Snake bites

• Hours before first pitch on Sunday, the D-backs gave rookie outfielder Alfredo Marte a bit of a scare in the clubhouse. As part of a routine sweep, a Maricopa county sheriff K9 unit dog approached Marte's locker and alerted his handler of something he smelled. The officer searched through Marte's possessions and eventually came across a pair of shoes with two rolled up wash cloths hid inside them.

The dog barked at the shoes and Marte was then asked if he had even seen them before, to which the outfielder said, "No." It was then when a couple of D-backs teammates came over and informed Marte he had just been pranked. The clubhouse erupted in laughter and the rookie walked away with a sigh of relief.

• Still recovering from a strained oblique that has kept him sidelined since the end of Spring Training, Willie Bloomquist has begun taking "very light swings" off a tee. The D-backs still don't have a timetable for his return, however.

• Class A South Bend right-hander Kyle Schepel threw a seven-inning no-hitter in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader at Lansing. He walked one and struck out nine in his second career Minor League start. The D-backs signed him as a Minor League free agent last September after he went 4-7 with a 3.66 ERA in 16 games (11 starts) with Rockford of the independent Frontier League.