GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- One of the purposes of Cactus League outings for starters, especially the first one of spring, is to get used to pitching on the mound in a game again.

On Sunday against the Indians, D-backs left-hander Robbie Ray was all about the feels.

“I felt like my curveball and my slider were really good today, and my fastball command was a little off today,” Ray said after the D-backs' 12-3 win. “I’m just feeling a little off physically today, and I felt like, mentally, I was able to battle through it.”

Ray gave up one hit and struck out two in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He also walked two batters and later lamented throwing around 20 pitches in the first inning.

“It’s the first one of spring and obviously, I was a little excited for the first one,” Ray said. “I felt like I got my work in.”

Marte to debut in CF

Middle infielder-turned-center fielder Ketel Marte is on track to make his first Cactus League start in center field Monday against the A’s.

“We are going to put him out there and we are going to allow him to be creative, and we are going to watch and help him improve each and every day,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I feel like he is athletic enough to make those adjustments quickly.”

There are high expectations for Marte, but the club also understands there will be a learning curve. After all, he has spent most of his career at shortstop and second base, and he’s played only two career big league games in center field. He also played in nine games at the position in Seattle’s Minor League system.

“There are going to be some tough days for him, and we know that,” Lovullo said. “There are going to be some days where he makes mistakes, but it’s more about how he bounces back and improves. That’s what we are going to be paying attention to on a daily basis.”

Jarrod Dyson, who was slowed last year by core injuries, and Socrates Brito are other options in center field. Brito started in center Saturday and Abraham Almonte started there Sunday.

Lopez makes his pitch

Yoan Lopez doesn’t care what his role is in the bullpen, as long as he pitches in the big leagues for the D-backs.

“I trained really hard to put myself in this position, and I’m going to do whatever they want me to do,” Lopez said in Spanish. “It only takes me a few pitches to get ready, so that’s not going to be a problem. It’s much different than being a starter because I feel like I can keep my explosiveness the entire time.”

On Sunday, Lopez issued one walk and struck out one batter in a hitless inning in his first Cactus League outing. Last September, Lopez gave up three runs in his big league debut, but he didn’t give up another run over his final nine appearances.

“[We expect] more of the same of what we saw last year, and that was a lot of growth throughout the course of the player development season,” Lovullo said. “By the time he got to us, he seemed like he was in a very good position.”

Up next

The D-backs will send Zack Greinke to the mound against the A’s on Monday at Salt River Fields at 1:10 p.m. MST. Matt Andriese, Jon Duplantier, Silvino Bracho and Bo Takahashi are also scheduled to pitch.