Moreno making presence felt behind plate for D-backs

PHOENIX -- Only time will tell how manager Torey Lovullo will want to handle his catching situation, but Gabriel Moreno has made the case to be an everyday player for the D-backs.

For now, Lovullo intends on Carson Kelly -- who returned from the injured list with a fractured right forearm on Monday -- and Moreno to split the catching duties.

At some point, a decision will need to be made. Lovullo has shown in the past that the team is in a win-now mentality.

Moreno’s presence was felt in his return to the lineup in Thursday afternoon’s 5-4 loss to the Phillies at Chase Field. He went 2-for-4, highlighted by an RBI single that sparked a four-run Arizona rally in the third inning, bringing up his batting average to .284.

That’s just a small sample of what Moreno has contributed this season.

Defensively, Moreno isn’t just the best catcher on the team, he’s one of MLB’s best. Here’s a list of what the 23-year-old, who was acquired, along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., from the Blue Jays in an offseason deal for Daulton Varsho, has accomplished entering Thursday:

• Leads all catchers in caught stealing above average at +6
• Leads the NL in caught stealing percentage at 50%
• Leads all catchers in caught stealing at 14

“I think there's a lot of respect from the opposition when he's behind the plate,” Lovullo said. “Not a lot of people run on him. He's in control of what he's doing out there at all times.

“He got a couple of big base hits for us today, too. So it's good to see him back.”

Lovullo decided to take it easy with Moreno this series by giving him three days out of the lineup, as he was feeling, “a little fatigued, a little gassed, had some aches and pains that he's working through,” along with giving Kelly time to adapt to being back in the Majors.

Kelly went 0-for-13 in his first three games after hitting .345 with three home runs and four RBIs in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno.

“I asked a lot of him during the time that Carson was away,” Lovullo said. “I felt like it was a good little recharge for him. So his presence is definitely felt.”

Moreno echoed the importance of off-days, as he took the time to rest his thumb, which he said had been bothering him recently. He’s been satisfied with the way things have gone, but he’s still going through the adjustments of being a 23-year-old in the Majors.

When asked if he should be the starting catcher, Moreno said: “I can’t give you an answer. I’ve done a really good job, and we’re glad to have Kelly back from injury. He’s a good catcher and he’s going to help us win games.”

If Arizona is to start getting back in the win column, it needs to fix the little things that win games and avoid a disappointing series like the one against Philadelphia.

After going on a five-game winning streak in their previous homestand, the D-backs dropped three of four games to the Phillies.

Philly batters were able to figure out starting pitcher Ryne Nelson quickly, as seven of the 10 hits Nelson gave up came within the first two pitches of those at-bats.

The hits were costly, too, as four of the five runs Nelson gave up directly resulted from a Phillies hitter jumping him early.

The D-backs’ Nos. 3-6 hitters -- Corbin Caroll, Christian Walker, Gurriel and Josh Rojas -- went a combined 0-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the finale.

“The team has certain expectations about doing little things, the little things matter here. Little things will show up every single day,” Lovullo said. “I talked about how little things were showing up on a great run that we were on.

“We are still on a good run, but the little things are not going our way or we are not executing to win the edges, and win the little battles and those little things.

"We’re trying to execute, that’s what this team does. We couldn't get it done. We’ll turn the page. We have a very good team coming in here in Cleveland [Friday-Sunday] and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”