• Zack Greinke on his outing in loss to Brewers

    Zack Greinke on his outing in loss to Brewers

  • Torey Lovullo on loss to Brewers, Chase Anderson

    Torey Lovullo on loss to Brewers, Chase Anderson

  • Paul Goldschmidt talks about Chase Anderson's outing

    Paul Goldschmidt talks about Chase Anderson’s outing

  • Torey Lovullo on D-Backs' comeback win in MIlwaukee

    Torey Lovullo on D-Backs’ comeback win in MIlwaukee

  • Chris Iannetta on his game-tying homer vs. Brewers

    Chris Iannetta on his game-tying homer vs. Brewers

  • Can D-Backs keep this up? Why, why not

    Can D-Backs keep this up? Why, why not

  • Robbie Ray after dominant outing in Milwaukee

    Robbie Ray after dominant outing in Milwaukee

  • D-Backs' Torey Lovullo on impressive win over Brewers

    D-Backs’ Torey Lovullo on impressive win over Brewers

  • Torey Lovullo on 'nice team win' for D-Backs

    Torey Lovullo on ‘nice team win’ for D-Backs

  • Jake Lamb on strong game against lefty Jose Quintana

    Jake Lamb on strong game against lefty Jose Quintana

  • 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

Not only has catcher Chris Iannetta contributed for the Diamondbacks at the plate, including on Friday night, when he cracked a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth, he’s shown improvement in his receiving skills compared to last year.

When the Diamondbacks signed him in January, they hoped a renewed focus on pitch-framing would pay dividends, and that’s exactly how it’s played out so far.

The club’s internal metrics show improvements across the board in Iannetta’s framing, with a particular jump in pitches at the bottom of the strike zone. Iannetta is also grading well in data available publicly, including at Baseball Prospectus, where he ranks 16th out of 43 catchers with at least 1,000 framing chances. A year ago, Prospectus had him ranked second-to-last in the majors.

“I pay attention to it a lot,” Iannetta said. “I’ve been really staying on top of it. It’s been a big focus to make sure the strikes are being called strikes.”

RELATED: Diamondbacks play ‘terrible’ game in loss to Brewers

Iannetta posted good framing numbers in 2015 before falling off last year, which he attributed to a problem with how he held his glove before receiving a pitch.

“I’d start at the bottom of the zone and then as the pitch was in the air I’d kind of relax and raise it up,” he said, demonstrating. “I’d be here (down in the zone) and I’d raise up to relax and then go back down to catch it a little bit. I wouldn’t (bring the ball down with me), but just the illusion of me going down made it look like it was lower than it actually was.”

Though he’s hitting just .235, Iannetta has five homers and two doubles in 68 at-bats, giving him a .485 slugging that’s a big part of his healthy .792 OPS.

“I feel good,” he said. “I’m seeing it OK. Like I said, I’m just working on putting at-bats together and getting in as many good hitters’ counts as I can. I haven’t really been paying much attention to the cumulative stuff and just kind of focusing on the pitcher that day and not giving away an at-bat.”

BICKLEY: Diamondbacks could transform our summer from curse to celebration

Bullpen session goes smoothly for D-Backs’ Walker

Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker threw an event-free bullpen session, putting him on target to throw a simulated game on Monday or Tuesday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, manager Torey Lovullo said.

“He did just fine,” Lovullo said. “Everything is exactly where it should be. I got a little bit of feedback from him as he headed to the training room and he said he felt good.”

Assuming all goes well then, the Diamondbacks could then bring Walker back from the disabled list for a start next weekend in Miami.

“I think a lot of that could be contingent on how he does in his sim game,” Lovullo said in regard to Walker’s specific return date. “We want him back as soon as possible, but we’ve got to make sure he’s OK.”

Staying fresh

Lovullo said Brandon Drury and David Peralta were getting regular days off on Saturday, adding that he’s trying to be even more proactive in scheduling rest for his players given their current 11-game, three-city road trip.

“We’re in the middle of a long, grinding stretch of games,” Lovullo said, “and I think we have to be careful about how much we put guys in there and give them time off their feet.”

He said “nobody is exempt,” hinting that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt could get a day off himself soon, perhaps Sunday.

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Sunday’s game 

Diamondbacks at Brewers 

When: 11:10 a.m.

Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee.

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (4-4, 4.40) vs. Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (2-3, 4.20).

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

Corbin posted his first quality start in May on Tuesday against the White Sox, giving up three runs in six innings at Chase Field. In four starts this month, Corbin has a 7.77 ERA, with seven homers allowed in 22 innings. He allowed just three home runs in his first six starts. … Corbin started last year at Miller Park, giving up four runs in five innings. He has a career 3.60 ERA in 30 innings against the Brewers. … Nelson lasted just five innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk, against the Blue Jays in his most recent start. Prior to that, he’d pitched into the seventh inning in back-to-back outings. … He’s faced the Diamondbacks four times in his career, allowing 19 runs (12 earned) in 22 innings. … He has a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s to go with a slider, curveball and change-up. 

Coming up

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

Tuesday: At Pittsburgh, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (4-3, 3.45) vs. Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (5-3, 2.83).

Wednesday: At Pittsburgh, 9:35 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (1-1, 1.99) vs. Pirates RHP Chad Kuhl (1-5, 6.29).