PHOENIX — Slowly but surely, the Diamondbacks are getting the band back together.
Daniel Hudson returned to the mound for the first time in almost six weeks Sunday, Chris Young tracked down balls in center field behind him, and much was well in the D-backs' world after a comeback 4-3 victory over the Brewers on Sunday.
The D-backs won a home series for the first time in seven weeks -- the last time Hudson and Young were on the field together before going on the disabled list with shoulder issues within a day of each other in mid-April.
Their second straight comeback victory had a familiar feel. Hudson went five innings while on a pitch count, the D-backs overcame a two-run deficit in the sixth inning and the bullpen shut the Brewers down the rest of the way.
Milwaukee did not have a hit after Bryan Shaw got a double-play grounder from Nyjer Morgan in a one-pitch at-bat to keep the Brewers from building on a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning, and Jason Kubel, Ryan Roberts and Henry Blanco had two-out hits to give the D-backs the lead in the bottom of the frame.
"The team is trying to wake up a little bit and trying to play better," Blanco said. "We need to play better from this point on, and we are showing some life. We feel the last couple of games that we are picking it up a little more. We did it that way last year and we need to do it again.
"It's going to be great from this point on."
Having most of the regulars back helps, and manager Kirk Gibson said he plans to ride the starting group for the near term as the D-backs (22-26) attempt to make up ground on the NL West-leading Dodgers and second-place Giants. They start a three-game in San Francisco on Monday afternoon.
When catcher Miguel Montero returns, either Monday or Tuesday, Gibson will have almost all the pieces of the team that won seven of the first 10 games before injuries struck.
"We'll let these guys keep playing, beat them to death and see how they go. They put the push on last year, and we are getting our troops back," Gibson said.
Added closer J.J. Putz, who earned his second save in as many games: "Any time we can get guys back like 'Huddy' and 'C.Y.' ... 'Huddy' is a guy we were going to lean on heavily this year. It was good to see him back on the bump."
Hudson, a 16-game winner in 2011, adds an innings eater to the rotation, and maybe his return will kick-start running mate Ian Kennedy.
Young certainly was missed, and it is hard to overstate the value of his return, even if the D-backs do have some outfield depth.
Young was all over the NL leaderboard before missing five weeks with a slight tear in a shoulder ligament, and Gibson said the D-backs probably rushed him back, so great is his value in other areas. The D-backs are 12-8 in the games Young has been active, 10-18 in the games he has missed.
"He's one of the leaders of this team. You definitely miss a guy like that. His defensive presence. His presence at the plate. Not only all that stuff, but the mental side of it. He is an emotional leader. He has that winning mentality, and it has an effect," Justin Upton said.
Young remains tied for the team lead with five home runs and is among the leaders with 15 RBIs, one of seven players with at least that many in a balanced attack. He has hit fourth or fifth since returning, lengthening a lineup that had some trouble scoring in his absence.
"It adds another power piece. It makes it easier on 'Gibby.' It makes opposing managers think about pitching changes. There is a presence there we definitely missed," Upton said.
The lineup again appears to include Ryan Roberts, who seems to have regained the third base job despite the promotion of Josh Bell last week. Roberts, Gibson and third base coach Matt Williams met at the start of this homestand, and Gibson suggested that Roberts concentrate more on hitting the ball through the middle of the field and playing to his strengths.
"'Ryno's a dirt-bag baseball player," said Gibson, offering a high compliment in the baseball world that's given to players who grind through challenges and do the little things necessary.
"We talked to him about being the baseball player he is, who we thought he was. We wanted to get him back on track. We pointed some things out to him, and he responded to it. He can do a lot and he's versatile, both offensively and defensively. He brings a lot to this team. I asked him to do some things in preparation, and he's done them. He deserves to play."
