The D-backs got a nice pitching performance from Taylor Widener and a two-run homer from their lone All-Star, Eduardo Escobar, as they beat the Dodgers, 5-2, on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

It was Arizona's first win this year against Los Angeles, which won the first seven meetings between the teams. The D-backs are now 3-15 against the Dodgers over the past two seasons.

• Box score

Here are three things to know from the game:

1. Widener looked good in his return
Widener was activated from the injured list prior to the game after missing 1 1/2 months due to a strained right groin. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and two walks and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings, throwing 63 pitches (42 strikes).

"I felt really good the first four innings and got a little tired there in the fifth," Widener said. "I think it's a good foundation for me to build off of, and I'm excited to keep going forward. I felt like I had a pretty good mix of all three of my pitches tonight, and I thought [catcher Daulton] Varsho called a great game. And me and him were on the same page a good bit."

Widener, who was in the rotation to open the year, is one of several starters who the D-backs have missed of late. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner and righty Zac Gallen are likely not too far away from returning to action, which will be more welcome news for manager Torey Lovullo.

"I thought he was outstanding all the way up until [the fifth]," Lovullo said of Widener. "He was just attacking the zone, down fastball, up when he needed to, and he did a solid job."

2. The D-backs' offensive approach was outstanding
The D-backs drew seven walks, including two with the bases loaded in the ninth to add insurance runs.

Arizona's batters weren't going to chase pitches on the corners until Los Angeles' pitchers proved they could land them for strikes. It's a strategy that had frequently been lacking during the team's struggles the past two months.

"We're kind of talking about it in the dugout a little bit, too, during the game. Being selective and being picky up there can be a weapon sometimes," D-backs first baseman Christian Walker said. "Making a pitcher feel like he's got to bring it to you, or you kind of take the corners off and maybe the pitches are a little less effective.

"These pitches are moving and sinking and doing all sorts of stuff, so the more we can keep them in the center heart of the plate, center cut, is ideal."

3. The D-backs did the little things right
Lovullo has had many sleepless nights this year after watching his team fail to execute fundamentals or commit mental mistakes. On Friday, he could sleep well because his team did the little things right.

In the seventh, Walker hustled into second base on a grounder up the middle, allowing him to beat the flip by shortstop Gavin Lux to second baseman Chris Taylor. A run scored on the play, ruled an infield RBI single for David Peralta.

An inning earlier, right fielder Josh Rojas did a nice job of charging Will Smith's one-out single, which forced Cody Bellinger to hold at second. If he had gotten to third, Bellinger likely would have scored on Taylor's flyout to right one at-bat later.

"This was a team win," Lovullo said. "This was a really good effort by the entire team. Those are little things that we talk about here on a daily basis, and we went out and executed today on a very, very high level. And when we do, we're a really good baseball team and we win baseball games in any certain set of circumstances."