After a few games where our pitching was definitely better than our offense, it was nice to see the hitters come through. They knocked out a spring high 15 hits, and needed most of them to edge the Padres at Peoria.
Record: 5-4. Change on 2013: +1/2.
The door was perhaps opened slightly for Randall Delgado to stick in the rotation this year, with the news that he would be replacing Bronson Arroyo and his tight back, at least for this afternoon's start. However, Delgado didn't exactly kick it in, with his usual problem of the long ball troubling him here, allowing home-runs to both Carlos Quentin and Yonder Alonso, accounting for three of the four earned runs with which Randall allowed was charged, in his 3.2 innings of work. He gave up a total of five hits and a walk, with a pair of strikeouts, and seemed to have some control issues, only throwing 40 of his 74 pitches for strikes.
Fortunately, the offense was up to the task, Eric Stults not making it past a first inning where he faced eight batters, threw 43 pitches and was tagged for three runs. Martin Prado doubled in the first run, and Matt Tuiasosopo followed up with a two-run single later in the frame, to give the Diamondbacks the lead. They added on, first with a run coming home when Mark Trumbo hit into a third-inning double-play, then on an A.J. Pollock double our next time up. However, Delgado's subsequent struggles, along with earned runs allowed by both closer candidates Addison Reed and J.J. Putz, helped San Diego stay in the game. Indeed, this was tied at five after six innings.
Arizona retook the lead in the top of the seventh, the first four batters for us stringing together hits, to open things up. Aaron Hill and Paul Goldschmidt each had RBI doubles, and Tuiasosopo drove in his third run, with a sacrifice fly. It may have helped that we played our regular starters deeper into this one than San Diego, but Prado continued his hot streak, getting three hits here and improving his spring average to .667 (10-for-15). Of course, this sets the standard for what to expect from him during the regular season, amIright? Pollock also had three hits, and good to see Goldie reach safely three times on a walk and two knocks; Trumbo had a hit and a walk.
On the mound, it wasn't particularly impressive. Mike Bolsinger worked 1.1 scoreless innings, but allowed the runner he inherited to score, and as noted, Reed and Putz each were tagged for a run. We probably saved the best for last, with Josh Collmenter and David Hernandez each posting hitless innings; I know it's a small sample size (and also, it's spring training - duh!), but the latter has retired all six batters faced, with a pair of strikeouts. Back to Salt River Fields for the Diamondbacks tomorrow, where they'll take on the Kansas City Royals, with Patrick Corbin making his second start of the pre-season.