ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Patrick Corbin offers steady performance, gets win in return to the mound for Arizona Diamondbacks

Jul 4, 2015, 9:37 PM | Updated: 11:45 pm

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If you’re the Arizona Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, Saturday night’s return to the mound was exactly the kind of thing you were looking for. No resounding conclusions will be drawn, but a steady, controlled effort can only build confidence as the All-Star break approaches.

Yes, in his return to the mound after a 16-month layoff due to Tommy John surgery on his left elbow that forced him to miss the entire 2014 season, the 25-year-old Corbin was solid, but his presence was substantial.

Surrendering eight hits, two earned runs and striking out three on 76 pitches through five innings of work, Corbin picked up his first major league win since Sept. 11, 2013. Sure, he may have had his ups and downs in his first game back, but it wasn’t the sort of thing that would suggest the one-time All-Star wasn’t prepared for the moment.

In the first inning, Corbin managed to record his first two outs in his return thanks to a double play. In the second inning, Corbin recorded his first major league strikeout since 2013. The third inning proved to be the most treacherous, as Corbin ceded two runs in that frame to give Colorado a 2-0 lead, but his response shutting out the Rockies in the two innings that followed had to offer a measure of encouragement for both Corbin and D-backs manager Chip Hale.

Despite the lengthy hiatus, Corbin stated he was “ready to go” in the days leading up to the culmination of his comeback.

If his first start since Sept. 27, 2013 was any indication, the lefty from Clay, New York appears ready to back up that claim, giving the D-backs an additional starting arm they can turn to as the summer months — and a potential NL Wildcard chase — heat up.

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