Gurriel's HR, 4 hits back Henry's strong start

PHILADELPHIA -- The D-backs got a nice pitching performance from Tommy Henry, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. provided the offense with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate as the D-backs stayed hot with a 6-3 victory over the Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Gurriel has been a key pickup
When the D-backs dealt outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays in December, much of the attention on the return centered around catcher Gabriel Moreno, a top prospect at the time. Not much was said about Gurriel, who was one season away from free agency.

And while Moreno has been very good for the D-backs both at the plate and behind it, Gurriel has been a monster offensively for Arizona.

With his big night, which included a homer to lead off the second inning, Gurriel has now hit safely in a career-high 15 games and his eight homers are second on the team.

“First of all, he's just a good hitter who’s fun to watch,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I'm a big fan of his because of the approach. He's on every pitch. He gets a slider probably middle-up, middle-in and hits it for the big home run. It doesn't surprise me, he's capable of doing anything.”

Gurriel has a .938 OPS, and through the first seven games of the D-backs' three-city road trip, Gurriel is slashing .379/.438/.759.

“I feel good, I’m just looking to maintain those results,” Gurriel said via interpreter Alex Arpiza.

It's a good time for Henry to be pitching well
Henry allowed a pair of solo homers in 5 2/3 innings to turn in his third nice outing in his past four starts.

“I thought we chased a little bit too much tonight,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “[Henry’s] changeup on the right-handers was effective, and so was his breaking ball."

Henry is one of three rookies in Arizona's rotation, joining Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt behind veterans Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Another veteran, right-hander Zach Davies, is nearing a return from the injured list for a strained left oblique.

When Davies returns, one of the rookies will lose his spot, so each of their outings right now is crucial. For a manager, having those kinds of tough decisions to make is a good thing, but it’s also challenging.

“I don’t want any decision on these guys to be easy,” Lovullo said. “We haven’t really entered into that department yet, but I know it’s inevitable that Davies will be returning.”

The D-backs have been relentless at the plate
There were times the past few seasons when the D-backs would score runs early in a game and then the offense would go stagnant for innings on end. This year, though, they’ve continued to tack on runs throughout a game.

Monday night was an example of that. The D-backs got three runs in the second, and after the Phillies scored two in the fourth to trim the lead, the offense responded right away by scoring a run in the fifth before adding another insurance run in the eighth and ninth innings.

“It’s not allowing [the Phillies] to have a shutdown inning,” Lovullo said. “I think it's a very important part of competition, when you know the team across from you doesn’t shut down, and we never do.”

It’s a characteristic that other teams notice and would like to emulate.

“You've got to battle, put the ball and play and put the pressure on them,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. “I think that's what we've seen in games we've lost. Those teams are hard to strike out. They put some good at-bats tonight with two strikes and made some things happen."