ATLANTA -- For
\n\n \n\nIt all follows a Saturday meeting with manager Torey Lovullo that may not have been strictly necessary, but certainly was welcome. Walker was 2-for-28 over the first eight games of the D-backs' recently completed homestand after starting the year on a torrid streak.\n\nThat could shake anyone's confidence, but especially a player with Walker's history. He knows how fickle the game can be. He knows opportunities often don't last. And while he hadn't lost his confidence, it was still good know his manager had his back.\n\n\"I wouldn't say I necessarily needed it,\" Walker said. \"I kind of see what's going on. Obviously I know more at-bats are going to come my way based on what's going on. But at the same time, it always feels good to hear your manager tell you to relax and go play your game.\"\n\nAs long as Lamb is out, Walker will play. The D-backs need him to produce. But in order to do that, they also need him to de-stress. It's a tough line to walk for a manager.\n\n\"I think in years past,\" Lovullo said, \"he probably thought, ‘I'm out of here,’ getting sent out. But that's not the case now. We're counting on him, and we need him. And he knows that. But I want him to embrace those expectations, not put too much pressure on himself.\"
\n\nIt's working. On Sunday, Walker hit an opposite-field home run to go with a single and a double. On Tuesday, he followed it up with the game-winning homer, two singles and a walk. It might not be a coincidence that after getting some results on Sunday, Walker was able to relax even more on Tuesday.\n\n\"I think I had two hits across the homestand up until the last day, and then to get three and then three again the next day, baseball is funny like that,\" he said. \"Yeah, definitely it helps. Maybe it lifts some self-\\[applied\\] pressure or whatever you want to call it.\"\n\nHis manager has his back, and his teammates are pulling for him. The future is uncertain, but the present isn't too bad.\n\n\"He really loves this game, and he just needed the opportunity,\" said outfielder