Riley Smith again strong in relief in win

Diamondbacks right-hander Riley Smith walked off the mound one night last month. He had just completed his first inning of work in the major leagues. He had also just served up a grand slam to the Colorado Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon.

“Giving up a grand slam in my debut,” Smith recalled. “That can be overwhelming.”

For Smith, it turned out not to be. He retired the side in order the following inning, and he has proceeded to roll through his next four appearances, including another lengthy one in Tuesday night’s 7-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Smith’s five shutout innings in relief of another Smith — Caleb Smith, a lefthander — helped the Diamondbacks to what might have been their tidiest victory of the season.

David Peralta had three hits. Carson Kelly connected for a three-run homer. Caleb Smith wiggled out of an inauspicious start to toss four scoreless innings before handing off to his fellow surnamed hurler.

“You talk about the type of game we’re expecting to play,” manager Torey Lovullo said, “I think that was it.”

For Riley Smith, the outing was a continuation of what has been a revelatory rookie season, the kind of strong showing that could earn him a leg up on a roster spot heading into next year.

“If you pitch good, then it puts you in a better spot,” Smith said. “If you pitch bad, it doesn’t.”

In 16 1/3 innings in the big leagues, he has allowed just three earned runs. Not every outing has been smooth -his debut against the Rockies on Aug. 26 wasn’t, nor was a five-walk relief appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers two weeks ago -- but each time Smith has managed to keep things from getting out of hand.

To say Smith has come out of nowhere isn’t entirely accurate.

He has been working his way through the Diamondbacks’ system since the club drafted him in the 24th round out of Louisiana State in 2016.

His prospect status rose last year when he had a dominant three-month stretch in the Southern League in Double-A.

But while he was added to the club’s 40-man roster last offseason as a check against the Rule 5 draft, it has taken a fair amount of attrition for him to work his way up to the majors this year.

He has capitalized on the opportunity.