SAN FRANCISCO – When the Diamondbacks acquired right fielder Steven Souza Jr. in February, they did not envision him as a pure one-for-one offensive replacement for J.D. Martinez. Instead, they saw him as a sum-of-his-parts type, someone whose total contributions might approximate Martinez’s value.
What they envisioned was the sort of performance Souza gave them on Wednesday night at AT&T Park. He hit a rocket for a home run. He smoked another ball for a double. He made a pair of diving catches, one of which his pitcher said ranked among the best he’d ever seen.
“He was a catalyst for us today,” manager Torey Lovullo said, “on both sides of the ball.