PADRES 7, diamondbacks 6: Yonder leaves wild D-backs blue

SAN DIEGO - There were certain things manager Kirk Gibson expected out of his team heading into the season, areas in which he figured the Diamondbacks might struggle. Protecting leads late in games was not one of them.

Diamondbacks 6, Cardinals 2: 3-run fourth to start the season fits the mold in Arizona's rebuild

PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks constructed their lineup for these kinds of games, nights when they face a pitcher as tough as Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright.

Reds 2, Diamondbacks 1: D-backs to reward Goldschmidt

PHOENIX - First baseman Paul Goldschmidt was deftly tap-dancing around the elephant in the room on Friday when Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero jokingly called attention to it.

Arizona diamondbacks: D-backs facing questions as season approaches

SCOTTSDALE - The final week of spring training is usually a time for fine-tuning the roster, for deciding on the last bench player or settling on a reliever to round out the bullpen.

Spring training: Rockies 11, Diamondbacks 2: New D-backs reliever Bell passes first test

SCOTTSDALE - For veteran players just trying to get ready for the season, results in spring-training games can sometimes matter less than being able to finish the daily crossword puzzle.

Cardinals 8, Diamondbacks 2: Miscues, lack of runs drop D-backs to .500

ST. LOUIS - Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson sat in his office at Busch Stadium on Tuesday afternoon and ran through the reasons why he believes his team has struggled in one-run games. For Gibson, it's not overly complicated.

Johnson senses urgency to win, makes impact

PHILADELPHIA - During his first game with the Diamondbacks on Monday in Los Angeles, third baseman Chris Johnson heard a teammate ask in the dugout if the Giants were winning their game in San Francisco. That sort of thing hadn't happened very often, if at all, during his time in the majors.

Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 0: Sweep of Dodgers has D-backs back

LOS ANGELES - There was burgeoning confidence mixed with cautious optimism in the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, where a heretofore inconsistent baseball team took another step toward establishing itself as a contender in the National League West.

Reds 7, Diamondbacks 6: 6-run lead not enough for struggling D-backs

CINCINNATI - The calendar keeps moving toward October, but the Diamondbacks are getting no closer to playing in it.

Cubs 3, Diamondbacks 1: Sweep leaves D-backs baffled

CHICAGO - With an extra wild card added to each league, there aren't many clubs that have essentially declared themselves "sellers" this early in July. But the Diamondbacks have now been swept by two of them in the past two weeks.

Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 1: Arizona just can't put everything together

CHICAGO - The Diamondbacks this season have been like an old car engine that sputters out just when you think it's about to roar to life.

Angels 2, Diamondbacks 0: Suddenly dormant bats get no help in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Arizona Diamondbacks reluctantly gave credit to another opposing pitcher Sunday, but given the way the majority of this road trip went for them, their praise went only so far.

Giants 4, Diamondbacks 2: Giants score early on Cahill's 'best' pitching

SAN FRANCISCO - Miguel Montero couldn't understand it. He knows starter Trevor Cahill has had his problems in the first inning this season, but this was different.

Diamondbacks 11, Dodgers 4: D-backs avoid sweep as offense breaks out

PHOENIX - The Diamondbacks wore out such a path around the bases Wednesday night that it was as if they were trying to take out all their frustrations from the previous night - or perhaps the previous month.

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 1: Capuano fools D-backs as Dodgers keep rolling

PHOENIX - The Los Angeles Dodgers fielded a lineup Monday night filled with rookies and journeymen, a group of players that seemed more suited for the Pacific Coast League than the National League.

Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 1: Kershaw keeps D-backs in funk as Young rehabs

LOS ANGELES - The signs of frustration were everywhere, from the bat Justin Upton slammed into the ground to the helmet Paul Goldschmidt's flung toward the visitors' dugout at Dodger Stadium.

Cardinals 7, Diamondbacks 2: Losing streak extended to 5 as Cards sweep 3

Carlos Beltran's sharp grounder bounced twice, hit off the heel of Diamondbacks third baseman Ryan Roberts' glove and then smoked Roberts in the jugular. The moment sort of summed up the past three days for the Diamondbacks.

Mets 3, Diamondbacks 1: Mistakes mount, runs dwindle for D-backs

NEW YORK - Miguel Montero didn't think it was just gone.

Mets 4, Diamondbacks 3: D-backs keep faith despite close losses

NEW YORK - The Diamondbacks trudged into the quiet of a losing locker room for the third time in the past four days Saturday evening. They had lost, this time 4-3 to the New York Mets at Citi Field, but like many of their recent losses, it didn't have that bad of a feel.

Diamondbacks 9, Marlins 5: Corbin steady in debut as Arizona wins series

MIAMI-Trouble was brewing in Diamondbacks left-hander Pat Corbin's first major league inning. The bases were loaded with only one out, and the Miami Marlins' hottest hitter, Omar Infante, was up.

Phillies 8, Diamondbacks 5: Despite loss, Gibson still backs Collmenter

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.

Pirates 5, Diamondbacks 4: Young hurts shoulder

PHOENIX - The Diamondbacks' doomsday scenario might look something like what happened Tuesday.

Diamondbacks 5, Giants 4: D-backs bats beat Giants arms again

PHOENIX - The Giants are built around their starting rotation, a unit that for years has not only frustrated the Diamondbacks but has rated among the best in the National League.

Hype, nerves, adrenaline collide on opening day

PHOENIX - The festiveness of opening day reminds Kirk Gibson of a holiday. It also reminds him of October and of what he wants out of his Diamondbacks team, which opens the season this afternoon against the San Francisco Giants.

Diamondbacks: Saito put on DL; Miley on roster

The Diamondbacks set their opening day roster Wednesday morning, placing right-hander Takashi Saito on the 15-day disabled list with a calf strain and outrighting left-hander Mike Zagurski to Triple-A Reno.

Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks (ss) 3: Kennedy: Bring on opening day

SCOTTSDALE - If Ian Kennedy had better stuff, the Diamondbacks right-hander joked, then perhaps he wouldn't have faced the Los Angeles Dodgers at Salt River Fields on Saturday. Maybe then he'd believe the baseball adage that the more often a pitcher faces a hitter, the less advantage the pit…

Diamondbacks: 'D' in D-backs stands for durable

SCOTTSDALE - Still breathing heavy from his daily running, right-hander Ian Kennedy motioned toward the Diamondbacks weight room, a place he believes might help him more for his next couple of seasons than his next couple of starts.

Diamondbacks Notebook: Hernandez finds his niche in relief

A theory: For a reliever, the eighth inning is a tougher assignment than the ninth.

Diamondbacks: Prospect Bradley learning ropes

While Trevor Bauer's quirks and Tyler Skaggs' curveball have received attention at Diamondbacks camp, a precocious Oklahoman has been throwing in the mornings at Salt River Fields, far from the spotlight.

Diamondbacks: 24-year-old sage Upton says D-backs 'still hungry'

SCOTTSDALE - Justin Upton wasn't two months past his 20th birthday when he played in his first postseason in 2007.

D-backs (SS) 1, Rockies 1, 10 innings; D-backs (ss) 9, Giants 6: Hill feels at home with D-backs

Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill bounded out of the batting cage Saturday and seamlessly picked up a conversation with teammate Stephen Drew right where it had left off.

Diamondbacks: Top prospect Skaggs catches Arizona's eyes

PHOENIX - Not long after Tyler Skaggs was drafted, the Los Angeles Angels wanted him to scrap his curveball. The pitch was slow and loopy, and they wondered whether a slider might work better for the tall left-hander.

Gibson looking to build on 2011's success

SCOTTSDALE - When manager Kirk Gibson addressed the media a year ago on Day 1 of spring training, he might have been the only person in the building who truly believed the Diamondbacks could win. The trick for Gibson was convincing everyone else.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Future may stay bright, led by infusion of pitching prospects

The prevailing notion inside the Arizona Diamondbacks clubhouse on Friday evening was the hope that their surprisingly successful season is only the first of many to come.

NLDS: Brewers 3, Diamondbacks 2

MILWAUKEE - The door from the visitors' clubhouse to the field kept swinging open, the roar of the Miller Park crowd still audible well after the Diamondbacks' season had come to a stunning end Friday night.

NLDS: Diamondbacks at Brewers, Game 5: Rested ace Kennedy gets the call

MILWAUKEE - This series has put "Beast Mode" on the map and launched "The Snake." It has shown that sometimes there's no place like home. It has seen wild momentum shifts and provided ample fodder for second-guessing.

NLDS: Diamondbacks 10, Brewers 6: Tat's the way to do it

PHOENIX - Kirk Gibson didn't want this series to be easy. The harder the better. Or so he told reporters in Milwaukee last week. He has since reconsidered.

Diamondbacks notebook: Gibson pushes right buttons

PHOENIX - Despite some fans calling for ace Ian Kennedy to pitch Wednesday night on short rest, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson stuck with lefty Joe Saunders, a decision he explained to his team's beat reporters before the start of Game 4.

D'backs 8, Brewers 1: Grand slam keeps Arizona alive

PHOENIX - After a weekend of watching the Milwaukee Brewers romp around Miller Park with a celebration borrowed from a kids' movie, the Diamondbacks found their own "Beast Mode": It's one part a real-life beast of their own, another part a hand gesture that resembles a … well, we should let …

Defending his moves, Gibson eyes comeback

PHOENIX - The second-guessing doesn't surprise Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, nor, he says, does it bother him. Would you believe he gets a small measure of enjoyment out of it? The edgy, defiant kind, of course.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Gibson says it's not over yet

The second-guessing doesn’t surprise Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, nor, he says, does it bother him. Would you believe he gets a small measure of enjoyment out of it? The edgy, defiant kind, of course.

Brewers 9, D-Backs 4: 1 bad inning, 1 game from done

Game 2 of the National League Division Series felt as if it were being played on a DVR at double-speed. The rapid-fire pace, catcher Miguel Montero said later, made him feel as if he were in a shooting range.

Brewers 4, D'backs 1

MILWAUKEE - First base was open, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder was at the plate, and in Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy's mind, there were only two options: Either he pitched to Fielder or someone else did.

NLDS: Kennedy struggles as Diamondbacks lose Game 1

MILWAUKEE — First base was open, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder was at the plate, and in Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy's mind, there were two only options: Either he pitched to Fielder or someone else did.

Diamondbacks: Onlookers still wonder how D-backs are so good

PHOENIX - In one year's time, the Diamondbacks have gone from a club that lost 97 games to one that opposing scouts are fearful of meeting in the playoffs.

Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 2: D-backs play it safe with Upton

PHOENIX - The Diamondbacks missed a chance to move a step closer to home-field advantage in the division series, but that seemed secondary to the condition of star right fielder Justin Upton.

Diamondbacks 5, Giants 2: D-backs get scare as Upton is hit in head, leaves game

PHOENIX - A fastball from San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum glanced off the bill of Justin Upton's helmet in the first inning Sunday afternoon, rattling just about everyone at Chase Field - including Lincecum.

Diamondbacks 15, Giants 2: Power outage fails to turn off D-backs

PHOENIX - Kirk Gibson woke up early Saturday morning with the realization he had a lot of decisions to make. Should he juggle his rotation? Does he need to rest his starting position players? How many pitches should Ian Kennedy throw?

D-backs 8, Pirates 5: Magic number down to 2

PHOENIX - With their playoff hopes perhaps riding on the play of the Giants, Diamondbacks backup catcher Henry Blanco knew it would be a tough sell to convince people that he and his teammates wouldn't be paying attention.

Win lets D-backs breathe easier

SAN DIEGO - The Diamondbacks began the weekend with a magic number of six and departed Petco Park with it down just to five, and while that might not sound like much, you could hear the collective relief in the voices.