--OF Gerardo Parra needed only three pitches to record his first major league home run Wednesday, when he drove a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right field as the second batter in the D-backs' first inning. "I'm the happiest any person could be to be here in the major leagues," said Parra, 21, through an interpreter. Parra is the only left-handed hitter among Arizona's four outfielders, and he is likely to play a lot in the short term because the D-backs are scheduled to face right-handed pitchers in the first six games of a 10-game road trip that begins Friday.
--RHP Bryan Augenstein admitted to a few nerves when he made his major league debut Wednesday, although it did not show in his first two innings, when he threw first-pitch strikes to five of the seven batters he faced and did not give up a hit. "It's a great feeling. It's every kid's dream. It's been my dream since I was little," said Augenstein, who will make his next start Tuesday in Florida. --RHP Esmerling Vasquez recorded his first major league victory Sunday in the D-backs' 10-8 victory over Washington, as did manager A.J. Hinch. It was the 19th time in modern major league history that a manager and a pitcher recorded their first victories in the same game, most recently when Milwaukee manager Dale Sveum and RHP Mark DiFelice paired up in the Brewers' 6-2 victory over the Cubs last Sept. 17, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Hinch received the game ball and has it in his office.
BY THE NUMBERS: .195 -- The D-backs' batting average with runners in scoring position, a major league low, through May 10.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The lack of experience is overwhelmed by understanding what organizational advocacy is. We're not here to reinvent the wheel, but to change the nature of the job a little bit. OK, we'll do that." -- General manager Josh Byrnes, announcing new manager A.J. Hinch's hiring to replace Bob Melvin. Hinch, former director of player development, had never coached or managed.
