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A different Diamondbacks team showed up to Wrigley Field on Friday.
OK, so maybe it was the same team with a couple of roster moves made, but the way Arizona manager Torey Lovullo sees it, the return of catcher Gabriel Moreno makes a big difference.
"I've said it many times, having Gabi healthy and in this lineup means we're a different team," Lovullo said. "It's the quality bat, it's how he controls a running game defensively, how he runs a game behind the plate. So, nothing against the other catchers, he's just very dynamic, and he has a lot of tools, and he can carry workloads on both sides of the ball."
Moreno had been on the 10-day injured list since April 14 with an oblique injury. The team had hoped to have him back earlier in the week for their series against the Brewers, but he needed a few extra days.
"It feels good to be back with the team and do my job," Moreno said. "Happy to be back in the lineup and do my thing with the pitchers and hitting."
Moreno played in a pair of extended spring games, one as the designated hitter and catching five innings in the other.
On Thursday, he took live batting practice at the team's Spring Training facility before hopping on a plane to Chicago.
"I feel really good," Moreno said about his swing. "I know the kind of hitter I am and I know that I'm ready to help the team."
Moreno wasn't the only change to the roster as the Diamondbacks recalled left-hander Brandyn Garcia from Triple-A Reno and optioned lefty Philip Abner.
Abner and Garcia are part of what has been a bit of a revolving door this week in the bullpen.
Abner was recalled Wednesday after reliever Andrew Hoffman allowed eight runs and threw 38 pitches in a 1/3 of an inning in a 13-2 loss in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Abner then tossed 2 1/3 innings Thursday in a 13-1 loss, and he was optioned in favor of Garcia as the D-backs needed a fresh arm.
The relievers being gassed is a result of D-backs pitchers not going deep into games. The last time an Arizona starter completed at least six innings was Michael Soroka on April 17.
"That's where we're in the cycle right now," Lovullo said. "Every team goes through it where, when your starters don't absorb a lot of the workload, you're gonna have to go into the bullpen. And this is what happens. We got to be better from a starting pitcher standpoint. They set the tone. They set it up for the relievers that are going to come in behind them. And when it's sloppy, it makes the entire game look sloppy. So, we're better than what we've been doing. We know that we'll figure this out."