The Arizona Diamondbacks' 27th spring training, and 14th based at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, wrapped up on Sunday, which means Opening Day 2024 can't be far away now. The defending National League champions' final Cactus League game was Sunday in Maryvale against the Milwaukee Brewers. Now the DBacks play two exhibition games March 25-26 at Chase Field against the Cleveland Guardians to make final preparations for the start of the season. Those game times are 6:40 p.m. on Monday and 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks' 2024 regular season opens on Thursday, March 28 at Chase Field against the Colorado Rockies starting at 7:10 p.m.

Diamondbacks 6, Guardians 0 (six innings)

At Chase Field, Monday, March 25

At the plate: In a game that was called early due to rain, CF Alek Thomas and 1B Christian Walker each had a homer and a double and Thomas added a walk, leading an offense that collected eight hits and three walks in six innings. RF Corbin Carroll had a triple and a walk and SS Geraldo Perdomo had a double and a single. Manager Torey Lovullo was pleased not just with the way his team swung the bats but also with several other plays on defense and on the bases. “Everything was really clean,” Lovullo said. “That makes me happy. We work hard for those moments to happen. They don’t happen by accident. These guys turned the dial up a little bit today. It was fun for me to watch.”

On the mound: LHP Tommy Henry, who is lined up to move into the No. 3 spot in the rotation vacated by the injured LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, threw six scoreless innings, walking none and striking out four. He allowed only three balls in the air or on a line that were hit 95 mph or harder. He finished his spring with back-to-back impressive performances. “It felt nice to keep that momentum moving in the right direction,” Henry said. “For the most part, I was pretty happy with the execution.”

Extra bases: 2B Ketel Marte was hit by a pitch on the left calf in the bottom of the fourth inning but remained in the game. Lovullo said Marte was receiving treatment on it after the game but added that it was not a concern. “He’s fine,” Lovullo said.

Next game, Tuesday, March 26: Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt vs. Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie, 12:40 p.m., Chase Field.

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Brewers 14, Diamondbacks 4

At American Family Fields of Phoenix, Sunday, March 24

At American Family Fields of Phoenix

On the mound: RHP Merrill Kelly was hit hard in his final start of the spring, serving up three homers in 3 2/3 innings. The Diamondbacks utilized re-entry rules to have Kelly exit the game in the second and came back out to start the third, ensuring they could get him to touch parts of five innings. Kelly was asked if he felt ready to take the ball on Friday in the second game of the regular season. “It's tough to gauge spring training games,” he said. “I’ll probably have a better answer for that after the first couple of regular season games with the adrenaline and stuff and throwing a little bit differently. Not to say I’m not out there not trying, but it feels a little different from the regular season. But my arm feels good, shoulder feels good, body is moving pretty well, so that’s what I’m really concerned about right now.”

At the plate: 3B/SS Jace Peterson went 1 for 3 with a double. LF Jake McCarthy was hitless in three at-bats. 2B Blaze Alexander had a rare hitless day at the plate, going 0 for 3. 3B Emmanuel Rivera went 0 for 3 and finishes Cactus League play with a .174 average and .503 OPS. He is out of minor league options and appears to be competing with Alexander for the final bench spot.

Extra bases: Alexander made a diving stop up the middle to take a hit away from CF Blake Perkins in the second inning. SS Cristofer Torin exited the game in the second inning due to illness.

Next game, Monday, March 25: Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry vs. Guardians TBA, 6:40 p.m., Chase Field.

Guardians 5, Diamondbacks (ss) 0

At Salt River Fields, Saturday, March 23

At the plate: The Diamondbacks concluded the Salt River Fields portion of their spring training schedule with a quiet day offensively. The only starters to record hits were SS Geraldo Perdomo and CF Jake McCarthy, both of whom went 1 for 3. “We came out a little flat today,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Maybe it's the time of spring training, I don't know. But I could just tell the energy was down.”

On the mound: RHP Zac Gallen had an up-and-down outing in his last start of spring training. He ramped himself up to 81 pitches across five innings, preparing himself for close to a full workload on Opening Day on Thursday night. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings while only striking out three. Gallen, though, did not sound concerned about his ability to be at his best on Opening Day. “I felt like I made some pretty solid pitches there, used some different sequences and then just tried to execute some pitches in different counts that I don't normally do in a game,” Gallen said. “It's spring training so you're just kind of working on stuff and seeing what you've got. I felt pretty solid.” LHP Joe Mantiply, RHP Ryan Thompson, RHP Miguel Castro and RHP Paul Sewald were the major league relievers who worked scoreless outings behind Gallen.

Extra bases: It was mostly an uneventful day for the Diamondbacks, outside of a few fielding miscues. C Gabriel Moreno threw a ball away at third base, trying to backpick a runner there. LF Joc Pederson dropped a fly ball that he had chased down towards the warning track, although he was not charged with an error. Pederson has struggled in the field this spring and figures to primarily serve as a designated hitter in the regular season.

Diamondbacks (ss) 11, Giants 5

At Scottsdale Stadium, Saturday, March 23

At the plate: 3B Blaze Alexander went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles, another loud day at the plate in his push to win a bench spot. He has gone a scorching 21 for 50 (.420) with a .442 on-base and .640 slugging, going from a longshot to break camp with the team to someone squarely in the mix. C Jose Herrera also had three hits and a pair of doubles. He is trying to beat out C Tucker Barnhart for the backup catcher’s job. RF Corbin Carroll doubled and walked. CF Alek Thomas had a bases-clearing triple in the third, a hard shot off LHP Kyle Harrison, extending his productive run off lefties this spring.

On the mound: RHP Luis Frias, who is competing for a bullpen spot, fired a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. In 9-1/3 innings in the Cactus League, Frias has given up two earned runs with three walks and 11 strikeouts. RHP Kevin Ginkel, the club’s top setup man, retired the side in order in a scoreless sixth inning.

Diamondbacks 3, Mariners 3

At Salt River Fields, Friday, March 22

At the plate: 2B Ketel Marte hit a solo home run to right field, two at-bats after shattering his bat on a ground ball to first base. It happened in the bottom of the sixth inning right after Seattle made a pitching change, and Marte has at least a hit in 15 of 16 spring training games. RF Corbin Carroll, facing his hometown team, singled in a run in the third inning. ... The Diamondbacks executed a double steal in the sixth with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. stealing home and Christian Walker getting to second base safely. "We identified that was a good situation for it, worked out, it worked out really well," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "There's a reason for it, there are some identifiable things, and then you've got to be able to execute it. And both runners executed perfectly. So they're not the fastest guys in the world. But there's technique and form and trust in both guys."

On the mound: RHP Ryne Nelson, likely in the starting rotation when the regular season starts, pitched five innings of one-run baseball, continuing his strong spring. He struck out nine and walked two, allowing a run on a solo homer in the top of the fifth inning as part of the five hits Nelson surrendered. "I worked ahead a lot and that was one of my main focuses from last outing. I went back and watched (his last start) I was 2-1 a lot, 2-0, didn't really threw a bunch of first pitch strikes," Nelson said. "So that was my big focus and it makes it easier to kind of dip into the bag of tricks when you're working ahead. And I felt like I kept them off balance and had some good stuff." ... LHP Kyle Nelson and RHPs Ryan Thompson and Scott McGough worked scoreless innings (one each).

Extra bases: The Diamondbacks made some roster moves Friday, optioning LHP Andrew Saalfrank and OF Pavin Smith to Triple-A Reno. LHP Jose Castillo was reassigned to minor league camp and veteran IF Elvis Andrus was released. "My message to him was, continue doing what you do best, play on both sides of the ball and improve as a first baseman, improve as an outfielder and get your butt back to the big leagues by making statements," Lovullo said of Smith. ... Andrus was told he would not make the team. Lovullo said the club hopes Andrus finds a major league job elsewhere and would otherwise be welcomed back on another minor league deal. ... Saalfrank was sent down with the edict of throwing more strikes and getting ahead in counts more often.

Next games, Saturday, March 23: Diamondbacks (split squad) RHP Zac Gallen vs. Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields; Diamondbacks (split squad) LHP Logan Allen vs. Giants LHP Kyle Harrison, 1:05 p.m., Scottsdale Stadium.

Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 1

At Salt River Fields, Wednesday, March 20

At the plate: RF Corbin Carroll had a pair of singles. The first was an infield chopper to second, but the second was a hard line drive to right field, which he followed up with a stolen base. 1B Christian Walker deposited his first home run of the spring on the berm in left field in the fourth inning. 3B Eugenio Suarez connected for his second homer, a no-doubt shot halfway up the berm in left-center. “When you see guys drive baseballs out of the ballpark, … when you’re slugging the baseball, it’s always a good sign,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think things are getting synced up offensively.”

On the mound: LHP Tommy Henry fired 3 1/3 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball, a performance that stops a skid of three consecutive rough outings. Henry, a candidate for a rotation spot, walked one and struck out three. Henry thought that utilizing a better mix of pitches helped him get better results. “Just more variety, more off-speed,” he said. “I felt like maybe I was a little predictable at times (in previous starts). I tried to be a little more aggressive from the start with that.” Henry elicited three whiffs and his curveball and another on his change-up. RHP Bryce Jarvis, a candidate for a spot either in the rotation or as a long reliever, allowed one run on one hit in 3 1/3 innings while striking out three batters. He got nine whiffs, including five on his cutter.

Extra bases: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez was examined by the club’s medical staff and felt less tightness in his left lat than he felt when he was forced out of his start on Tuesday night, manager Torey Lovullo said. Lovullo did not offer a timeline for a return or outline what Rodriguez’s next steps would be, but he did sound encouraged by the progress Rodriguez showed from the night before. “We feel like we dodged a bullet,” Lovullo said. He later added: “He seemed to be in good spirits and the medical staff was encouraged by what they got.” Lovullo said the club has talked about potentially sending Rodriguez for an MRI; the fact he was not immediately sent for one would appear to be more further encouraging news.

Next game, Friday, March 22: Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson vs. Mariners TBA, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.

Diamondbacks 4, Cubs 1

At Sloan Park, Tuesday, March 19

At the plate: 3B Blaze Alexander continued a strong spring as he pushes for a bench spot on the Opening Day roster. He went 2 for 3 and is now hitting .400 in spring training. He also stole a pair of bases in Tuesday’s game. 1B Pavin Smith went 3 for 3 with three singles, all of which were hit hard. He is exclusively playing first base during spring training as he competes for the backup first baseman job, an opening that is likely between himself and Emmanuel Rivera. CF Alek Thomas lined a double off the right-center field wall and has been hitting the ball well over the past week.

On the mound: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez exited the game after throwing his warmup pitches prior to the second inning. The club is describing the injury as left lat tightness. He worked a scoreless first inning, but the much larger concern is on his health, though manager Torey Lovullo did not have much information postgame, saying the team will know more Wednesday. LHP Andrew Saalfrank stepped in after Rodriguez exited and worked 1-1/3 scoreless innings. Saalfrank threw 25 pitches, his most in a game this spring as he builds up his workload.

Extra bases: In addition to the injury to Rodriguez, SS Geraldo Perdomo was removed from the game for a pinch runner after a fifth-inning double in his third at-bat. Perdomo had missed a week with discomfort in his left knee. “He was gonna get three at-bats no matter what, we had that discussion,” Lovullo said. “But yeah, I thought he was a little ginger running into second base after the double. So I asked how he was doing, everybody said that he was fine so I'll stand on that.”

Next game, Wednesday, March 20: Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry vs. Rockies RHP Peter Lambert, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.

Diamondbacks 3, Athletics 3

At Salt River Fields, Monday, March 18

At the plate: CF Jake McCarthy had a pair of hits, including a hustle double, in three at-bats, making him 7 for 16 with a double and a triple in his past five games in the Cactus League. 1B Christian Walker contributed two hits and drove in a run. “I was really pleased with our situational hitting approach,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think there were some good at-bats with men out there. Guys were just digging in and not giving in through the at-bat, so that was good.”

On the mound: RHP Merrill Kelly fired 3-1/3 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out seven, following RHP Zac Gallen’s outing on Sunday with another strong performance from a Diamondbacks starter. “I think I need to start being a little more efficient,” he said. “Sixty-five pitches in 3-1/3 is a little much.” That, however, was his only complaint, saying he felt sharp with all of his pitches, namely his fastball and slider. Kelly elicited five swinging strikes on his change-up while also getting whiffs on his fastball (three), cutter (one), slider (one) and curveball (one). Kelly has one last start before the regular season, in which he will start the second game of the season against the Colorado Rockies on March 29. RHP Paul Sewald threw a scoreless fifth inning, giving up two hits and striking out two. His fastball averaged 90.8 mph, continuing to progress closer to his 92.2 mph average from last year.

Extra bases: The Diamondbacks cut down a runner at the plate in the fifth, with SS Jace Peterson taking a relay from LF Tim Tawa and firing home to get RF Seth Brown, who tried to score from first on a double by LF Brent Rooker.

Next game, Tuesday, March 19: Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Cubs TBA, 6:05 p.m., Sloan Park.

--Nick Piecoro

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks preseason updates