|
PHOENIX -- Right fielder Justin Upton was back in the D-backs' starting lineup in his accustomed No. 3 slot against the Padres at Chase Field on Friday night, although his voice still sounded raspy and he seemed to be battling a cold.Upton was lifted for a pinch-runner in the seventh inning of Thursday night's 4-1 victory over the Padres, Arizona's record 13th in a row at home. The D-backs report football results ed at the time that the 24-year-old right-handed hitter was ill.Upton said he felt better before taking batting practice on Friday."I have a little more energy," he said. "Hopefully I got enough fluids in my body so I'll be OK tonight."Upton had just hit his 29th homer to lead off the sixth inning and had been walked intentionally in the seventh when D-backs manager Kirk Gibson made the move. Gibs football results on reiterated on Friday that the slugger looked sluggish as he trotted around the bases after sending a Cory Luebke offering into the left-field seats."I had one swing in me and I took it," Upton said with a smile.Upton said he felt dehydrated and needed the break by coming out of the game early. He's played in 143 of the team's first 144 games and leads the club in almost all major offensive cate football results gories with a .299 batting average, 96 runs scored, 160 hits, 38 doubles, 29 homers and 84 RBIs.A long season of travel, a game every day and a trip to the higher Denver altitudes this past week to take on the Rockies may have taken their toll. But Upton seemed no worse for the wear on Friday. "I haven't talked to him today, but he's back in the lineup," Gibson said. "So he's OK. I thought [taki football results ng him out of the game] was the right thing to do. I met [with the trainer] after the game and today. He'll usually let me know [if something's wrong]. So, we proceed." Bullpen a major part of D-backs' turnaround PHOENIX -- In the myriad of differences between the D-backs of this season and a year ago, the bullpen statistics stand out the most.This year, the bullpen has combined for 51 saves, football results led by closer J.J. Putz with 38 and setup man Daniel Hernandez with 11. Neither right-hander was on the team last year, when the entire 'pen saved 35 games. That's a 16-game turnaround, and it accounts for much of the improvement from a 65-97, last-place finish in 2010 to an 83-61 record this year that leads the National League West. When the D-backs last won the division title, in 2007, the 'pen football results also saved 51 games, 47 of them by Jose Valverde, who's still performing at the same level in Detroit."It's certainly one of the elements [in what's happened this year]. No question about it," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said in the hours before Friday night's rematch against the Padres at Chase Field. "When J.J. was on the disabled listed, David came in and was perfect. When we've had the lead in football results the eighth inning or after, we've been exceptional. Basically, what we're doing is shortening our game. There's stability. It makes it much easier to manage."Much of the credit goes to first-year general manager Kevin Towers, who was hired last September and said at the time that his top priority was rebuilding the bullpen. A former pitcher, building bullpens has always been one of his fortes. In football results his 14 years in the same position with the Padres, Towers built great bullpens around Trevor Hoffman and, later, Heath Bell.Towers was true to his word, signing Putz as a free agent and obtaining Hernandez in an offseason trade with the Orioles. Since then he's added Brad Ziegler in a July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline deal from the A's to work the seventh inning."That's what he's known for and he football results 's proven that he knows what he's doing," Gibson said about Towers. "That's his philosophy. What he did was execute his philosophy, and it's been great for me and our team. To this point, it's proven to be one of the key things." football results
|