PHOENIX — In the new age Weston Richburg Color Rush Jersey , the Arizona Diamondbacks are a testament to an old saw — pitching and defense win games.

The Diamondbacks have the numbers to prove it.

On defense, they lead the National League in both the old school and new school math: They have the fewest errors (23) in the league and also have “saved” the most above an average defense (51), according to an advanced metric computed by BaseballReference.com.

The Diamondbacks are sixth in the league in team ERA (3.52) and first in bullpen ERA (2.53) and have won seven of their last eight games to regain a cushion atop the NL West.

They used both in an errorless 6-3 victory over the New York Mets in the first game of a four-game series at Chase Field on Thursday, when Brad Boxberger pitched the ninth inning for his 15th save in 17 chances.

The Mets have lost 11 of their last 12 games and 18 of 22.

Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley is scheduled to face Mets right-hander Seth Lugo in the second game of the series Friday. Lugo is filling in for Noah Syndergaard, who is on the disabled list because of an injury to his right index finger.

“Pitching and defense go hand-in-hand,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

“The infielders are engaged and ready because the pitchers are attacking the zone. Pitching sets the tone for the entire day. The success of the defense has to be directly related to how our pitchers are throwing the ball. For the most part they have carried us. We’re prepared defensively.”

The Diamondbacks made a point of constructing a solid defense when it was clear slugger J.D. Martinez would not return. All of their starters grade out well above average in the “runs saved” metric, and reserve Jarrod Dyson — who has played almost regularly because of injuries to A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza Jr. — has saved seven runs himself while also taking away two homers.

“When we knew that J.D. wasn’t coming back, we were kind of working it the opposite way, building our team to save runs rather than maybe knocking in runs,” Lovullo said.

“If we aren’t making plays on defense, I feel they can’t be made period. When someone makes an error, it catches you by surprise. We raise the level of expectations here. When we go out and play the game, we expect guys to be great. They embrace that.”

Shortstop Nick Ahmed, second baseman Ketel Marte and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have combined for just six errors this season Authentic Lamar Jackson Jersey , and all are ranked in the top half in “runs saved” at their respective positions. All three catchers are graded as above average, and Jeff Mathis has thrown out four of the eight runners attempting to steal while ranking near the top in pitching framing.

“Nicky and Ketel, those are two shortstops up the middle,” said Daniel Descalso, who has played first, second, third and left field for Arizona this season.

“So that is going to give us a good chance to make a lot of plays, turn a lot of double plates. Dyson and A.J. running it down in center field, it probably doesn’t get much better than that.”

The Diamondbacks have shifted their defensive alignment responsibly, and over-shifted third baseman Jake Lamb made a nice back-handed stop and throw from the hole at shortstop to retire Michael Conforto to open Thursday’s game. Center fielder Chris Owings tracked down a ball over his heard in the fourth inning and Ahmed started a force out on a ball in the hole in the fifth.

The Mets were hurt by a bullpen that gave up two homers in the eighth inning Thursday after giving up one in the eighth inning of a 2-0 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday.

“You just have to keep on putting guys in situations that gives them the best chance to succeed,” Mets manager Mickey Calloway. “That is all you can do. Those guys are working really hard in between their outings trying to get the issues they have solved and get into a better spot.”

Godley (6-5, 4.97 ERA) made a quality start against the Mets at Citi Field on May 18, giving up four hits and three runs (one earned) in six innings of a 3-1 loss to Jacob deGrom. That outing mirrored his career against the Mets — he is 1-2 with a 2.08 ERA in five appearances, including four starts http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-weston-richburg-jersey , against them

Godley won his last start, giving up two runs and striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings in an 8-3 victory at Colorado on Sunday. He recovered from his least effective appearance of the season, when he gave up seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 10-3 loss at San Francisco on June 4. He has been more effective at home this season, going 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts at Chase Field.

Lugo (2-1, 1.77) will be making his third start of the season, and he has not allowed a run yet in that role. He stuck out a season-high eight while giving up only two singles in six scoreless innings of a 2-0 victory against the Yankees on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. He gave up three hits in four scoreless innings against the Cubs on May 31 while making his first spot start in place of Syndergaard.

Lugo has made three career appearances against the Diamondbacks, all in relief, giving up one run in 5 1/3 innings. This season he pitched two scoreless innings in the Mets’ 5-4 victory over Arizona on May 19.

HOUSTON — Nearly lost amid the cliched responses Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul uses to deflect the usual array of mundane questions was one nugget that perfectly encapsulates the Western Conference Finals.

It is a ballyhooed matchup featuring the two most efficient offenses in the NBA but defense will play an important role in deciding the series.

The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors present a cavalcade of All-Star performers.

On hand are Splash Brothers and point guards with Hall of Fame credentials sharing a backcourt; an MVP and Sixth Man of the Year; a versatilely skilled forward and a burgeoning big primed for a pay raise.

The Rockets are helmed by an innovative offensive mind, the Warriors stewarded by a former player and executive who has enjoyed rousing success on the bench.

For months, NBA fans have anticipated this spectacle of the rim runs and fast breaks, the hail of 3-pointers and sublime passing. But, for all their otherworldly talent, the Rockets and Warriors have no secrets. And, as Paul noted Michael Gallup Color Rush Jersey , how the teams defend on Monday in Game 1 at Toyota Center will set the tone for a series many assume will be decided on the offensive end.

Even with Paul and James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, Rockets-Warriors will be dictated by defensive might. Both teams closed the season ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, and both have ratcheted up their efforts in the playoffs. Golden State is first in defensive rating (99.3), the Rockets second (102.1). Points won’t be at a premium, but how Draymond Green, P.J. Tucker, and Clint Capela defend will clearly dictate in-game strategy.

“He does a good job on guards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green, who averaged a triple-double of 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans in the West semifinals. “Obviously, they’re an isolation team once everything shakes out so he’ll play a big role this series staying in front of Harden and Paul and also protecting the rim.

“He’ll play quite a bit against Capela. But he can also guard Tucker and (Rockets reserve forward Luc) Mbah a Moute. The whole key defensively these days is can you guard multiple positions and multiple actions http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-rashaan-gaulden-je... , and he can do that. He’s a valuable player for us.”

The Rockets have outscored their opponents by 13.8 points per game on 3s in the playoffs while also averaging 52 drives per game, also tops in the NBA this postseason. Their offensive foundation is isolation out of the pick-and-roll, with Harden and Paul exploiting matchups off the dribble or feeding teammates camped behind the arc.

Houston paced the NBA averaging 1.12 points per possession on isolations during the regular season, and 14.1 percent of their possessions in the playoffs have been isolations, the highest among the four remaining teams.

How the Warriors corral Harden and Paul on drives and midrange jumpers will resonate. If they can siphon off lobs to Capela and close out on 3-pointer shooters, success will be theirs.

“Our goal is to not have many breakdowns, communicate and not foul, and play solid defense for 48 minutes,” Curry said. “And we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far throughout the playoffs. They’re a new, different type of challenge with how they go about isolation and shoot as many 3s as they do, but we’ve seen a lot of film. We’ve experienced it throughout the season the three games we played them and we’ve got to be ready.”

For Houston, the challenge is as daunting. Ever since Kerr turned to his “Hamptons Five” lineup of Curry, Durant, Green Logan Woodside Color Rush Jersey , Thompson and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 41 points per 100 possessions over 54 minutes. That lineup has assisted on 75 percent of its field goals and is playing at a torrid pace of 114 possessions per 48 minutes.

Defending the Warriors presents a multitude of challenges, starting with Durant. He shot 41.9 percent on 3s during the season and is shooting 60.9 percent from midrange in the playoffs.

“He’s maybe the best scorer in the league,” Tucker said of Durant. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that (defending Durant). You do what you can. You try to pick him up early, you try to get physical. You try to do stuff and he’s going to try to counter it. It’s a chess match.

“Those guys can score the ball. They’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a bunch of points. It’s a product of sticking together and trying to minimize that as much as possible.”

That philosophy applies to both teams on both ends. Golden State produced a robust 61.8 effective field goal percentage against the Rockets during three regular-season meetings, leaving the onus on Houston to defend at a more rigorous clip. The Rockets countered with an effective field goal percentage (56.0) above their season average (55.1) against a team rife with stellar individual defenders, meaning Houston will continue to do what comes so efficiently.

“There will be iso,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now whether it’s a little bit more or a little bit less, I think that depends on the game. But we’re not going to change up a whole lot of what we do.”

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