PHOENIX -- When the D-backs envision what Ryne Nelson potentially could be, Friday night's performance by the right-hander is what they see -- a hard thrower who can use his secondary pitches to keep hitters off his fastball.

Landing his secondary stuff has, at times, been an issue for Nelson, who is in just his second full season in the big leagues, but Friday night, he had his full arsenal working, and the White Sox paid the price.

Nelson tossed six strong innings while Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suárez homered as the D-backs beat the White Sox, 7-1 in the first of a three-game series at Chase Field.

"He pounded the strike zone," White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. "He pitched up in the zone. We chased a little bit up there. He has pretty good stuff."

Nelson struck out a career-high eight while allowing just one run on six hits to pick up the win.

"The cutter/slider was real good today," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "There was a lot of swing and miss, but I just thought he was pitching and sequencing and that created an uneasy approach and kept those guys off balance."

Nelson threw his four-seam fastball 41 percent of the time Friday night. It was the lowest percentage of fastballs he's thrown in any appearance this year.

"I felt like I was jumping ahead of guys and also just throwing a good [pitch] mix out there today," Nelson said. "I felt like the curveball and slider were both really good tonight and mixed the changeup in there too and it allowed a little bit more freedom with the fastball."

It's one thing to throw your secondary pitches, but it's another to have a good feel for them so they can be effective.

It's not a coincidence that this is the first time all year that Nelson has felt like he's had all those pitches working simultaneously.

"We've been working really hard on getting those secondary [pitches] locked in and I think tonight was the first step in being able to confidently use them like that and expanding with them and throwing them in the zone in good spots," Nelson said. "So I think that it just all kind of came together tonight."

When he saw how Nelson's secondary stuff looked early in the game, veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart felt comfortable calling for them more often. That was effective against a White Sox team that aggressively attacks fastballs.

"I told him this is the best I've ever seen his slider," Barnhart said. "It's been a work in progress. He's been tinkering a lot with it and really happy for him to be able to find one that was consistent, that he was confident in and was able to really execute at a high, high level tonight."

Nelson got plenty of support from his offense as the D-backs scored two runs in the second on Barnhart's two-run single. After adding a run in the third, Suárez led off the fourth with a homer to set off a three-run rally that pushed the lead to 6-1.

The D-backs, fresh off taking two of three from the slumping Angels, are looking to take advantage of a pair of struggling teams on this homestand to gain some traction in the standings. The White Sox have the worst record in the Majors.

Of course, no one in the Arizona clubhouse will talk about that because no one wants to disrespect an opponent or risk taking wins for granted.

"Look, this is a tough league," Lovullo said. "You can't assume any win is going to just be handed to you."