'He's going to continue to get the ball': Cabrera earning D-backs' trust

ST. PETERSBURG -- When the Diamondbacks are going good, they look a lot like the Rays have these last two nights. They play good defense, they're sharp with the fundamentals, they work counts, find a way to get on base and can create havoc once they do.

When the Diamondbacks don't do those things, they get beat like they did Saturday night when they fell, 4-2, at Tropicana Field.

"They just out-executed us today," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

The loss had its share of lowlights, but the D-backs showed some positives as well. Here are the prevailing takeaways from the loss, which dropped Arizona to .500 on the season (41-41).

Cabrera was good but not as good as his debut

Jose Cabrera tossed five shutout innings against the Twins in his big league debut last Sunday. This time around, he gave up first-inning homer to Junior Caminero, but held the Rays at bay until Jonathan Aranda hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth.

Third time through the order

The homer came when Cabrera was facing the Rays lineup for the third time. Lovullo left him in to start the sixth inning, but removed him after the Rays put the first two batters on via bunt singles.

"I thought he was good," Lovullo said. "I was just discussing right now whether or not [I should have] given him that third time around. I thought he deserved it, he earned it, but those are little things that we got to figure out.

"But overall, attacked the zone against a team that doesn't strike out a lot. They're going to put the ball in play, and he was doing a good job. He's been a very pleasant surprise for us. This is a kid that was in Double-A a month ago -- or even less -- maybe three weeks ago, and now he's pitching [in] the big leagues in meaningful games. He's going to continue to get the ball."

Confidence is not an issue for Cabrera

Cabrera recently turned 24 years old, but has not seemed rattled at all in either of his first two Major League outings.

"That's just my mindset -- attack, attack, attack," Cabrera said. "It doesn't matter what happened, I just want to keep going and do whatever I have to do to keep following the plan I've got with my catcher."

As to why he felt so comfortable, he gave credit to his teammates.

"Because for me, I feel really comfortable with my teammates. I got their support, everybody here supports me. I feel really comfortable with my friends, with my teammates, everybody here. I feel so proud of everybody here, and I feel really comfortable, so just I have to be who I am."

Good and the bad for Perdomo

Geraldo Perdomo got the Diamondbacks off to a good start in the first when he doubled off the right-center-field wall for a one-out double.

Corbin Carroll followed with a single to right, and Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. threw a bullet to the plate that easily beat Perdomo. Catcher Hunter Feduccia was a little passive, though, with his tag and Perdomo's headfirst slide somehow avoided Feduccia's glove for the game's first run.

It was an outstanding slide.

"He should be out," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

But not even another good slide could save Perdomo from getting thrown out at second base in the eighth. With two outs, Ketel Marte homered, and then Perdomo grounded a ball down the first-base line.

When he tried to stretch the hit into a double, Mesa Jr. fired a strike to second to nail Perdomo. In that situation, with two outs late in the game and trailing 4-2, Lovullo would've preferred a more conservative approach by Perdomo.

"We got to be safe there," Lovullo said. "What that tells me is these guys are gritty and trying to make something happen, but you got to pull back and be smart every once in a while. I don't even need to talk to [Perdomo]. I could tell by the way he came into the dugout that he knew, but those are little things that we got to get ironed out."