SURPRISE, Ariz -- Daniel Descalso's leadoff home run started a three-run fifth inning, and the D-backs went on to an 8-4 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday at Surprise Stadium.
D-backs starter Taijuan Walker was sharp with two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out three in his first spring start for the D-backs after the Nov. 23 trade that sent infielder Jean Segura to the Mariners.
"I felt good out there today. Stuff-wise, I felt real good. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand good," Walker said. "I'm working on a sinker and a slider, and I thought I threw some good ones. There's still some stuff I want to work on lower[-body] wise, getting my legs into it more. But overall, I thought it was pretty good."
Center fielder Jared Hoying hit his first home run of the spring and catcher Jonathan Lucroy had two hits for the Rangers, who have lost four of their first five Cactus League games. Starter Nick Martinez, bidding for the fifth spot in the rotation, pitched two scoreless innings, while working primarily on his fastball command. He allowed one single in the first, but wiped it out by getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into an inning-ending double play.
"I was able to attack the zone and get ahead of hitters," Martinez said. "I felt good out there and stayed in my mechanics. I was able to get early contact and trust the defense. That was big today."
Socrates Brito, trying to win a job as a backup outfielder, had two hits for the D-backs. He is coming back from an offseason surgery to remove a hamate bone from his right hand.
Up next
D-backs: The D-backs play the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in a 1:05 p.m. MT start. Left-hander Robbie Ray will make his first spring appearance, facing off against veteran right-hander James Shields. The game can be heard on an exclusive audio webcast on dbacks.com.
Rangers:Martin Perez makes his second start of the spring on Wednesday when he pitches against the Angels at 2:10 p.m. CT in Tempe, live on MLB.TV. This will be Perez's last start before he joins Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.