Most of the Valley’s attention was focused on an ice rink in Glendale on Monday night rather than Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

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And maybe that was a good thing for the Diamondbacks.

The defending World Series champion St.Louis Cardinals pounded out five home runs and sent the Diamondbacks to their eighth loss in their past 10 games at Chase Field and their 13th loss in their past 20 overall.

The Cardinals won 9-6 but needed all of their firepower to withstand a six-run Arizona sixth inning.

St. Louis roughed up Arizona starter Joe Saunders, who came in with a 2-1 record and 1.24 ERA, touching him for three runs in the first inning, including Rafael Furcal’s 30th career leadoff home run.

They tacked on two more in the third on back-to-back home runs from Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday and chased Saunders in the fourth after nine hits and seven runs, six earned.

“I just didn’t have it, plain and simple,” Saunders said. “Six words. I didn’t have it.”

So it wasn’t quite six words. Saunders was a little off all night.

“Some nights you have it, some nights you don’t, and tonight I didn’t have it, plain and simple.

“When you don’t have it you’re going to give up runs, and turn the page. It’s a bad start. I had five good starts before this one and, turn the page. Forget it easily.”

Meanwhile, Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn shut out the Diamondbacks over five innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven to improve to 6-0 this season.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny pulled him for reliever J.C. Romero to start the sixth, and the Diamondbacks finally got something going, sending 11 batters to the plate and chasing Romero before he’d recorded a single out.

The six-run outburst cut the Cardinals lead to one, but they responded with back-to-back home runs from Allen Craig and David Freese to start the seventh.

“These guys lead the league in hitting … they’ve been on a roll,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “The home runs were balls where you aren’t trying to get them and they whopped them.

“They hit five home runs off of us. We had a nice little comeback there, guys grinded it out, and then they got the two home runs back to back the next inning.”

Miguel Montero singled to lead off the sixth, and Cody Ransom followed with a deep, two-run home run to left, giving him four home runs and 12 RBIs through only 10 games.

“Cody has swung the bat really well for us,” Gibson said before the game, explaining his decision to keep Ransom in the starting lineup ahead of Ryan Roberts. “We need offense right now, and that’s why he’s in there.

“I’m trying to get Ryno back on track. I know he’s capable of it. He’s going to get his playing time. I’ve played Cody a bit more recently. Ryno is going to play as well.”

Roberts, who came into the game defensively at third with Ransom moving to shortstop, kept the rally going, drilling a two-run double that cut the St.Louis lead to 7-4 and ended Romero’s night without the Cardinals reliever recording an out.

And the Diamondbacks weren’t done.

A.J. Pollock reached on a chop single. Gerardo Parra laid down a bunt and beat out the throw. Paul Goldschmidt, who was held out of the lineup because of a bad head cold, struck out as a pinch-hitter and Jason Kubel fanned.

Montero, who had started it all, came up again, fell behind 0-2, worked the count to even, then bounced a single up the middle to drive in Pollock.

The six runs were the most by the Diamondbacks in an inning this season.

The Cardinals didn’t take long to respond, though. Craig and Freese went deep back to back to start the seventh, and the St.Louis lead was back to three runs.

“That hurt,” Gibson said.

View from the press box

In the 14 games prior to Monday, the Diamondbacks had hit .270 with 29 doubles and a .341 on-base percentage. But the hits haven’t always been timely. They went 2 for 28 with runners in scoring position in their series against the New York Mets, and Monday manager Kirk Gibson moved Justin Upton out of the third spot in the lineup for the first time since the 2010 season. It was easy to see why in the first inning. Gerardo Parra led off with a triple, but Upton struck out. Jason Kubel reached on a walk, stole second when Miguel Montero struck out, and then Cody Ransom struck out to end the inning, stranding Parra without so much as putting a ball in play.

NEW YORK – There are a handful of statistics Kirk Gibson will cite during his sessions with reporters, but there’s one in particular he seems to circle back to after losses — hitting with runners in scoring position.

The Diamondbacks went 3 for 28 in those situations while losing two of three to the Mets.

Most alarming to the manager: Justin Upton and Jason Kubel, the two guys with the run-producing, middle-of-the-order responsibilities, have not been coming through consistently all season. Upton is 2 for 20 (.100), and Kubel is 5 for 27 (.185).

“We need to get those guys going with runners in scoring position,” Gibson said. “That’s where they have to be better. Guys are pitching them tough, but they’re the 3-4 (hitters). It’s going to happen.”

Upton, who drove in Gerardo Parra from first base with a ninth-inning double Sunday, doesn’t think the team is pressing in those situations.

“No, it’s just a cycle of the game,” he said. “We were getting the big hit in situations early on in the road trip. At the end, we just didn’t get it. You can’t expect us to get a hit every time with runners in scoring position.”

Coming through

Shortstop John McDonald always has been known as a defensive wizard, but he’s been contributing with the bat, as well. Not that he wanted to talk about it.

McDonald didn’t seem to want to jinx himself when asked about the .371 average he brought into Sunday’s game.

“It’s just the way it’s bouncing,” he said. “You can see the ball good and go 0 for 20. There’s no rhyme or reason.”

Maybe he was right not to talk about it: He went 0 for 3 Sunday, making him 13 for 38 on the year.

Second baseman Aaron Hill, who has been teammates with McDonald going back to Toronto, mentioned the work McDonald put in with Blue Jays hitting coach Dwayne Murphy.

“It kind of got him not so passive, a little more aggressive at the plate,” Hill said.

Said McDonald: “It doesn’t necessarily mean swinging at the first pitch but trying to hit the ball hard when you hit it. Don’t just try to make contact.”

Short hops

First-base coach Eric Young left the team to return to Mississippi, where his father suffered a stroke. Young’s son, Eric Young Jr., an outfielder for the Rockies, was placed on the bereavement list by Colorado. Gibson was not sure when Young would rejoin the team.

- With an off day Thursday, the Diamondbacks have the option of rearranging their starting rotation. If they stay in order, left-hander Pat Corbin would open the weekend series against the San Francisco Giants. “Right now I’m planning on it (staying in rotation), but when we get home, we’ll get the calendar going,” Gibson said. “We’ll look at things long range.”

- Though he homered on Saturday, Ryan Roberts was not in the lineup Sunday, with Gibson opting for Cody Ransom instead. “He’s much more relaxed, not all freaked out,” Gibson said. “He’s coming along. My suspicion is, he’s going to get to the point where I feel comfortable putting him out there much more. This is a good pace for him right now, in my mind.”

Up next

St. Louis Cardinals

Update: With the departure of 1B Albert Pujols, most expected the Cardinals to take a step backward this season. When 1B Lance Berkman injured his calf early on, the doubts only increased. But the Cardinals are off to a good start, winners of 17 of their first 28 games. They have the majors’ best run differential (plus-62). Entering Sunday, their offense was averaging the third-most runs per game (5.33) in the league and their pitching staff had the NL’s second-best ERA (3.15). CF Jon Jay, 3B David Freese and RF Carlos Beltran are among several players in their lineup hitting well so far.

Batter after batter walked up to the plate, swung lamely at R.A. Dickey’s pitches and returned to the dugout.

Basically, the Arizona Diamondbacks knuckled under.

“He threw strikes. He had the counts. He pitched the way he wanted to pitch,” Arizona second baseman John McDonald said after Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the New York Mets. “He throws them in a lot of different directions.”

Dickey took a shutout into the ninth inning and combined with a pair of relievers on a four-hitter, sending the Diamondbacks to their second loss in the three-game series.

Arizona went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position in the game and 3 for 28 (.107) in the series, dropping to .221 on the season.

“They out-executed us,” manager Kirk Gibson said.

After the game, the Diamondbacks headed home from a 5-5 trip that left them below .500 at 14-15. Not too long after this time last year, Arizona went on an 18-4 spurt that moved the Diamondbacks into the NL West lead.

So far this season, the Diamondbacks are 2-12 when scoring fewer than five runs, 12-3 when plating five or more. Noting his team was 4-10 in one-run games, Gibson said he might have to do some climbing for inspiration on Monday before a night game against St. Louis.

“What’s the key for us to catch fire?” he said. “I guess that’s for me to lay awake tonight and figure out, isn’t it? Maybe at Camelback early tomorrow. Maybe I’ll figure it out there, at the top of Camelback tomorrow. … I’ve had some really good revelations up there, no question about it. … It’s just a better environment than sitting in your bed, looking at the ceiling.”

Dickey (4-1) allowed four hits, struck out four and walked four. His socks pulled high in the old style, Dickey retired his first 10 batters before giving up an opposite-field double off the end of the bat to Gerardo Parra, a ball that dropped just fair and a few inches from the glove of sliding left fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

“That thing was dancing was all over the place,” said Daniel Murphy, who put the Mets ahead with a two-run single in the first off Trevor Cahill (2-3).

Dickey didn’t allow a leadoff batter to reach until Cody Ransom grounded a single to left in the eighth.

“That thing was nasty today,” said Justin Turner, who took over at shortstop after Ruben Tejada strained his quadriceps.

After walking Parra starting the ninth, Justin Upton followed with an RBI double that chased Dickey after 117 pitches, his most since August 2010.

Once Dickey left, Jason Kubel flied out to the left-field warning track against Tim Byrdak. Frank Francisco struck out Paul Goldschmidt in a nine-pitch at-bat and Miguel Montero flied out to the right-field warning track, giving Francisco his seventh save in eight chances.

Celebrating his 25th birthday, Parra had two of the Diamondbacks’ hits but was picked off by Dickey ending the sixth.

Gibson called the knuckler “maybe a cross between playing regular baseball and slo-pitch softball.”

“I remember when I first faced Charlie Hough, somebody said move up in the box,” Gibson recalled. “So I went up and scratched the front line of the box out, and moved up there, and he hit me.”

Cahill allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. Two pitches got him in trouble, both off fastballs with two outs: Murphy’s single in the first and Josh Thole’s RBI single in the fourth.

“I don’t think I was as sharp as my last start,” Cahill said, “Hopefully going home we can restart this.”

NOTES: Joe Saunders (2-1 with a 1.24 ERA) starts for the Diamondbacks on Monday against the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn (5-0, 1.60).

NEW YORK — Miguel Montero didn’t think it was just gone. He thought it was way gone, like hitting-off-the-overhang gone. When the ball left his bat with two out in the ninth inning Sunday, Montero stood there for a second, frozen in a familiar home-run pose.

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But the right fielder caught the ball a few feet in front of the wall, putting a frustrating end to a frustrating stretch for the Diamondbacks, who lost 3-1 to the New York Mets.

It meant a series loss to the Mets, who took two of three from the Diamondbacks just as the Washington Nationals did last week. And so a road trip that began so promisingly in Miami ends with the Diamondbacks dropping under the .500 mark at 14-15.

Unlike other recent losses, this one left a bad impression. Aside from being handcuffed by a knuckleballer in Mets right-hander R.A. Dickey, they committed a handful of fundamental faux pas that manager Kirk Gibson rattled off after the game.

He mentioned starter Trevor Cahill issuing a leadoff walk in the first, opening the door for a two-run first inning. He mentioned another walk by Cahill that scored in the fourth. There was an ill-advised throw from center fielder Gerardo Parra that led to a run and, later in the game, Parra was picked off first base.

“I don’t think we played a very good game (Sunday),” Gibson said. “… When you’re playing so many close games, it’s just hard to make mistakes like that.”

When a reporter said something about the amount of frustrating games his team has played compared to last year, Gibson shot back, “You don’t need to remind me.”

The Diamondbacks have high expectations — both internally and externally — but they haven’t been able to get going the past few weeks.

“It’s a bad feeling,” Montero said. “I think we haven’t clicked together all the way. The pitchers have been doing a hell of a job. We can’t ask for any more. Just the hitting. We haven’t put it all together. It’s just a bad (taste) to go home, losing, it’s just not right.”

Montero’s right about the pitching. The Diamondbacks didn’t allow more than five runs in any game on the trip, but as Gibson mentioned before the game, it’s scoring five runs that has been the key. They’re 12-3 when they’ve scored five runs or more and 2-12 the rest of the time.

“We had opportunities to win a lot of the games that we lost (on the road trip),” infielder John McDonald said. “Obviously, that’s disappointing, and for a team that wants to get to the postseason, we can’t have trips like this.”

Dickey’s knuckleball elicited some awkward swings from the Diamondbacks in the early innings. They didn’t get a hit until the fourth and were held scoreless until the ninth, when Justin Upton lined a double into the left-field corner, chasing Dickey from the game.

Jason Kubel followed by driving a ball to the warning track in left field off reliever Tim Byrdak, who then gave way to Mets closer Frank Francisco. He got Paul Goldschmidt swinging at a fastball for the second out, bringing up Montero.

It already had been a frustrating day for the Diamondbacks catcher, who struck out on seven pitches in his first two at-bats before bouncing into a double play to end the seventh.

But when he slammed an 0-2 fastball from Francisco, it looked like he had tied the game.

“I thought,” he said, “it was a no-doubter.”

His teammates on the bench thought the same thing. But, they say, the wind must have knocked it down, as Lucas Duda caught it easily, a few steps in front of the right-field wall, sending the Diamondbacks home with a 5-5 record on a road trip that could have been better.

“We expect a lot more,” Montero said. “Each of the players here expect a lot more.”

Diamondbacks rewind

Dickey deals: The Diamondbacks looked so feeble against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in the first few innings that Mets manager Terry Collins wondered if Dickey might have no-hit stuff.

The Diamondbacks finished with four hits and four walks against Dickey in eight-plus innings.

“It goes in a lot of different directions,” Diamondbacks infielder John McDonald said of Dickey’s knuckler. “Some days you’re going to take better swings off of it as others. Unfortunately, today we didn’t have as many balls that we put in play find grass.”

Cahill’s day: Right-hander Trevor Cahill didn’t pitch badly, particularly outside of the two-run first inning. He gave up just seven baserunners in seven innings.

But the Mets took advantage of a couple of mistakes in the first inning. Cahill got ahead of leadoff man Andres Torres 0-2, but missed the zone on the next four pitches. He went to third on David Wright’s one-out single, and Wright moved to center on Parra’s throw to third.

That throw wound up costing them a run when David Murphy followed with a two-run single.

“I thought I made a pretty good pitch,” Cahill said. “He was able to fight it off and get a single.”

Bad decision? Instead of pitching to Murphy, who had four hits Saturday, the Diamondbacks could have walked him to get to the ice-cold Ike Davis, who entered the day hitting .172.

“It’s kind of too early in the game,” Cahill said, when asked if he considered an intentional walk. “I was just kind of going right after him. I didn’t want to walk another guy. Maybe I should have. Who knows?”

View from the press box

The Diamondbacks really seem to be missing the power that Chris Young had provided in the season’s first couple of weeks. They’ve homered about half as often in the 18 games they’ve played without him. Then again, it’s probably unfair to have expected Young to maintain that pace, making the slow power starts by Justin Upton (three), Jason Kubel (three) and Paul Goldschmidt (one) all the more noticeable.

NEW YORK – That the Diamondbacks were shut down by a left-handed pitcher Thursday night in Washington should come as no surprise. Left-handers have given them fits this season.

The Diamondbacks entered Friday tied for the lowest on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) in the majors against left-handers at .578.

Manager Kirk Gibson said he was talking with hitting coach Don Baylor on Thursday about what they can do to help their hitters improve.

“It’s something we’re going to try to work on,” Gibson said.

Among those with ugly numbers:

- Catcher Miguel Montero is 1 for 18 (.056).

- Shortstop Willie Bloomquist is 3 for 22 (.136).

- And perhaps most surprising, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is 4 for 21 (.190). He also struggled against them (6 for 37) after getting called up last season.

Goldschmidt hit right-handers well in the minor leagues, but he absolutely destroyed lefties. In 2010, he hit .413 with an .860 slugging vs. left-handers with High A Visalia. Last year with Double-A Mobile, Goldschmidt had a .376 average, .519 on-base and .871 slugging against them.

The Diamondbacks have a regular left-handed batting-practice pitcher, but Gibson said the team has talked about bringing in an additional lefty to throw BP when the club returns home from this road trip as a way of giving hitters additional repetitions.

Pitchers shagging

A day after New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tore a knee ligament shagging fly balls during batting practice, Gibson called the injury “freakish” and said he isn’t concerned about any of his pitchers getting hurt.

“There’s nobody on our team I’d be worried that they’re unjustly putting themselves exposed to injury,” he said.

Left-hander Joe Paterson, who was sent to Triple-A Reno last month, might have been the club’s most aggressive pitcher during batting practice.

Second start

Left-hander Pat Corbin hopes some of the nerves from his first start are gone, even if he has a different wrinkle to confront Saturday against the Mets.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., he’s excited to get a chance to pitch in his home state in front of what he figures will be a big group of family and friends.

“It works out pretty good,” he said. “Being my second start, going back home to New York, only a couple of hours away from my house. It should be exciting.”

Injury updates

Right-hander Daniel Hudson (shoulder impingment) was scheduled to throw a flat-ground session Friday, and Gibson mapped out a tentative schedule for him, assuming all goes well.

Hudson will throw off a mound Tuesday and face hitters Friday before a possible minor-league rehab assignment around the middle of the month. Gibson made it sound as if Hudson would make two starts in the minors. If it plays out that way, he could be able to return around May 26.

Center field Chris Young (strained shoulder ligament) continues to make progress, going from hitting off a tee to hitting balls flipped to him.

“He gets a little sore hanging onto the bat,” Gibson said. “He’s kind of letting go right now more than he probably would. … He started to throw just a little bit. He’s probably behind on the throwing aspect of it.”

Shortstop Stephen Drew played three innings against the Chicago Cubs’ extended-spring-training team Thursday, his first game against a non-intrasquad team, the Diamondbacks announced. He went 0 for 1 with a walk and a was hit by pitch, and he fielded all three ground balls hit to him.

NEW YORK — There were times, Cody Ransom admitted, when he wondered if he were destined to be just a minor-leaguer. Maybe he was good enough for Triple-A but didn’t quite have what it takes to be a big-leaguer.

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“There was a time,” he said, “when I thought I was done. In 2005. I thought I was done playing already.”

Maybe Ransom is just getting started. The 36-year-old journeyman infielder delivered two more huge hits for the Diamondbacks, drilling a two-run homer and knocking in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning single in a 5-4 victory over the New York Mets on Friday at Citi Field.

The win snapped a two-game skid, gave the Diamondbacks their first one-run victory since April 8 and, with two games remaining, assured them of at least a .500 record on an arduous 10-game road trip.

Once again, Ransom played a huge part. At the time the Diamondbacks brought him up from Triple-A on April 18, he had amassed a little more than a half-season’s worth of at-bats in the major leagues in parts of nine seasons. Most were cups of coffee, a handful of at-bats here and there while someone was on the disabled list, but Ransom rarely was able to make the most of the opportunities.

“I’ve had a lot of them,” he said. “There’s been times when I’ve had opportunities and I’d come up and don’t play a lot and play off the bench. It’s a great job if you can do it. I’ve been good at it at times and really bad at it at times. Hopefully, it’s time for some good ones.”

Ransom has provided the kind of lift for the Diamondbacks that Ryan Roberts gave them last season. But as Roberts has struggled this year to hit his weight, Ransom has seen more time at third base.

With two hits Friday, he is 10 for 29 (.345) with three doubles and three home runs. Not bad for a guy who owned a .220 average in the majors entering the year.

“Confidence is probably a big part of it,” he said. “Knowing that I can play here and actually believing it. Not trying to do too much. I go down to Triple-A, and I put up pretty good numbers. I try to take that same approach here and not try to do too much.”

Ransom, who attended Chandler High, didn’t play much in Triple-A for the Chicago Cubs in 2005, and he wondered if the end was near. But he latched on with Houston the next year and made it back to the majors. He has been up and down from the minors every year since.

“It’s hard to put it all together in the big leagues,” Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero said. “I don’t know if he ever had an opportunity to play every day in the big leagues, but right now I think he’s going to get a lot of playing time. He’s been huge for us. I’ve got a feeling every time he comes to the plate right now that he’s going to get a big hit.”

Ransom lined a first-pitch fastball from Mets right-hander Dillon Gee into the left-field stands in the second inning to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead. But after the Mets scored four times in the third, the Diamondbacks had to rally in the eighth.

After Paul Goldschmidt shot a game-tying, two-run double into right-center, Ransom gave his team the lead by lining a full-count slider from former Diamondbacks reliever Jon Rauch into left field for a hit.

“Just tried to get a pitch and stay through the middle,” Ransom said. “I’ve been a little too aggressive with runners in scoring position, so I was trying to be a little more patient and get a little better pitch to hit.”

Diamondbacks rewind

Miley battles: Left-hander Wade Miley had trouble spotting his fastball, but he was able to shake off a rough third inning and make it through six innings.

He said one key was pitching backward, i.e., throwing breaking balls early in the count before going to the fastball.

“Once you’re out there and you’re not feeling great, you’ve got to figure out a way to win, a way to keep the team in the game,” he said. “We were able to do that tonight.”

Goldschmidt’s big hit: Paul Goldschmidt was hitless in three at-bats when he came to the plate with the tying run on base in the eighth inning. He lined the first pitch he saw from right-hander Jon Rauch for a two-run double.

“I was just looking for something to hit, whether it was early or late in the count, just something up a little bit,” Goldschmidt said. “He threw his slider or cutter or whatever he has, and it was up and middle of the plate, and I was able to put a good swing on it.”

Putz closes it: After two outings in which his command wasn’t good, closer J.J. Putz looked to be back on track in the ninth inning, striking out two of the three hitters he faced.

“His split was much better,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “When you see (catcher Miguel Montero) blocking it in the dirt like that, you know it’s good.”

Center fielder Gerardo Parra made a diving catch of a Daniel Murphy line drive in the gap to end the game.

View from the press box

Former Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died Friday of cancer, was known to be a big Mets fan, and the players had a cool way to pay tribute to him. Every Mets player came to bat to a Beastie Boys song, an idea hatched by infielder Justin Turner and outfielder Scott Hairston. The Mets were rocking out to their songs in the clubhouse before the game.

When the Diamondbacks signed free-agent Jason Kubel in the off-season to play left field, skeptics wondered why the club would want to sacrifice the Gold Glove defense of Gerardo Parra.

Parra’s 12 assists last year tied Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez for most in the National League and tied Eric Byrnes (2007) for the most in club history.

Well, through 19 games, Kubel is on pace to shatter that mark.

Kubel recorded his major-league leading fifth assist Wednesday in Arizona’s 7-2 loss to Philadelphia when he threw out Hunter Pence at home in the first inning after racing into foul ground to pick up a ball that had deflected off the glove of shortstop Willie Bloomquist.

“I don’t think we ever said he was bad,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “We read about that. I think we said earlier in the year it doesn’t matter what people write, that’s why we play the season. He’s showing who he really is. That was a good play there and a good throw.”

In addition to showing off defensively, Kubel leads the everyday players in batting average (.288), and he has three homers with nine RBIs.

“He’s swinging the bat a lot better,” Gibson said. “He’s just playing better.”

Aggressiveness backfires

With one out and Justin Upton at the plate in the first inning, Bloomquist tried to steal third base. But Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels turned and fired to third, and Bloomquist eventually was tagged out in a rundown.

Upton struck out, and Arizona’s best early opportunity to score against Hamels was gone.

“I have no problem with guys being aggressive,” Gibson said. “He’s trying to make something happen. I’m not going to discourage that. We play with more energy that way. He’s trying to get third base with one out. I’d love to hit with a guy on third and one out.”

Bloomquist said he thought he had the bag stolen but that Hamels caught him with an inside move “that should be called a balk.”

“Sometimes you have to roll the dice,” he said. “You can’t steal third when your foot is on second.”

Pitching issues

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks still hadn’t listed their starters for Sunday or Monday’s game against Miami.

Left-hander Wade Miley is on schedule to pitch the Sunday game, but Gibson wouldn’t commit to that even though Miley threw six innings of shutout ball against Philadelphia on Monday.

Monday’s starter would be Josh Collmenter, who is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA.

“I understand your curiosity,” Gibson said. “But I don’t have an answer for you.

“It’s not an easy decision. It’s not as easy as it might seem because he (Wiley) threw six innings. You have to look at the overall starting rotation, the bullpen, our schedule, who we’re playing. It takes time to process all that.”

Injury update

Gibson said starting pitcher Daniel Hudson (shoulder) won’t be ready to go when his 15-day stay on the disabled list is up on May 6. Hudson won’t even try to throw a bullpen session until May 7, and he might need at least one rehab assignment after that.

“I don’t want to rush him back,” Gibson said.

Schulte’s new deal

Greg Schulte has been the Diamondbacks’ radio play-by-play voice since their inception, and that will continue for another six seasons.

Schulte said he signed a six-year extension last season that will take him through 2017, giving him 20 years behind the microphone.

“That’s kind of what I was looking at, 20 years,” Schulte said.

Schulte doesn’t plan on retiring after those 20 seasons, though.

“I want to get there and see how I am, but I love the game too much to even think of giving it up,” he said.

An off day couldn’t come at a better time for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“We just played a 16-game span, 16 straight games,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said after Arizona’s 7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. “I don’t think we felt like we were in real good synch, certainly at the end of that streak.”

The Diamondbacks, who have Thursday off before opening a 10-game eastern road trip with a four-game wraparound series in Miami, have lost seven of their past nine games.

On Wednesday, Arizona’s struggles could be blamed on the left arm of Phillies starter Cole Hamels.

Willie Bloomquist led off the game with a double to left but Hamels (3-1) then retired the next 18 batters before briefly running into trouble in the seventh.

“He’s got 17 different pitches and he throws them all for strikes,” Bloomquist said.

Diamondbacks starter Trevor Cahill allowed a run in the first, then matched Hamels zero for zero until unraveling in the sixth.

Juan Pierre singled, Placido Polanco walked and Cahill’s second wild pitch of the game allowed a run to score. Hunter Pence hit an RBI single that finished Cahill, Carlos Ruiz had an RBI single off Craig Breslow and Hamels looped a two-run single for a 6-0 lead.

“Our story today was we were unable to stop that sixth inning,” Gibson said. “Trevor got two guys on and Breslow came in and couldn’t get it cut off.”

Cahill (1-2) gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings.

“I just couldn’t put anyone away when I had to and couldn’t make the big pitch in the sixth inning,” Cahill said. “They did a pretty good job of fighting stuff off. When I got ahead they kept battling. They had a couple of hard outs and it seemed like I couldn’t get any swings and misses.”

The Diamondbacks finally got to Hamels in the seventh.

Consecutive one-out singles by Aaron Hill, Justin Upton and Jason Kubel ended Hamels’ shutout bid. Hamels walked Cody Ransom to reload the bases and Paul Goldschmidt hit what appeared to be an inning-ending, double-play grounder to shortstop, but second baseman Pete Orr dropped a toss and let a run score.

Hamels induced another grounder off the bat of A.J. Pollock, which did lead to a double play.

“He’s throwing 2-0 changeups and locating,” Gibson said. “That’s pretty tough. We knew it was going to be a dog fight.”

Polanco went 3 for 3 with two walks and scored twice. Ruiz also had three hits for the Phillies.

Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the first when Polanco singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a sharp single by Pence.

NOTES: Phillies 1B Ty Wigginton had a pinch-hit single in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. … Kubel has hit safely in nine straight and Hill has reached base in 14 games in a row. . Phillies RHP Michael Schwimer, recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley when Michael Stutes was placed on the 15-day disabled list, made his season debut in the ninth. … The Diamondbacks failed to hit a home run at home against the Phillies for the first time in their past 18 games. … The Chase Field roof was closed for just the second time in 13 home dates with hazy, overcast skies and 90-degree temperatures outside. … LHP Joe Saunders will take the mound for the Diamondbacks in Miami and face RHP Carlos Zambrano on Friday. Saunders is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA, having allowed three earned runs _ four overall _ in 21 innings across his first three starts.

Josh Collmenter had not seen the sixth inning this season, let alone the seventh, and considering the Diamondbacks made a roster move to add a multi-inning reliever before the game, the team was preparing for the possibility of another short night for the right-hander Tuesday.

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Collmenter gave the Diamondbacks innings. But, again, he could not give them results. He was charged with six earned runs in six-plus innings in the Diamondbacks’ 8-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field.

Though ugly numbers continue to pile up on Collmenter, his manager continues to say he sees progress.

“That’s the best he’s thrown it this year,” Kirk Gibson said.

At what point do the Diamondbacks need to see better results from Collmenter?

“I think the results were there for him,” Gibson said.

Bad ones, perhaps. In four starts this season, Collmenter has given up 20 earned runs in 181/3 innings. The Diamondbacks are 1-3 in those games. The lone win required a rally from a 6-0 deficit.

Progress or not, Collmenter seems again to be teetering on the edge of losing his rotation spot. Or, at least, his status again has become a topic of discussion during Gibson’s sessions with reporters.

“I’m not thinking about that,” Gibson said. “We just lost the game. I’m thinking about getting this over with and thinking about tomorrow. We’ll have conversations, just as we do every day, about all aspects of our team.”

Collmenter’s outing might not have been as bad as the final numbers suggest. Most of the damage came in the fourth inning, when he served up two-run homers to Hunter Pence and Laynce Nix.

The Pence shot was more good hitting than bad pitching; the fastball was down and away, right where catcher Miguel Montero wanted it, and Pence drove it out to right field for an opposite-field home run.

But after Ty Wigginton doubled on a curveball that was left up in the zone, Nix crushed a letter-high change-up for another two-run shot to make it 4-0.

He was charged with two more runs during a disastrous top of the seventh. Collmenter gave up consecutive singles to start the inning before giving way to reliever Bryan Shaw.

A sacrifice bunt put men on second and third when Juan Pierre hit a looper to left field, where Jason Kubel slid to make the catch.

Only second-base umpire Angel Hernandez saw it different, ruling that Kubel had trapped it.

Replays showed otherwise, but the Phillies wound up with the bases loaded for Pete Orr, who rifled a triple into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give the Phillies a 7-1 lead.

“You guys saw it,” Kubel said. “I don’t need to say anything.”

Gibson, who briefly argued the call, said Hernandez told him he saw the ball hit the ground.

“That’s what he saw,” Gibson said. “What am I going to say? We have to overcome that, and we were unable to do that.”

The Diamondbacks clawed back, using three doubles to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh and getting a solo shot from Kubel in the eighth. But it wasn’t enough, and after Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon got Aaron Hill to fly out to end the game, the Diamondbacks (9-9) found themselves back at the .500 mark.

View from the press box

He hasn’t been with the Diamondbacks long, but Jason Kubel seems like a quiet, even-tempered guy. But even the most mild-mannered players are going to snap after a night like Kubel had. He struck out looking in three consecutive at-bats — one of the third-strike calls was extremely generous, at best — and then had a call go against him defensively in the seventh inning. He said he “flipped out” after the play in the field. It’s hard to blame him.

Rewind

Ransom shines: Starting his third consecutive game at third base, Cody Ransom continued to make a case for more playing time.

Ransom singled and homered and is 5 for 11 in the past three days.

“He’s swinging the bat good right now,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “I don’t know how it’s going to shake out at the end of the year. Right now he’s swinging good. He’s playing good. Who wouldn’t play him?

“We’ve struggled for offense not too long ago. It’s how it goes.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Roberts lined a pinch-hit double to left field in the seventh inning to snap an 0-for-15 skid.

Worley’s night: The Diamondbacks forced Vance Worley to throw 110 pitches in six innings, but they were unable to break through against the Phillies right-hander.

Worley, who gave up just one run in six innings, was impressed by what he saw from Diamondbacks hitters.

“They were pretty good up there,” he said. “They fouled the pitches off that they needed to. The stuff I wanted them to swing and miss at, they took. They are very patient.”

Zagurski debuts: Left-hander Mike Zagurski made his first appearance in a Diamondbacks uniform, giving up a run in the eighth on a Shane Victorino solo homer.

But he bounced back and retired the next six batters.

Third baseman Ryan Roberts was out of the Diamondbacks lineup for a third consecutive game with manager Kirk Gibson again opting for journeyman Cody Ransom instead.

But Gibson told reporters that ” ‘Ryno’ is still my third baseman,” saying he’s trying to get the emotional Roberts to relax.

“He cares so much, works so hard,” Gibson said. “It comes to a point where it’s counterproductive.”

Roberts came out of nowhere to stake claim to the everyday job last season, rating among the league’s more-productive third basemen with 19 home runs and a .341 on-base.

But he is off to a slow start this season, hitting .170 (9 for 53) and looking shaky defensively, particularly with his throws.

Gibson said he spoke with Roberts after Monday night’s game, urging him to relax and assuring him that by the end of the season he’ll have played a key role on the team.

“This is just today,” Gibson said. “It’s not about Ryno. It’s about the team. I think he understands that. He’s putting his work in. He’ll get back on track. I expect him to.”

Ransom, in his second season in the Diamondbacks organization, was brought up from Triple-A Reno last week, taking the place of the injured Geoff Blum.

After missing a game to pass kidney stones, Ransom made the most of his first two starts, collecting key hits in each game. He doubled and scored during a five-run second inning on Sunday and had a two-run double on Monday night.

Staff in flux

The Diamondbacks made a pair of roster moves on Tuesday, but uncertainty remains in the starting rotation after Gibson again would not commit to left-hander Wade Miley getting another start.

Gibson said “it’s possible” that Miley, who threw six scoreless innings on Monday night, would get another start.

“We haven’t made that decision yet,” he said. “It depends on what happens this week. … This isn’t the time to speculate. There’s a lot of things we’re kicking around.”

Reliever Joe Paterson, who had a 2.91 ERA last year as the team’s primary left-hander in the bullpen, was optioned to Triple-A Reno after giving up five runs without retiring a batter in the ninth inning on Monday night.

In six appearances, opposing hitters were 15 for 23 (.652) against him. Left-handed hitters were 5 for 10 with two walks.

“He wasn’t able to execute his pitches and didn’t have the life on his pitches that he had before,” Gibson said. “He’s going to work on it in Reno.”

In his place is Mike Zagurski, a left-hander who had a strong spring and pushed to make the Opening Day roster. He continued to pitch well in Reno, where he had a 2.00 ERA in nine innings.

The Diamondbacks acquired Zagurski last September in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, who drafted him in the 12th round in 2005. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the Phillies who are in town now.

“Baseball is a weird game, I guess,” Zagurski said. “They’re just like anybody else. I’ve got to try to get them out, and they’ve got to try to get a hit.”

The Diamondbacks also designated right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo for assignment and added right-hander Joe Martinez. Albaladejo threw an inning on Monday night, making him unavailable for a long appearance on Tuesday night.

“We needed length for (Tuesday),” Gibson said. “If we get in a situation where we have to take Josh out early, we would totally blow our whole bullpen up, and we want to stay away from that.”

PHOENIX — Even a series-ending loss didn’t dampen the spirits of the Atlanta Braves.

Gerardo Parra hit an early grand slam and the Braves never quite recovered Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that snapped a five-game winning streak.

“This is a good start on our road trip,” second baseman Dan Uggla said. “It’s really hard to beat a team four times.”

Though a sweep eluded the Braves, they moved on to Los Angeles having won 10 of their past 12 games. Arizona had lost five in a row.

“We hit some balls hard but they didn’t find a hole,” said Uggla, who finished 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. “We had some opportunities.”

Atlanta starter Randall Delgado wasn’t able to reach the seventh inning for the first time in his brief 10-game career. But he was able to keep the Diamondbacks in check after a poor second inning.

Delgado (2-1) retired the first five Arizona batters he faced. Jason Kubel then singled, Cody Ransom doubled and John McDonald was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs in the second.

Delgado walked pitcher Ian Kennedy on four pitches before Parra hit a drive into the pool area beyond the right-center field fence for a 5-1 lead.

“I was trying to stay down in the zone but it stayed up,” Delgado said.

Delgado went 5 1-3 innings, giving up five runs and three hits. He struck out six, walked four and hit two batters.

“It was a good learning experience,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He gets two quick outs in an inning then next think you know there’s a five spot put on the board. It’s a young pitcher, a young pitcher that needs to mature and get into those situations and doesn’t let the innings get away from him.”

Kennedy (3-0) posted his seventh straight win dating to last August. The Diamondbacks helped him by scoring more than two runs for the first time in four games.

Michael Bourn had three hits, walked once and scored twice for the Braves.

Bourn sped the Braves to a 1-0 lead in the first when he led off the game with a double to deep center, took third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Freddie Freeman.

Bourn also scored Atlanta’s second run, singling in the third and coming around on Martin Prado’s double down the left-field line.

Prado contributed with his glove, too, taking away an apparent home run from Miguel Montero in the third with a leaping catch just to the right of the 376-foot sign in left field.

Delgado recorded his first career hit with one out in the fifth, went to second on Bourn’s single and later scored on a single by Freeman to pull Atlanta within 5-3.

“I thought Randall showed everybody a lot today about his mental makeup,” Uggla said. “He had a few mistakes that one inning but that was all they got. He really came out, bounced back and battled and gave us a chance to win the ballgame.”

Parra singled, stole second and scored on a double by Aaron Hill for a 6-3 Arizona lead in the seventh.

Kennedy allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings. David Hernandez retired the side in the eighth and J.J. Putz recorded his fifth save despite allowing a one-out home run to Juan Francisco.

NOTES: Kennedy is 16-1 with three no decisions in his past 20 starts. … Chipper Jones, playing his final game at Chase Field, pinch-hit in the seventh and grounded into a double play. Jones hit .328 with six homers and 35 RBIs in 52 career games in Phoenix and was honored after the third. … Braves pitchers had retired 24 straight hitters before Kubel’s second-inning single. … The intentional walk to McDonald was the first of his 891-game career. … The Diamondbacks’ series opener Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies originally was billed as a match of Daniel Hudson and Cliff Lee, at least before both went on the disabled list. RHP Kyle Kendrick will start for the Phillies against LHP Wade Miley, who was announced by the Diamondbacks via Twitter following the game. … Atlanta RHP Jair Jurrjens will try to improve his 8.10 ERA in Los Angeles against LHP Chris Capuano and the Dodgers. Jurrjens has lasted only 13 1-3 innings total in his first three starts, allowing 12 runs on 21 hits and nine walks.

PHOENIX — Even a series-ending loss didn’t dampen the spirits of the Atlanta Braves.

Gerardo Parra hit a grand slam and the Braves never quite recovered Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that snapped a five-game winning streak.

“This is a good start on our road trip,” second baseman Dan Uggla said. “It’s really hard to beat a team four times.”

Though a sweep eluded

the Braves, they moved on to Los Angeles having won 10 of their past 12 games. Arizona had lost five in a row.

“We hit some balls hard but they didn’t find a hole,” said Uggla, who went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. “We had some opportunities.”

Atlanta starter Randall Delgado wasn’t able to reach the seventh inning for the first time in his brief 10-game career. But he was able to keep the Diamondbacks in check after a poor second inning.

Delgado (2-1) retired the first five Arizona batters he faced. Jason Kubel then singled, Cody Ransom doubled and John McDonald was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs in the second.

Delgado walked pitcher Ian Kennedy on four pitches before Parra hit a drive into the pool area beyond the right-center field fence for a 5-1 lead.

“I was trying to stay down in the zone but it stayed up,” Delgado said.

Delgado went 5 1-3 innings, giving up five runs and three hits. He struck out six, walked four and hit two batters.

“It was a good learning experience,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He gets two quick outs in an inning then next thing you know there’s a five spot put on the board. It’s a young pitcher, a young pitcher that needs to mature.”

and get into those situations and doesn’t let the innings get away from him.”

Kennedy (3-0) posted his seventh straight win dating to last August. The Diamondbacks helped him by scoring more than two runs for the first time in four games.

Michael Bourn had three hits, walked once and scored twice for the Braves.

Bourn sped the Braves to a 1-0 lead in the first when he led off the game with a double to deep center, took third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Freddie Freeman.

Bourn also scored Atlanta’s second run, singling in the third and coming around on Martin Prado’s double down the left-field line.

Prado contributed with his glove, too, taking away an apparent home run from Miguel Montero in the third with a leaping catch just to the right of the 376-foot sign in left field.

Delgado recorded his first career hit with one out in the fifth, went to second on Bourn’s single and later scored on a single by Freeman to pull Atlanta within 5-3.

“I thought Randall showed everybody a lot today about his mental makeup,” Uggla said. “He had a few mistakes that one inning but that was all they got. He really came out, bounced back and battled and gave us a chance to win the ballgame.”

Parra singled, stole second and scored on a double by Aaron Hill for a 6-3 Arizona lead in the seventh.

Kennedy allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings. David Hernandez retired the side in the eighth and J.J. Putz recorded his fifth save despite allowing a one-out home run to Juan Francisco.

Notes: Kennedy is 16-1 with three no decisions in his past 20 starts. … Chipper Jones, playing his final game at Chase Field, pinch-hit in the seventh and grounded into a double play. Jones hit .328 with six homers and 35 RBIs in 52 career games in Phoenix and was honored after the third. … Braves pitchers had retired 24 straight hitters before Kubel’s second-inning single. … The intentional walk to McDonald was the first of his 891-game career. … Atlanta RHP Jair Jurrjens will try to improve his 8.10 ERA in Los Angeles against LHP Chris Capuano and the Dodgers. Jurrjens has lasted only 13 1-3 innings total in his first three starts, allowing 12 runs on 21 hits and nine walks.

Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Bourn cf 3 2 3 0 1 0 .338

Prado lf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .271

Freeman 1b 2 0 1 2 1 1 .283

McCann c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .264

Uggla 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .242

Hinske rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .250

J.Francisco 3b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .286

J.Wilson ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .150

Delgado p 2 1 1 0 0 0 .200

Durbin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

a-C.Jones ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .276

C.Martinez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

d-Heyward ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .309

Totals 33 4 10 4 2 7

Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

G.Parra cf 4 2 2 4 0 0 .244

A.Hill 2b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .236

J.Upton rf 2 0 0 0 1 1 .205

M.Montero c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .220

Goldschmidt 1b 3 0 0 0 1 3 .227

Kubel lf 3 1 1 0 1 1 .255

Ransom 3b 3 1 2 0 0 0 .667

Jo.McDonald ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 .190

I.Kennedy p 1 1 0 1 1 0 .000

b-Pollock ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

D.Hernandez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

c-Overbay ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Putz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Totals 29 6 7 6 5 7

Atlanta 101 010 001–4 10 0

Arizona 050 000 10x–6 7 0

a-grounded into a double play for Durbin in the 7th. b-grounded out for I.Kennedy in the 7th. c-flied out for D.Hernandez in the 8th. d-flied out for C.Martinez in the 9th.

LOB–Atlanta 5, Arizona 6. 2B–Bourn (4), Prado (5), A.Hill (2), Ransom (1). HR–J.Francisco (3), off Putz; G.Parra (2), off Delgado. RBIs–Prado (9), Freeman 2 (15), J.Francisco (7), G.Parra 4 (6), A.Hill (8), I.Kennedy (1). SB–G.Parra (4). CS–J.Upton (1). SF–Freeman.

Runners left in scoring position–Atlanta 2 (McCann 2); Arizona 3 (Jo.McDonald, M.Montero, Overbay). RISP–Atlanta 1 for 5; Arizona 2 for 6.

Runners moved up–Prado. GIDP–McCann, C.Jones, M.Montero.

DP–Atlanta 1 (Freeman, J.Wilson, C.Martinez); Arizona 2 (Goldschmidt, Jo.McDonald, Goldschmidt), (Jo.McDonald, A.Hill, Goldschmidt).

Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Delgado L, 2-1 51/3 3 5 5 4 6 93 5.74

Durbin 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 5 10.13

C.Martinez 2 4 1 1 1 1 34 3.86

Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

I.Kennedy W, 3-0 7 9 3 3 2 5 111 3.86

D.Hernandez H, 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 15 3.24

Putz S, 5-6 1 1 1 1 0 1 17 5.40

Inherited runners-scored–Durbin 2-0. IBB–off Delgado (Jo.McDonald). HBP–by Delgado (Ransom, J.Upton). WP–I.Kennedy.

Umpires–Home, Sam Holbrook; First, Andy Fletcher; Second, Rob Drake; Third, Joe West.

T–2:36. A–28,679 (48,633).

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Josh Bell from the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, sending cash to Baltimore in exchange for the young player. Bell is in his third year in the league, having originally been drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2005 amateur draft.

He was traded to the Orioles in 2009 and made his debut in the majors the following year, playing 53 games in total and batting only .214. The following year saw a decline in all of his numbers, as he played only 26 games and batted .164, as well as seeing his RBI production decline from 12 to six. He has struggled with adapting to the MLB strike zone, as demonstrated by his career OBP of .221. With Diamondbacks infielder Geoff Blum going on the DL with a left oblique strain, Arizona was likely looking for a little more depth at third base.

All your Diamondbacks news and info can be found at AZ Snakepit, and if that’s still not enough head over to SB Nation’s MLB hub. And don’t miss SB Nation on YouTube:

As if the Diamondbacks needed more bad news on the injury front, that’s exactly what they got Saturday when starting pitcher Daniel Hudson was placed on the disabled list because of an impingement in his right (throwing) shoulder.

He was scheduled to pitch Monday’s series opener against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. A new starter might not be named until today.

There was no indication that Hudson had been dealing with a shoulder issue. Arizona has been beset lately by injury problems, which have sidelined outfielders Chris Young and Justin Upton, infielder Geoff Blum and reliever Takashi Saito.

“I’m sure we’re leading the pack in that category, and that’s not one you want to be leading,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “It’s part of it. It’s coming at us pretty consistently right now. But we’ll get it under control. We’ll stave it off. There’s no panic.”

Actually, there was some panic on Hudson’s part. He had never dealt with a shoulder problem before, and he knows how it can be the kiss of death to a pitcher.

“It’s scary, especially if you’ve never felt it before,” said Hudson, who is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA. “All the worst thoughts go through your mind.”

An MRI exam Friday apparently showed no structural damage. Hudson said he noticed some discomfort April13 during his outing in Denver against the Rockies. He felt some inflammation in his shoulder, which made it difficult for his arm to stay loose between innings.

He hoped the problem would go away after his start Wednesday, but after pitching into the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Pirates, it still was sore.

After trying to play catch Friday and being unable to do it pain-free, the decision was made to put him on the 15-day DL.

Right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo was recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his spot on the roster, but he will pitch exclusively out of the bullpen.

Gibson wasn’t ready to name his starter for Monday’s game but said left-hander Wade Miley was an option if the team doesn’t need him in long relief this weekend against the Braves.

When asked if one of the team’s young prospects at Double-A Mobile might get the call, Gibson said, “I guess anything’s possible.”

However, only Charles Brewer, a graduate of Scottsdale Chaparral High, would be available, as Tyler Skaggs pitched Thursday, Patrick Corbin pitched Friday and Trevor Bauer pitched Saturday.

Trade with Orioles

The Diamondbacks acquired minor-league third baseman Josh Bell in a trade with the Orioles for a player to be named. If Baltimore can’t agree on the player, the deal would be settled through cash considerations.

Bell, 25, is a former fourth-round pick by the Dodgers and was hitting .094 in nine games at Triple-A Norfolk. Over parts of two seasons with the Orioles, he hit .200 (44 for 220) with five doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs in 79 games.

Saito’s setback

Saito aggravated his strained calf muscle Friday while participating in pitchers’ fielding practice, and his stay on the disabled list will be extended.

Saito pitched one scoreless inning of relief Thursday in a rehab appearance for Class A Visalia, but Gibson wanted to make sure the pitcher was able to cover first base on groundball plays.

“And that’s when it happened, so he’s not ready to pitch here,” Gibson said. “We’ll have to back him down, keep his arm going and try to get his calf healed. It’s not healed yet.”