 2.82) vs. Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (2-1, 4.25).

Sunday: At Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (4-4, 4.40) vs. Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (2-3, 4.20).

Monday: At Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Randall Delgado (1-0, 3.82) vs. Pirates RHP Trevor Williams (2-3, 5.93).

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More D-Backs: Walker making progress, but will miss another start