Patrick Corbin not sweating Diamondbacks rotation spot

So far, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has only named one starting pitcher to his five-man rotation – Zack Greinke. Everybody with a clue, though, has a pretty good idea who the other four will be behind Arizona’s ace.

Go ahead and carve Patrick Corbin’s name into stone. Using a pencil would just be a waste of time.

If his past two starts are any indication, the left-hander is ready for the regular season to begin. Even Corbin himself said he probably doesn’t need any more Cactus League tuning up, other than to get his pitch count up to 90.

Including Sunday’s strong performance at Goodyear Ballpark against the Indians, Corbin has pitched through a string that has seen him, during one stretch, retire 23 of 24 batters faced. He retired the past 15 hitters he saw a week ago during a rout of the Rangers and this time out, pitched three, 1-2-3 innings against Cleveland.

“Yeah, I feel great. I feel ready to go,” Corbin said. “If the next one was regular season, I’d be ready. It’s just a matter of getting up to about 90 (pitches) and once we do that, we’ll be ready to start the season. But everything feels good. I’m happy with my off-speed pitches and getting ahead of guys and throwing strikes.”

Other than the pitch count, Corbin said he feels like he’s checked off every box this spring.

CACTUS LEAGUE: Coverage from azcentral sports and ASU’s Cronkite School

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “The only thing new today was getting to bat, so that was a first – getting out there and seeing some pitchers. But yeah, I’ll just continue to build off this, build my pitch count up and be ready to go.”

The only other thing awaiting Corbin, of course, is for Lovullo to officially name him one of the Diamondbacks’ five starters. Before Sunday’s game in Goodyear, the first-year skipper tried to explain why that hasn’t happened yet.

“We’re going to hold off on doing any of that but he’s done exactly what we had hoped all the guys would do,” Lovullo said. “He’s been outstanding with his preparations, following the process and now the execution. He’s been throwing the ball very, very well and we want that to continue.

“I know time is running down and we’re going to have to make some decisions. We want to make hard decisions based on their performance and they have all done a great job with that.”

By “all,” Lovullo may as well be referring to multiple positions throughout the team.

“Absolutely, one after another,” he said. “The competition at shortstop, all the catchers, these starters. They’ve all been answering the challenge that was issued upon them and they’re continuing to make our decisions very hard. In Patrick’s case, he’s been executing pitch after pitch and it’s been fun for us to watch.”

MORE: Greinke solid against Netherlands

But hasn’t it just been a teeny bit frustrating for Corbin to not yet be named to the starting five?

“No, I just go out there every fifth day and take the ball,” he said. “I feel good and I feel like the ball’s coming out good and I’m pleased with where I am.”

Asked again if he’s OK with Lovullo not having formally tabbed him as of yet, Corbin shook his head and smiled.

“Whenever he does is fine,” he said. “I’m just going to throw my bullpen in two days and be ready to go.”

Corbin has worked tirelessly for this moment after some recent rough times. The Diamondbacks’ Opening Day starter in 2014, he would go on to suffer torn elbow ligaments and be shut down for more than a full season after requiring Tommy John surgery. He came back, had a small share of successes, and then struggled before ultimately being sent toward the end of this past season to the bullpen as a long reliever.

Privately, Corbin hated the new role. But he toed the company line, said all the right things, and waited for his chance to show he deserved to be a starter again. He’s proved throughout this spring that he belongs in the rotation.

GET THE FREE DBACKS APP: iPhone | Android

SOCIAL: Follow azcentral sports on Facebook | Twitter

He was especially pleased with his effort against the Indians, against whom he went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and a strikeout. After exiting, he went to the Arizona bullpen and threw an additional 11 pitches to bring his pitch count to 75.

“It was a hot day out there for sure, but it was just good to build up the pitch count. I threw all my pitches, was able to work on some things, and I’ll just build off of this,” he said.

Build and wait for Lovullo to make things official. Not that Corbin is losing any sleep over it.

“I feel real good,” he said. “I’m confident in everything I’ve done to this point.”

Reach McManaman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Wednesday night between 7-9 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.