D-backs set tone early with strong team effort

April 7th, 2017

PHOENIX -- If the D-backs are going to be successful this year, they are going to have to get contributions from up and down the lineup as well as from their entire pitching staff.
An example of that came in Thursday night's 9-3 win over the Giants when eight different batters collected hits and four relievers combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
"These are just great team wins," D-backs first baseman said. "That's what it's going to take for us to win. It's going to have to be a team effort."

There was , who came into the game on an 0-for-9 skid and struck out in his first at-bat before hitting a homer in the fourth to start the Arizona scoring and then capping it in the eighth with an RBI double.
"We knew it was a matter of time before he got things moving in the right direction," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "He was right in the middle of everything today."
With Peralta and Chris Herrmann picking up hits Thursday, all 13 of the Arizona position players have at least one already this year.
, who hasn't started a game yet this year, even has two hits. He delivered a key pinch-hit RBI double Wednesday night was at it again Thursday with a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth.

It's added up to an offense that scores and continues to tack on runs, like on Thursday when the D-backs added three insurance runs in the eighth.
"The biggest thing is, regardless of what the score is, just go up there and have good at-bats," Goldschmidt said. "Down a lot, up a lot, anywhere in the middle, you'll put pressure on the other team to score some runs."
While the pitching hasn't been stellar, it's been good enough.
D-backs starter Robbie Ray allowed three runs Thursday before departing after 5 2/3 innings, but , , and were able to finish things off for him.
"We stayed together with our at-bats, our pitchers picked up one another coming out of the bullpen and it was a really good, strong team effort," Lovullo said.