DBacks, Yilber Diaz stay hot, blast Blue Jays in win at Chase Field

When the month began, the Diamondbacks had before them a stretch that could have derailed their season. Not only were they staring at three consecutive series against contending teams, two of which were on the road in their division, but they were forced to embark on it with three of their starting pitchers on the injured list.

They did not appear set up for success. And yet after dismantling the Toronto Blue Jays, 12-1, on Saturday night at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks improved to 8-4 in July. They could easily be 11-1, were it not for three bad nights from their closer. They are two games over .500 for the first time since the first week of the season, and they are assured of entering the All-Star break with a winning record.

“I think we all knew that we were capable of doing something like this, but to see it play out the way it has, it’s been pretty rewarding,” outfielder Corbin Carroll said. “Everybody just wants to keep this thing rolling.”

Carroll smacked a pair of homers and drove in six runs. Rookie right-hander Yilber Diaz turned in his second impressive performance in as many starts, giving up just one run in six innings to earn his first career victory. Ketel Marte and Jose Herrera each reached base four times. The Diamondbacks moved to 49-47, and on Sunday afternoon they will give the ball to their ace, Zac Gallen, in search of a sweep.

The Diamondbacks pounded out 15 hits and extended their win streak to four, tying a season high.

Diaz, at 23, became the youngest pitcher in club history to give up one run or less in at least six innings in each of his first two starts, joining a group that includes John Patterson (24), Ryne Nelson (24) and Geraldo Guzman (27).

Diaz leaned heavily on his fastball, going to it on 55 of his 87 pitches (63 percent), and while he gave up some hard contact most of it found its way to Diamondbacks’ defenders.

The Diamondbacks seem to be finding their stride. Unlike a year ago, when it felt like the break might give them a chance to regroup, this time around it feels like the Diamondbacks might want to keep on going, vacation plans be damned.

They began the month by winning two of three at Dodger Stadium. They followed that by taking a series from the Padres in San Diego. And after splitting a four-game set against the Braves, they have won back-to-back games against a disappointing Blue Jays team.

Carroll nodded in agreement when it was suggested that this was not the portion of the schedule that felt like it was prime territory for the Diamondbacks to find the momentum that had eluded them for most of the year.

“Baseball, right?” he offered as an explanation. “I know what you’re talking about. That’s the thing, you go out there, you play the game that day and then you flip the script and move on to the next one. I think we’ve just done a good job of that — staying present, not looking too far ahead and not getting too caught up in what’s already happened this year. I think it’s just a testament to the guys we have in this clubhouse.”

Arizona sports:Phoenix Mercury naming practice courts after Diana Taurasi

Many of them are swinging the bats well at the moment. Since June 27, the Diamondbacks lead the majors in runs (99) and OPS (.830). Eugenio Suarez, who homered again on Saturday night, has caught fire in recent weeks. Marte continues to produce. And the lineup feels lengthened by the returns of Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas, both of whom missed large chunks of the season to injury.

The hot streak actually began before that series at Dodger Stadium, with the Diamondbacks winning back-to-back games against the Oakland Athletics at the end of June. Manager Torey Lovullo made mention of that series on Saturday night, recalling a tough loss in the first game and a bounce-back win in Game 2.

“I think,” Lovullo said, “something happened in Game 2, midgame, where this team said, ‘Enough is enough. It’s our turn.’”

Sunday’s Diamondbacks-Blue Jays pitching matchup

Blue Jays at Diamondbacks, 1:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (6-5, 3.33) vs. Blue Jays LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-8, 4.00).

The Diamondbacks will close the first half of the season as they began it back on Opening Day, with Gallen on the mound. Two weeks ago, they reworked their rotation order to ensure Gallen would start this game. He will also likely start the first game after the break. … After two straight outings in which he set career highs for fastball velocity, Gallen dialed it back against the Braves on Tuesday. … His command was better but he still got subpar results, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. … He has a 4.11 ERA in three starts since returning from the injured list. … Kikuchi was dominant in his last start. He struck out a career-high 13 and did not walk a batter while allowing two runs in 7 1/3 innings against the Giants. … He throws a 96 mph fastball nearly half the time and also relies heavily on his curveball.

Coming up

Monday-Thursday: All-Star break.

Friday: At Chicago, 11:20 a.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cubs TBA.