DENVER (AP) — To summon a recent reliever, Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't even need to signal his bullpen. He just pointed toward his first baseman.Now pitching: Anthony Rizzo .That's no sort of curveball, either.In an increasing trend this season, position players are making more appearances on the mound to save wear and tear on the bullpen in games that have spiraled out of hand or as a last resort.Through Thursday, there have been 49 appearances by 39 non-pitchers (not counting two-way player Shohei Ohtani ). Both figures are major-league highs for the expansion era starting in 1961, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."It's just cool to be up there and get to do something that you don't get to do," said Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who was a closer and infielder at Oklahoma State but has never pitched in the majors despite his best lobbying efforts. "You have the ball in your hands nonstop."Rizzo pleaded for a while to get into a game. His chance arrived on July 23 with the Cubs... [More]

2B Daniel Descalso started Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday, replacing 2B Brandon Drury, who went 0-for-4 in Game 1, hitting into two double plays and striking out twice. For Descalso, Game 2 was his 47th career postseason game, 44 of them coming with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2011 to 2014. "It's a manager's dream when you can put him in there and he's not going to be affected by the moment," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Not that anybody else could or couldn't do his job at that level, but I just felt very comfortable with that experience factor." Descalso went 1-for-3 with a walk on Saturday in Game 2.

2B Daniel Descalso's third inning homer for a 6-0 lead was his third postseason homer in 99 plate appearances. His first two came with St. Louis in the 2012 NLDS against Washington, after the Cardinals beat Atlanta in the wild card game that year. "That was a wild game," Descalso said. "It felt like the last team that scored was going to win. That offense, they kept coming. They are not going to quit, just like we are not going to quit. That's a great game out there."

2B Daniel Descalso was 1-for-4 with a single and is 11-for-33 with two doubles, three homers, eight RBIs and five walks in his last 12 games while starting at first and second base and playing left field.

IF/OF Daniel Descalso had two hits and two walks while extending his career high with his 10th homer Saturday. Versatile Descalso played first base, left field and second base in the span of four innings over two games, starting for Paul Goldschmidt at first on Friday before moving to left field on a double switch in the seventh inning. He started at second Saturday. "It's the same heartbeat," manager Torey Lovullo said. "He never changes."

IF/OF Daniel Descalso was 1-for4 with a double while making his third straight start at first base in place of Paul Goldschmidt (elbow). Descalso has made at least six starts at left field, second base, third base and first base the season, filling the role the D-backs envisioned when they signed him as a free agent last winter. "I always thought about him as our backup first baseman," manager Torey Lovullo said. "That's kind of how we designed our thoughts as we planned the season."

OF/IF Daniel Descalso delivered an RBI single Tuesday against the Dodgers in Tuesday's win and is now 7-for-20 (.368) over his last seven games with three runs, a double, two home runs and five RBIs. He also has a .429 OBP during that stretch with a .737 slugging percentage.

PH Daniel Descalso hit three-run pinch-hit homer in Friday's win over Colorado. It was Descalso's fifth career pinch hit homer and first with runners on base. It was also his second pinch-hit homer this season; the other was May 15 against the New York Mets.

IF Daniel Descalso was called on to finish Sunday's game for Arizona -- on the mound. Diamondbacks' pitchers allowed 12 runs in the loss, including nine in the first inning. Descalso pitched one perfect inning. It was his second relief appearance of the season and third career appearance.

2B Daniel Descalso hit his first career inside-the-park home run and the 14th in franchise history. It marked the third inside-the-park homer for the Diamondbacks this season and their first on the road since Kelly Stinnett on Aug. 29, 2005 at San Diego. It was the eighth in Minute Maid Park history.

INF Daniel Descalso pinch-hit for Owings in the second inning and drew a bases-loaded walk, giving him six pinch-hit RBIs for the season, a team high. Descalso, who might get more at-bats in Chris Owings' absence, added a double in the seventh but was stranded at second. Descalso needs just six more RBIs to establish a career high of 44.

3B Daniel Descalso got a start in Lamb's absence and collected two hits, giving him a modest four-game hitting streak. But Descalso made the error that led to the game's only run in the sixth inning as he booted Pham's bouncer. Descalso, a former Cardinal who still draws applause when he steps to the plate in St. Louis because of his past postseason success, is six RBI away from tying his career high of 43.

INF/OF Daniel Descalso went 3-for-3 with a double and a RBI against the Braves' R.A. Dickey on Friday and is 8-for-13 in his career against the veteran knuckleball pitcher. Descalso grounded out his last time up and is hitting .249 with six homers and 32 RBIs this season.

LF Daniel Descalso has hit safely in eight of the past nine games and is batting .382 in that span with two doubles, two triples and a home run. Descalso, who showed his versatility on defense last week when he moved from left field to shortstop after Nick Ahmed suffered a broken had against the St. Louis Cardinals, moved from left field to third base on a double switch

LF Daniel Descalso extended his hitting streak to five games with a double off the left-field fence in the fourth inning and finished 2-for-4 with a walk. He has four straight multiple-hit games and has 13 hits in his last 34 at-bats with two doubles, a triple and six RBIs. He started in left field Tuesday before moving to shortstop in the ninth inning after SS Nick Ahmed was hit by a pitch and forced to leave the game. Descalso started at third base Sunday and first base Monday.

OF Daniel Descalso went 2-for-4 batting leadoff for Arizona in a 5-1 victory over the Phillies on Saturday. Descalso had what ended up being the winning RBI, punching a run-scoring single through the hole on the right side to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning.

INF/OF Daniel Descalso started his fifth straight game in left field in place of the injured Yasmany Tomas. Descalso went 0-3 with a walk in the leadoff role, lowering his average to .215.

INF/OF Daniel Descalso played his third position in four games and got his eighth career start in left field Sunday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI single. Every one of the 13 position players has at least one start in the first week of the season, a priority for manager Torey Lovullo. "It's my job to make sure the guys that hadn't been playing on a regular basis stay fresh and sharp so when they step into that moment they are not one step behind," Lovullo said. "I know it can be challenging, timing-wise, to get locked in at the plate. You don't want to waste at-bats figuring out your timing." Descalso started at second base Thursday and played the ninth inning at first base Saturday.

INF Daniel Descalso made his first D-backs at-bat count -- his pinch-hit single to center field with two outs in the ninth inning drove in Jeff Mathis with the tying run, and he later scored the winning run on Chris Owings' single. Manager Torey Lovullo played the matchup with Descalso, who is 5-for-15 against Giants RHP Mark Melancon in his career.

SS Daniel Descalso homered in the sixth inning, his second home run in three nights. Three of Descalso's seven home runs on the season have come in the past two weeks.