Diamondbacks activate catcher Gabriel Moreno from the 10-day injured list

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks activated catcher Gabriel Moreno from the 10-day injured list on Friday.

Moreno had been sidelined by a strained left oblique. He started the opener of a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs and went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in a 6-5 loss.

“Having Gabby healthy and in this lineup means we’re a different team,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said before the game. “It’s the quality of at-bat, it's how he controls the running game defensively, how he runs the game behind the plate. So nothing against the other catchers, he’s just very dynamic, has a lot of tools.”

The Diamondbacks also recalled left-hander Brandyn Garcia from Triple-A Reno. Left-hander Philip Abner was sent down and catcher Aramis Garcia was designated for assignment.

Brandyn Garcia pitched two perfect innings in the loss to the Cubs. The 25-year-old lefty was helped by a solid running catch by Tim Tawa in left for the final out of the sixth.

“Garcia is really a great weapon for us in the bullpen,” Lovullo said. “And it’s not just left on left. He’s got wipeout stuff against any type of hitter. And when it’s on, it’s very impressive. So he’s been throwing the ball well. The things that we asked him to do when he went down, he’s taken care of piece by piece.”

Garcia was 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 10 appearances for Reno, striking out 18 in 12 1/3 innings. He pitched for Arizona and Seattle last year, going 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in 14 games. He was acquired by the Diamondbacks in the Josh Naylor trade.

The 26-year-old Moreno is batting .244 with five RBIs in 14 games this season. He got hurt on April 10 against Philadelphia.

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