PHOENIX -- Injuries have been a recurring theme for the Diamondbacks this year, but Monday provided a bit of a reprieve with right-hander Michael Soroka returning from the IL and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo apparently not injured seriously after being removed from the game before the top of the fifth inning.
Those two things, along with a 9-0 win over the Rockies at Chase Field, made for a happy clubhouse.
Soroka, who missed six weeks due to a left glute strain, held the Rockies to three hits, all singles, over 4 1/3 innings before being removed, having thrown 77 pitches. The team had hoped to get him through five innings at 75 pitches and had a hard cap of 80 for him.
"It was great to see Michael Soroka back out there," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "Everything that I saw equaled a very successful outing despite having to take him out after 4 1/3."
When Soroka last pitched on June 19, the Diamondbacks were 39-36. They have been on a roll of late, running their record to a season-high eight games over .500 at 64-56, good for a tie with the Phillies for the second NL Wild Card spot, one game ahead of the Padres.
"Good, really good," Soroka said of how it felt to be back out on the mound. "Obviously, the month and a half or whatever I was away, and seeing these guys start to roll, I think you really got a point to make when you come back to kind of continue that for them."
The Diamondbacks had complete control of the game from the first inning when Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam and Arizona led 7-0 after two innings.
After that, the only suspense was why Perdomo was removed from the game and how serious the injury might be. The official word was that he had left knee soreness, which was something he first felt Sunday when he stretched for the bag while running to first.
In the third inning Monday, he jumped while making a throw to second base and again felt a little soreness. With the game already 7-0 at that point, Lovullo decided to remove him as a precaution.
"Just had some soreness that he was working through pregame," Lovullo said. "I knew about it, and I want him to play. He's a very important piece of this team. And then around the fifth inning, I just felt like I could get him off of the field and start to maneuver with some other players. So he's a 50-50 call tomorrow. We might give him a rest tomorrow or the next day, and we know we have an off-day on Thursday, but he should be fine."
No imaging was planned at this point, Lovullo said, with the club feeling there is no significant injury.
"Right now, just a sore knee," Perdomo said. "We'll see how I'm gonna feel tomorrow."
Losing Perdomo for any period of time would be a blow for the Diamondbacks. The shortstop is not only a key part of the Arizona lineup, but he is also the captain of their defense.
Perdomo has been an ironman for the Diamondbacks, appearing in 116 of their 120 games this year.