Price catches up with old friend Gibson

PHOENIX -- Since the Reds got to town on Thursday, manager Bryan Price has received a warm welcome from local media and D-backs staffers. Price was Arizona's pitching coach from 2006-09 under former skipper Bob Melvin.

The 2007 club won the National League West before being eliminated in the NL Championship Series by the Rockies.

"It was a great year in a lot of many different ways," Price said. "In a lot of ways, it was because so many of the young players were coming up and becoming big names here in the Valley."

Price was on the same coaching staff under Melvin with current D-backs manager Kirk Gibson and the two remain friends.

"He's a very good pitching coach, he's got a great mind, he's got a great sense of humor," Gibson said. "He'll be up against the challenges that every manager is. He hasn't even managed 100 games yet. … I think he has conviction in what he believes in. I think he has a good way of delivering that to his team."