Diamondbacks find more offense, leave Washington with even series

WASHINGTON — When the Diamondbacks drafted him more than a decade ago, Matt Davidson was elated. He grew up in southern California. He also grew up cheering for the Diamondbacks. Surrounded by Dodgers fans, Davidson had Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling posters on his bedroom wall.

Davidson reached the majors in 2013 but was promptly traded the following December. After nearly a decade away, Davidson was back with his old team on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park — and he made his return a memorable one.

Davidson connected in the first inning for the first of three Diamondbacks home runs; right-hander Zach Davies worked five strong innings; and four relievers combined to help close out a taut 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals. The win allowed the Diamondbacks to split a four-game series after being swept in Tuesday’s doubleheader, and they return to Chase Field having gone 3-4 on a seven-game road trip.

“It felt good,” Davidson said. “I’m excited to be back. It was a nice win today. Everybody contributed.”

SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | INJURIES

After the Diamondbacks traded him to the White Sox for closer Addison Reed, Davidson lasted five seasons in Chicago before getting nontendered. He bounced from the Rangers to the Reds to the Dodgers before signing a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks in March.

The motivation to return, he said, was less about nostalgia for the Diamondbacks and more about proximity. He lives in the West Valley and has called Arizona home for years; he was drawn to the idea of playing close to home.

Davidson did not hit well in spring training and was sent to Triple-A Reno to open the year. He wasted little time getting on track. Before having his contract selected on Thursday, he ranked as the Pacific Coast League’s best hitter, leading the circuit with eight homers and a 1.426 OPS.

“He has been having a lot of success in Triple-A,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ve been looking for somebody like him to come in and help us out, especially against left-handed pitching.”

Getting the start at third base against Nationals lefty Josh Rogers, Davidson fell behind, 1-2, in the first inning before getting a slider over the heart of the plate. He crushed it, launching a towering shot to right-center field to put the Diamondbacks in front.

An inning later, Jake McCarthy went the opposite way to make it 2-0. After Nelson Cruz tied it with a two-run shot — a sequence that went down as Davies’ only blemish — Cooper Hummel put the Diamondbacks back in front with a two-run blast.

Relievers Ian Kennedy and Mark Melancon worked the final two innings, working out of jams to hold onto the lead.

With two wins in as many days, the Diamondbacks not only improved to 5-8 they seemed to flip the vibe around the team, the offense seeming to snap out of its doldrums. It was an ugly start, but the Diamondbacks seem hopeful the worst is behind them.

“It’s a young team,” Davies said. “The veterans that are on the team are here to pick the team up in these types of moments, being able to tell everybody it’s going to be all right, that these things happen. It’s tough to start the season that way and struggle in the beginning, but it can always pick up.

“It can look pretty bleak at first. It can look glum. And then you kind of turn things around and it becomes a fun season.”

Martin optioned

The Diamondbacks optioned Corbin Martin to Triple-A Reno on Thursday, but the right-hander will head to the minor leagues under far different circumstances than when he was sent down last year.

Martin was optioned twice last season, both times after struggling mightily in the rotation. This time, he was sent down not due to poor performance but because the club can’t find innings for him out of the bullpen.

“What I explained to him was that pitching every eight to 10 days as a long man here, now that our starting pitchers are stretched out, just didn’t make sense,” Lovullo said. “He needs to go down and get work and get innings.”

Martin logged only six innings in two relief appearances, giving up a pair of earned runs. He walked two and struck out nine. He averaged 94.8 mph with his fastball and had healthy swinging strike rates on his curveball, change-up and slider.

“I’m very happy with where I’m at,” Martin said. “I feel good. I feel healthy. The stuff is coming out of the hand really good. I’m just going to make sure that everything is fine-tuned and give myself a chance to get back here.”

Said Lovullo: “We’re going to see Corbin Martin back up here. I can almost guarantee that. He’s throwing the ball extremely well.”

Martin’s roster spot went to infielder Matt Davidson, who started at third base and batted third on Thursday. Davidson homered in his first at-bat.

With Martin down, right-hander Edwin Uceta will fill the role of the club’s long reliever, Lovullo said. Uceta was promoted from Triple-A Reno earlier this week.

Getting close?

Shortstop Nick Ahmed and outfielder Jordan Luplow each were scheduled to play seven innings in an extended spring training game on Thursday, Lovullo said, at which point decisions could be made on their potential returns from the injured list.

“I think today’s an important day for both guys,” Lovullo said.

When asked if they could return for this weekend’s series against the Mets, he said, “I don’t want to rule anything out. I want to get them through today and see how they feel afterwards. I’ll have a conversation with them before the end of the night and see where everything is at. We’re looking to see them sooner than later.”

Ahmed has been battling right shoulder soreness since the beginning of spring training as he continues to deal with an injury that first surfaced in July 2020. He received a pair of cortisone injections in late March that he said last week had helped knock out the discomfort.

Luplow suffered a minor strain of his right oblique during spring training. The Diamondbacks acquired him in the offseason to provide right-handed balance to their lineup, which they have sorely missed early in the year.

Short hops

Infielder Josh Rojas was scheduled to hit off a velocity machine on Thursday, Lovullo said, noting that it was one step up from normal batting practice. It is another indication that Rojas continues to progress from a Grade 2 oblique strain suffered late in spring training.

*Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas, who suffered a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder during his only outing of spring training, has resumed throwing, playing catch out to 60 feet, Lovullo said.

Up next

New York Mets

Mets update: The Mets just faced the Diamondbacks at Citi Field last weekend, taking two out of three games. They remained at home to host the San Francisco Giants, winning two of the first three games of a four-game series that was scheduled to conclude on Thursday. OF Brandon Nimmo and OF Mark Canha each missed the series last weekend after testing positive for COVID-19, but both players made swift returns. Nimmo was swinging a hot bat before the positive test; he is 10 for 31 (.323) with two homers and six walks in nine games. Former Diamondbacks 3B Eduardo Escobar also is off to a strong start, going 13 for 41 (.317) with seven doubles and 11 walks. Because the Mets were rained out on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks will end up missing RHP Max Scherzer, who likely would have started Sunday’s series finale.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks find more offense, leave Washington with even series