Dbacks recap and notes

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday’s 4-3 win over the Angels.

Smith launched a solo home run in the seventh inning off the foul pole in right field to give Arizona a 3-2 lead. It was the first home run he’s hit in 357 days. Smith has struggled since coming off the injured list and entered Monday’s contest batting .087 (2-for-23) over 11 games since his return. Despite the grind, manager Torey Lovullo still plans to give him opportunities at first base or designated hitter when the Diamondbacks face right-handers.

Perdomo batted second and went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Monday’s 4-3 win over the Angels.

Perdomo, who had spent the previous 10 games lower in the order, was moved back to the two hole among a slew of batting order changes enacted by manager Torey Lovullo. The shortstop had gone 12-for-34 (.353) with six walks and three steals during his brief time in the lower third of the order.

The Diamondbacks want Waldschmidt to work on hitting breaking stuff in the minors, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Waldschmidt initially handled MLB pitching with aplomb, but the league adjusted with heavy doses of spin and the strikeouts piled up. The prospect carried a 56.2 percent whiff rate against breaking balls and a 32.8 percent strikeout rate back to Triple-A Reno. “The league made a little adjustment, started spinning a lot of pitches, making it tougher for him at a level of which he’s never seen,” Diamondbacks hitting coach Joe Mather told Arizona Sports. In addition to getting better against breaking stuff, manager Torey Lovullo wants Waldschmidt to improve at controlling counts and not swing at pitcher’s pitches.

Sewald earned a save against the Angels on Monday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two batters over one inning.

Sewald entered in the ninth frame with Arizona up 4-2. He retired the first two batters he faced before Donovan Walton tagged him for a solo homer. Sewald was able to shake off the long ball, though, and struck out Oswald Peraza to slam the door shut. The veteran closer picked up his second save in as many days to push his season total up to 18, tied for third-best in the majors. Since his last blown save (May 13 versus Texas), Sewald has allowed just two runs across 12 appearances spanning 12 innings, going 9-for-9 in save chances during that span.