Diamondbacks-Dodgers set for lone weekend series in Phoenix

Editor’s note: We are with the Arizona Diamondbacks every game this season and will have you covered here from starting lineups to the last word from the clubhouse.

This is your home for D-Backs game day news and analysis.

Polly me this

Yes, manager Torey Lovullo – who so far seems pretty hip when it comes to social topics like food, music and the latest trends – dropped a “Leland Van Lew” reference on us today during his pre-game media session.

And “Leland Van Lew,” in case you didn’t know, is Bryan Brown’s character in the 2004 film “Along Came Polly,” starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. In the movie, Van Lew is a high-risk insurance client prone to base jumping off high rises and swimming with sharks. It came up while Lovullo was asked for his reaction to Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner injuring his shoulder and ribs during a dirt bike accident. Specifically, reporters wanted to know how he felt if one of his own players was out risking life and limb doing something like riding a dirt bike.

“I know that you’re going to have a couple of candidates like Leland Van Lew from ‘Along Came Polly.’ Anyone remember that movie?” Lovullo asked. “But that’s what makes some of these players so great, is their ability to go out and get away from the game and do things like that. I always encourage our guys to get away from the game on their off days, but be smart about it.”

Here are some of highlights from manager Torey Lovullo’s pregame news conference with reporters at Chase Field:

On his level of concern about the defense, which has been shaky – “I have concerns in all areas at all times, but right now in the third week of April, my concerns are minimal. I know that as we’re sitting here talking right now, there’s a group out there that’s pounding away, taking ground balls and really getting their skills perfected. Although it hasn’t been pristine at times, I know that we’re going to improve. I feel very comfortable in saying that. … We’ve seen a lot of areas of improvement with certain guys and I know that will continue.”

On where he feels he feels the team stands following one completed homestand and one completed road trip – “Well, it feels good to know that we can play the type of baseball we played in our first homestand and we’re looking for that to continue. It’s nice to come home. But the road trips that take you into this journey throughout the course of a season is really where you find out a lot about your team. The first road trip was a little bit of a white-knuckler because we were going into San Francisco and LA and then to San Diego, but our guys handled it very well. They got off to a little bit of a rugged start and then winning the two final games in LA showed me that this team is ready to compete on that type of level.”

On if he cared to share what the message “Win the Inch” means that’s printed on the back of workout T-shirts that he and his team were wearing Friday – After a lengthy pause, he said, “I can. It’s not about an inch fair or foul or getting thrown out by an inch. It’s about a placement of so many inches on the field that you can’t possibly count that we want to make sure we’re prepared to win. And that means, more or less, taking care of your business to win that moment. And that’s as far I’m going to go.”

Dodgers at Diamondbacks

When: 6:40 p.m.

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

Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (2-1, 3.94) vs. Dodgers LHP Alex Wood (1-0, 1.00).

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

RELATED: Will the real Arizona Diamondbacks stand up this weekend?

D-Backs lineup

1. A.J. Pollock CF

2. Chris Owings SS

3. Paul Goldschmidt 1B

4. Jake Lamb 3B

5. Yasmany Tomas LF

6. Brandon Drury 2B

7. David Peralta RF

8. Jeff Mathis C

9. Taijuan Walker P

MLB POWER RANKINGS: Diamondbacks hit road, road hits back

By the numbers

2: This will be the second time Mathis has caught Walker. Mathis went 1-for-18 on the team’s recent 10-game road trip.

15: Lamb has reached base safely in a career-high 15 straight games.

.312: Goldschmidt is hitting .312 in his career against the Dodgers with 24 home runs and 78 RBIs in 99 games.

MORE: Chill out on Goldschmidt’s cool start

Speed from Goldy, D-Backs

Paul Goldschmidt has been successful in 22 consecutive stolen base attempts dating  to 2016, the second-longest streak in club history (record: 30 by Eric Byrnes in 2007).

Entering Friday’s games, Arizona ranked second in the majors with 16 stolen bases, one behind Cincinnati.

RELATED: ‘Long’ Diamondbacks road trip ends with loss to Padres

Pitching preview

Taijuan Walker went five innings and gave up just one run against the Dodgers on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, an outing that likely would have lasted longer had he not been dealing with back tightness. Walker said this week the back felt “much better,” but he said he’ll still try to limit the effort he puts into the swings he takes at the plate. … Walker has six walks and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings and he has allowed just one home run, to Giants 1B Brandon Belt in his first start of the season. … The Dodgers’ Alex Wood has made three appearances, two in relief and one as a starter, and has pitched effectively each time. He’s allowed one run in nine innings. … He threw in relief against the Diamondbacks last week, throwing 3 1/3 innings of hitless ball. … In 35 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks in his career, he has a 3.06 ERA. He started once against them last year, giving up one run in seven innings.

Coming up

Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (1-0, 1.96) vs. Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (1-1, 7.07).

Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller (2-1,3.50) vs. Dodgers RHP Brandon McCarthy (2-0, 2.12).

Monday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (1-2, 3.28) vs. Padres RHP Jhoulys Chacin (2-2, 4.70).