Jarrod Dyson debuts, Jake Lamb slams in Diamondbacks loss

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Nobody is really worried about Jake Lamb’s ability to hit a baseball. But it’s still good to get that first big swing of spring training out of the way sooner rather than later.

Lamb didn’t waste much time, touching up Colorado starter Chad Bettis for a grand slam in the third inning on Friday in a 15-6 loss. It was just his eighth at-bat of Cactus League play, and it was more reminiscent of regular season action than most spring hits, with regulars David Peralta, A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt all coming around to score as the ball cleared the right field wall.

In fact, Arizona’s lineup to start the game was top-heavy with established position players, as Peralta, Pollock, Goldschmidt and Lamb went a combined 6-for-10 in the top four spots. The bottom half featured a number of guys fighting for playing time, though, including newly acquired Jarrod Dyson.

The 33-year old outfielder spent 2017 in Seattle, where he amassed 28 steals, giving him six straight seasons of 25 or more. He’ll be vying for at-bats in a crowded outfield that also includes Yasmany Tomas and Steven Souza Jr. this season, in addition to Peralta and Pollock.

Dyson’s fielding ability might be his biggest asset outside of speed on the basepaths, but he made his spring debut as a designated hitter on Friday. After grounding out in the second inning, he picked up an infield single in the third.

It was former Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta who made the biggest difference in this one though. He finished the day with a pair of hits, three runs scored and five RBI, after using his only two at-bats to homer off both Albert Suarez and Jake Barrett. That triggered a 15-6 victory for the Rockies, in front of 8,876 fans at Salt River Field.

BASE HITS

-Pollock made a nice play in center to throw out Shawn O’Malley, who was trying to stretch a single into a double in the bottom of the second. He also chipped in two hits, a run and an RBI.

-Ramon Flores picked up the lone stolen base for the Diamondbacks in this one, his first of the spring.

-Arizona committed a pair of errors in the bottom of the seventh to extend Colorado’s lead. In all, the D-backs had four miscues in the field.

-Michael Perez hit his second homer of the spring in the top of the ninth.

-These two clubs met just twice during the 2017 Cactus League season, despite sharing a stadium. This was already their fourth meeting of this spring — just a week in — and they’ll square off again on March 12 and March 25.

-Just to make sure they don’t forget each other, they’ll open the regular season with a three-game series against each other at Chase Field as well.

-Saturday’s game against the Dodgers in Glendale can be heard on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Follow @LukeLapinski