• Chris Herrmann on hitting surge, HR in win

    Chris Herrmann on hitting surge, HR in win

  • Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley competes in cow milking competition

    Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley competes in cow milking competition

  • Shelby Miller: Tommy John surgery 'was a pretty smooth process'

    Shelby Miller: Tommy John surgery ‘was a pretty smooth process’

  • Shot Clock: Time to take D-Backs seriously

    Shot Clock: Time to take D-Backs seriously

  • Zack Greinke on near-complete game, Eephus pitch

    Zack Greinke on near-complete game, Eephus pitch

  • Torey Lovullo on Zack Greinke's 'great night'

    Torey Lovullo on Zack Greinke’s ‘great night’

  • Montini volunteers free tickets - with Bickley's help

    Montini volunteers free tickets – with Bickley’s help

  • D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo on loss vs. Padres

    D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo on loss vs. Padres

  • Chris Iannetta on homering in first game off DL

    Chris Iannetta on homering in first game off DL

  • Zack Godley on his outing vs. Padres

    Zack Godley on his outing vs. Padres

  • Torey Lovullo after D-Backs pound Padres 9-1

    Torey Lovullo after D-Backs pound Padres 9-1

  • Torey Lovullo on D-Backs' blowout win vs. Padres

    Torey Lovullo on D-Backs’ blowout win vs. Padres

  • Taijuan Walker tosses six scoreless vs. Padres

    Taijuan Walker tosses six scoreless vs. Padres

  • Brandon Drury homers in win vs. Padres

    Brandon Drury homers in win vs. Padres

  • Watch out for Dodgers; Cards CBs apply for job

    Watch out for Dodgers; Cards CBs apply for job

  • Diamondbacks outlast Mets in extra innings

    Diamondbacks outlast Mets in extra innings

  • Diamondbacks discuss close win over Mets

    Diamondbacks discuss close win over Mets

  • Diamondbacks' Zack Godley talks after win over Mets

    Diamondbacks’ Zack Godley talks after win over Mets

  • Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo talks upbeat pace in win over Mets

    Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo talks upbeat pace in win over Mets

  • A.J. Pollock discusses his injury after loss to Pirates

    A.J. Pollock discusses his injury after loss to Pirates

  • David Peralta downplays his injury vs. Pirates

    David Peralta downplays his injury vs. Pirates

  • Torey Lovullo on injuries, loss vs. Pirates

    Torey Lovullo on injuries, loss vs. Pirates

  • Chris Iannetta talks about scary HBP vs. Pirates

    Chris Iannetta talks about scary HBP vs. Pirates

  • Diamondbacks rally falls short against Pirates

    Diamondbacks rally falls short against Pirates

  • Lovullo: Iannetta "said he could play tonight if he had to" after HBP

    Lovullo: Iannetta “said he could play tonight if he had to” after HBP

  • Diamondbacks overwhelm Pirates 11-4

    Diamondbacks overwhelm Pirates 11-4

  • Kaepernick blackballed? Greinke now trade bait?

    Kaepernick blackballed? Greinke now trade bait?

  • Zack Greinke on his near no-hitter against Pirates

    Zack Greinke on his near no-hitter against Pirates

  • Lovullo reacts to Greinke's near no-hitter in win

    Lovullo reacts to Greinke’s near no-hitter in win

  • Diamondbacks snap losing streak with win over Tigers

    Diamondbacks snap losing streak with win over Tigers

  • Diamondbacks drop third straight with loss to Tigers

    Diamondbacks drop third straight with loss to Tigers

  • Shot Clock: D-Backs face pivotal homestand

    Shot Clock: D-Backs face pivotal homestand

  • Torey Lovullo after D-Backs' latest loss to Rockies

    Torey Lovullo after D-Backs’ latest loss to Rockies

  • Taijuan Walker after loss to Rockies

    Taijuan Walker after loss to Rockies

  • Patrick Corbin after being roughed up by Rockies

    Patrick Corbin after being roughed up by Rockies

  • D-Backs' Torey Lovullo on 'tough night' at Coors Field

    D-Backs’ Torey Lovullo on ‘tough night’ at Coors Field

  • Zack Greinke on impressive outing vs. Rockies

    Zack Greinke on impressive outing vs. Rockies

  • Manager Torey Lovullo after win over Rockies

    Manager Torey Lovullo after win over Rockies

  • Manager Torey Lovullo after D-Backs lose series vs. Nationals

    Manager Torey Lovullo after D-Backs lose series vs. Nationals

  • Braden Shipley after walking six in loss to Nationals

    Braden Shipley after walking six in loss to Nationals

  • D-Backs' Torey Lovullo after loss to Nationals

    D-Backs’ Torey Lovullo after loss to Nationals

  • Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray strikes out 10 in loss to Nationals

    Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray strikes out 10 in loss to Nationals

  • Torey Lovullo on D-Backs' 6-3 win over Nationals

    Torey Lovullo on D-Backs’ 6-3 win over Nationals

  • Taijuan Walker on his short start vs. Nationals

    Taijuan Walker on his short start vs. Nationals

  • Shot Clock: Rockets sizzle, D-Backs fizzle?

    Shot Clock: Rockets sizzle, D-Backs fizzle?

  • A.J. Pollock on controversial play: "You guys saw the replay"

    A.J. Pollock on controversial play: “You guys saw the replay”

  • Descalso talks about walk-off home run over Rockies

    Descalso talks about walk-off home run over Rockies

  • Lovullo on pitching, more in D-Backs' wild win

    Lovullo on pitching, more in D-Backs’ wild win

  • Corbin discusses his scoreless outing vs. Rockies

    Corbin discusses his scoreless outing vs. Rockies

  • Fernando Rodney talks about his latest blown save

    Fernando Rodney talks about his latest blown save

  • Zack Greinke after outing vs. Rockies

    Zack Greinke after outing vs. Rockies

  • D-Backs' Shelby Miller to have Tommy John surgery

    D-Backs’ Shelby Miller to have Tommy John surgery

  • Diamondbacks fall 3-1 to Rockies

    Diamondbacks fall 3-1 to Rockies

  • Chris Owings on his two-homer night

    Chris Owings on his two-homer night

  • D-Backs' Taijuan Walker on his 11-strikeout performance vs. Padres

    D-Backs’ Taijuan Walker on his 11-strikeout performance vs. Padres

  • D-Backs' Shelby Miller considering Tommy John surgery

    D-Backs’ Shelby Miller considering Tommy John surgery

  • Fernando Rodney reacts to his blown save against the Padres

    Fernando Rodney reacts to his blown save against the Padres

  • Torey Lovullo reacts to Diamondbacks' 'heartbreaking' loss

    Torey Lovullo reacts to Diamondbacks’ ‘heartbreaking’ loss

  • Diamondbacks attendance hits new low

    Diamondbacks attendance hits new low

  • Diamondbacks pull away from Padres for 9-3 win

    Diamondbacks pull away from Padres for 9-3 win

  • Diamondbacks hold on for win over Padres

    Diamondbacks hold on for win over Padres

  • Shelby Miller on his injury, visit with team doctor

    Shelby Miller on his injury, visit with team doctor

  • Arizona Diamondbacks' Shelby Miller discusses arm injury

    Arizona Diamondbacks’ Shelby Miller discusses arm injury

  • David Peralta on his record-setting night

    David Peralta on his record-setting night

  • Robbie Ray reacts to Saturday's win over the Dodgers

    Robbie Ray reacts to Saturday’s win over the Dodgers

  • Diamondbacks use 9-run eighth to overwhelm Dodgers

    Diamondbacks use 9-run eighth to overwhelm Dodgers

  • Paul Goldschmidt on D-Backs' offense vs. Padres

    Paul Goldschmidt on D-Backs’ offense vs. Padres

  • Manager Torey Lovullo breaks down D-Backs' loss, road trip

    Manager Torey Lovullo breaks down D-Backs’ loss, road trip

For the better part of two months, the Diamondbacks’ spotlight has shined in all corners of their clubhouse, a new-hero-every-night phenomenon that winning baseball seasons tend to produce.

It’s still too early to say what this season will become for the Diamondbacks, but games like Tuesday night’s serve to reinforce the notion that their flirtation with contention is legitimate.

Their pitching was good enough. Their defense did not hurt them. They scratched across just enough runs. And they produced a new batch of heroes du jour in a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field.

Reliever J.J. Hoover punched out the two batters he faced, entering with the bases loaded in the eighth and preserving a one-run lead. Chris Herrmann hit an opposite-field homer, the third consecutive game in which he has started and gone deep. Brandon Drury laced a low-liner of a double that drove in what turned out to be the go-ahead run.

RELATED: Paul Goldschmidt’s bat carrying Diamondbacks again

And in the end the Diamondbacks won another game and, in the process, another series. They have won seven of eight games and 10 of 13, and their 28 wins are the third-most in the major leagues.

“We’re just having a lot of fun,” Herrmann said. “I know we’ve lost a couple of games here and there, but for the most part the chemistry is there. The pitching has been awesome. They’ve been giving us, the offensive players, opportunities to win ballgames, which is, I think, one of the most important things in this game.”

Their win on Tuesday was their 20th of the year at Chase Field. They didn’t win their 20th at home last year until Aug. 15. They’ve won five consecutive games at home, something they didn’t do once last year.

“I challenged these guys early in the year to say, ‘Look, this is our home. Let’s create a home-field advantage,’ ” manager Torey Lovullo said. “And I think they’ve taken that and run with it. I’m very proud of these guys for that. I want teams to know when they come in here they’re going to be ready for a battle.”

MORE: Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller ready to start rehabilitation

Paul Goldschmidt drove a fly ball to the warning track in right-center and raced around the bases for a run-scoring triple in the first. Three pitches later, Jake Lamb got a barrel-finding slider and connected for his 12th home run to make it 3-0.

After Jorge De La Rosa gave up a solo homer to Jose Abreu and loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, Hoover entered and pumped fastballs past Omar Narvaez and Yolmer Sanchez. It was his second triumph of the day, following his early afternoon victory in a charity cow-milking contest.

“It set the tone for the day,” Hoover said, smiling.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

READ MORE: Diamondbacks relievers spend Tuesday afternoon milking cow

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Wednesday’s game

White Sox at Diamondbacks

When: 12:40 p.m.

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

Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Randall Delgado (1-0, 4.05 ERA) vs. White Sox LHP Jose Quintana (2-5, 3.92).

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

Delgado is making a spot start in place of Taijuan Walker (blister). His last start came Aug. 22, 2015. Delgado earned a save in his last outing, giving up a run over three innings in a 10-1 win at San Diego. In 26 2/3 innings, covering 15 appearances, he has struck out 24 and walked five. In five May outings, Delgado has allowed just one run. Manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday he does not have a pitch count in mind for Delgado, but Delgado has not pitched more than three innings in a game this season so he may not last long.  … Quintana has had some bad luck. His five losses tie for the second-most in baseball, yet his 2.20 run-support average is the lowest in the majors. In his last outing, he gave up one run on one hit over eight innings but did not factor into the decision in a 2-1 win at Seattle.

Coming up

Thursday: At Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (3-3, 3.91) vs. Brewers RHP Zach Davies (5-2, 5.44).

Friday: At Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (1-1, 2.45) vs. Brewers RHP Junior Guerra (0-0, 6.00).

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