The D-backs will open a three-game series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday with a special eye on Ramirez. The slugger was 20-of-32 (.625) with six doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs in his nine games against Arizona after being acquired by the Dodgers from Boston at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

"We have some ideas, but we have to do it a little bit differently," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said about the team's approach to facing Ramirez this season.

"For the most part, we didn't make our pitches last year. He hit some good pitches. He hit some hanging pitches. We weren't the only team he beat up on. Everyone is going to look at pitching him a little bit differently, or at times pitching around him more so. We'll see how he is swinging when we get there."

Ramirez had three four-hit games and four two-hit against the D-backs, who had a two-game lead in the division the day Ramirez arrived but were 26-28 the rest of the way -- losing seven of nine games to the Dodgers -- to finish in second place, two games back.

Ramirez had a double, a homer and five RBIs in a 7-2 victory on Sept. 6, when the Dodgers took a half-game lead over the D-backs and never looked back. In his only two hitless games against Arizona, he was walked five times, with two intentional walks in each game.