Diamondbacks in the midst of critical NL West-laden schedule

The fact that the Diamondbacks are in the middle of a division-heavy part of their schedule could make their hot start to the season even better, if they can maintain it.

The D-backs (7-4) dropped game one of a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Arizona has many more chances at their western opponents, with 14 of the team’s first 27 games coming against division rivals.

The hot start has grabbed the attention of fans as well as boosted the energy of the team.

“We love what’s happened up to this point,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Friday. “We know what our record is and we’re very proud of that. These guys deserve it. They worked really hard in spring training and that’s why the record is what it is.”

Arizona has relied primarily on its hot bats to carry the day. The Diamondbacks lead MLB in triples and are second in batting average and on-base percentage. The pitching has also stepped in, giving Arizona the 12th best ERA in the majors entering Friday at 3.78

The season began with a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, which the Diamondbacks handily captured 3-1. After that, they swept the defending AL champion Cleveland Indians before losing 2-1 in a road series to San Francisco.

The start of the second series came with a scare. On Monday, after only two-thirds of an inning, a pitch from Taijuan Walker struck Giants star catcher Buster Posey in the side of the head,ending his outing. Posey suffered a concussion from the contact.

While such an event might heighten the rivalry, Lovullo said it wasn’t something he thought was a major escalator.

“It was really a non-issue,” Lovullo said. “We hated to see Buster get hit in the head by the pitch. By no means was that intentional.One of the best players in the game is unfortunately now missing seven to 10 games.”

While reiterating that the hit was accidental, Lovullo did say that in a “rugged division” like the West, things could happen that escalate tensions.

Taking four of seven from the Giants was an accomplishment for the D-backs. The Giants have won three of the last seven World Series and have worked to stay near the top of the NL West pecking order. Yet in part due to the success of the D-backs, San Francisco has tumbled to a 4-7 record.

The second challenge is the Dodgers. Between 2014 and 2016, the D-backs posted a 16-38 record against LA, which is looking for its fifth straight postseason spot in 2017. The big story of the game was Zack Greinke pitching against Clayton Kershaw.

“I know what Zack is gonna be ready to do,” Lovullo said before the game. “He had a great spring. He worked himself into his first couple starts the way he wanted to.”

The duel ended with Kershaw on top. Greinke pitched five innings, giving up five runs and 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

The Diamondbacks have three more games against the Dodgers, and continue the month of April with series against the Padres, Dodgers, Padres and Rockies in that order.

The Rockies are off to a start that, like the D-backs, may have surprised some. They’re 7-5 on the season and took a series from the Dodgers earlier in April.

With the NL West looming as a challenging division, Lovullo knows that there will be down times during the season. However, he thinks that’s a key part of building a contender.

“That’s part of a championship season,” Lovullo said. “Everyone’s playing and performing and there are ups and downs. It’s how you really relate to one another in times of crisis that help you not prolong these long losing streaks.”