Cahill uses adrenaline, thinks less in first relief outing

LOS ANGELES -- Desperate to get right-hander Trevor Cahill on the right track, the D-backs shifted him to the bullpen in hopes the change of scenery would help him.

The results Friday night against the Dodgers were encouraging.

Cahill came on in the 12th to protect a two-run lead and had probably his cleanest inning of the year as he retired Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner on 11 pitches to record his first career save.

"The biggest thing is just going out there and putting together a good outing and doing something positive for the team, which I haven't done all year," Cahill said.

It was his first relief appearance this season and just the second of his Major League career.

Ask Cahill what the experience is like and you get a glimpse as to what might be the key to him having similar success as a starter -- less thought.

"It's straight adrenaline," Cahill said of the bullpen. "You don't have the nerves all day before a start. You're just down there and every time the phone rings, you get some butterflies, and when they finally called my name, it was just normal. I knew I had time, so I just did my normal pregame routine and then just went out there and threw as hard as I could. You have less time to think about it, you don't have to worry about pacing yourself. The phone rings, the adrenaline hits and you just go out there and try and make as many good pitches as possible."

Cahill looked more than comfortable on Saturday night in the D-backs' 8-6 loss, working three hitless innings and striking out four of the nine batters he faced.