Pitch recognition, particularly when it comes to breaking balls, can be a challenge for a hitter coming off of the injured list, but D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed said that was not the case for him Saturday night in his first game of the season.
Ahmed, who spent time on the injured list with patella tendinitis in his right knee, drew a walk in his first plate appearance of the year Saturday, before hitting a smash up the middle in his second at-bat that was fielded for an out by second baseman Jonathan India.
Overall, he finished the night 0-for-3.
"I felt pretty good," Ahmed said. "I liked my swing decisions. I didn't chase. I think I chased one pitch out of like, maybe 10 or so out of the zone, which was good. So swing decisions are good, I'm picking up the offspeed. I got enough at-bats in those alternate site games to kind of feel ready, and the timing is something that's going to come as you get more at-bats and all that, but I feel good.”
Ahmed said that the knee does not bother him any longer when he's running at a high intensity or making sharp moves in the field. The only time that he feels discomfort at all is when he is slowly jogging.
Cabrera came into Sunday's game with a .944 OPS and it was his solo homer in the fourth inning Saturday night that helped jump-start the D-backs' offense.
Given how well he's played offensively and defensively at both second and third base, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo has had to force himself to leave Cabrera out of the lineup occasionally, including Sunday, to make sure that he doesn't wear down the 35-year-old.
"It's a delicate balance here," Lovullo said. "I'm trying to give Cabrera as many at-bats as possible. He has an ease to his game on both sides of the ball and the at-bats have been outstanding. But I got to be mindful of his workload. I know that he could handle it, but I just I don't want to overload him and have him wear down in August and September."
Senior Reporter Steve Gilbert has covered the D-backs for MLB.com since 2001.