SAN FRANCISCO -- One of the reasons the D-backs won seven of their first nine games of the season was because of how they've swung the bats with runners in scoring position.
Heading into Wednesday night's game against the Giants, the D-backs had a .375 mark in those situations, tops in the Majors. Numbers like that are sure to come down a bit, but D-backs GM Mike Hazen likes what he's seen from his offense.
"I think in order to be a good offensive club for 162 games, you need to have contributions up and down your lineup," he said. "You can't rely on one or two guys. I think that speaks to the length of our lineup more than anything else because as opportunities have come up mostly in the middle to the later ends of games, we've had tremendous at-bats."
Making progress: Hazen has gotten good reports on right-hander Rubby De La Rosa, who missed most of last season due to an elbow issue.
De La Rosa has gone through two stem-cell treatments as a way of trying to avoid having a second Tommy John surgery and faced hitters in an extended spring training game this week.
"Velocity has been good, stuff's been good. Good to see," Hazen said. "He's felt great all throughout Spring Training, throughout his entire throwing progression."
Tit for tat: D-backs right-hander Taijuan Walker hit Giants catcher Buster Posey in the helmet with a pitch in Monday's series opener, and Posey wound up being placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion.
With two outs in the first inning Tuesday, Giants starter Jeff Samardzija threw inside with his first pitch to D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and hit him in the buttocks with his second offering.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo was asked if he thought that was the Giants' way of retaliating for Posey getting hit.
"I don't know really much about any of that," Lovullo said before Wednesday's game. "I don't want to give [it] any legs. Whatever happened happened. They had a reason for it, it's fine. But that's their side. That's their perspective. Our perspective is we won the game and that was all I cared about yesterday."