The Reno Aces will assemble the greatest talent in their brief history this weekend.

And the happiest group of people to hear that reside mostly in and around Phoenix.

Help is on the way for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 2011 NL West champions who began play Thursday at 16-22 and 8.5 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. That doesn’t seem too bad until you realize that at that pace they’d finish 38 games behind L.A.

The Diamondbacks have had their share of injuries, but two of their All-Stars — outfielder Chris Young and shortstop Stephen Drew — are just days away from rejoining the parent club.

Young, sidelined since suffering a shoulder contusion when he slammed into the wall on April 17, made his first start with the Aces, Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, on Thursday after playing in three games for Advanced-A Visalia. At Visalia, he went 4-for-13 and on Wednesday hit a grand slam.

Drew, out 10 months with an ankle injury suffered when he slid into home, is expected to arrive in Reno on Saturday night and play on Sunday.

Pitcher Trevor Bauer, called up from Double-A Mobile, also joined the Aces on Thursday. MLB.com rated Bauer the eighth-best prospect in all of baseball. Bauer, a hard-throwing right-hander who helped lead UCLA to the College World Series championship game two years ago, will get the start Friday night. That is, if he can keep track of his schedule.

“Right now I’m just so rattled about where I’m supposed to be and when I’m supposed to be there,” Bauer said. “I’m just trying not to mess up missing a meeting or (battling practice).”

Maybe he should grab a hold of Young’s shirttail. The veteran, who was sent down to Reno in 2009 and then became an All-Star in 2010, knows his way around a diamond.

And given where he was when he injured his shoulder and where the Diamondbacks are now, Young said he’s more than a little eager to get back. Young was hitting .410 on April 17, and despite missing 26 of the Diamondbacks’ 37 games, he still leads the team in home runs with five (tied with Aaron Hill).

“Extremely. Extremely,” Young said before the Aces lost, 16-11, to the Oklahoma City RedHawks on Thursday. “Not one player can make a team, but any time a team is struggling you want to be out there and do whatever you can to help the cause.”

Before they head off to Phoenix, though — and Young could possibly play just one or two games in Reno — Aces fans will have their version of a major league experience for as little as $7.

“We’ll have a plethora of talent,” said Brett Butler, Aces manager since the team moved here in 2009. “… When you have guys like Young and Drew and Bauer here and some of these other guys that have done a great job, guys like (first baseman Randy) Ruiz and (third baseman Josh) Bell, you’re going to have pretty good talent.”

It’s still early in the major league season, early enough that the addition of players the caliber of Young and Drew could easily give the Diamondbacks the kind of boost they need to make another playoff run.

“When you’ve got a guy hitting .400 at the beginning of the season and you lose him and you’ve got an All-Star at shortstop who for the most part is hitting (third through fifth in the lineup) and has led off, that hurts,” Butler said. “Hopefully, when they get back, they’ll fit right in.”

Editor’s note: Young could be activated by the Diamondbacks on Friday after taking two at-bats for the Aces in Thursday’s loss.

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).