Diamondbacks 5, Giants 2: San Francisco, good for what ails you

Cactus League record: 7-5-1.

It's probably no more than random chance, but startling to compare and contrast our performances against the two Northern California teams this spring:
vs. Oakland: 0-2, 7 runs scored, 13 allowed.
vs. San Francisco: 3-0, 27 runs scored, 9 allowed
Based on this, I'm just glad we're in the National League West and not the American League...

Today didn't exactly start off well, Chase Anderson allowing a two-run homer to Brandon Belt with two down in the first inning [though apparently it wasn't a bad pitch, a change-up down and out of the zone].  But that was all the damage Anderson would incur, becoming the first Diamondback pitcher this spring to go four innings, scattering six hits but listening to my pre-game advice and throwing strikes, walking none, with one strikeout. He also singled in the bottom of the fourth.

Aaron Blair had a nice outing, allowing one hit over his three innings of work, with one walk and a strikeout. That was a one-out triple in the sixth, but he stranded what was then the tying run there, with a couple of fly balls to A.J. Pollock in center. Dan Runzler worked a perfect eighth, striking our Nori Aoki and Enrique Burgos got the save, despite allowing a lead-off walk to Belt, who stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. All told, with two walks and five strikeouts, it was certainly a much more controlled performance by our pitchers than in the afternoon game.

On offense, we took the lead with a three-run third. Chris Owings, in his first Cactus League action, got Arizona on the board with an RBI single and, after a walk to Paul Goldschmidt loaded the bases, Mark Trumbo came through with a two-run single, bringing home the tying and go-ahead tallies. Blake Lalli and Pollock each had RBI hits in our two-run seventh. Pollock had a pair of hits, while Goldschmidt, Nick Ahmed and Lalli each chipped in with a hit and a walk. We were active on the base-paths, with Owings, Ahmed and Mike Freeman all stealing bases, though Pollock was thrown out at third on his RBI double.

The contest also set a single-game attendance record at Salt River Fields, attendance cracking 13K for the first time, at 13,032. That was 56 more than were there last Sunday, also against the Giants. Tomorrow, there's a 7-inning "B" game against the Rockies, with Trevor Cahill starting for us, and in full Cactus League action, we take on the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium, with a 3:05pm first pitch. and Archie Bradley going up against Tim Hudson.