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Feeling comfortable in the field and his knee nearly at full strength, Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Chad Tracy is inching closer to a return to the NL West first-place club.

Until then, Tracy will spend time with the Tucson Sidewinders. Tracy, who underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September, said he will alternate playing first and third during the rehab stint that will last up to two weeks.

"Hopefully with the workload it doesn't swell up and I don't get anything new in there," said Tracy, who played nine innings at third in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Nashville. He went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

"I'm very anxious, really anxious" to return, he added.

Tracy joined the Sidewinders on Tuesday after spending eight days at extended spring training, playing half of those games in the field. He has been running at full speed for about six weeks and said his knee is close to 100 percent.

"I feel like I'm trying to fine-tune my game," he said.

"(Arizona is) winning, and it makes you want to get back more to be on a winning team, but at the same time if they weren't winning, I'd be just as anxious to get back."

Tracy grounded into a double play, flied out and popped out against former major-leaguer Jeff Weaver, who allowed a run in seven innings.

Tucson's Yusmeiro Petit struck out three and walked none in five scoreless innings before relievers Abe Woody and Leo Rosales gave up two runs apiece.

Petit "only had 65 pitches to work with; he did a great job," manager Bill Plummer said. "Weaver kinda changed speeds, little sinker, change-up, slider, didn't throw very hard, probably topped out at 86."

A former pitching coach, opposing hitters and current teammate Trot Nixon have told starter Billy Buckner he tips his pitches. Buckner struggled as he tweaked his mechanics to try to fix the problem.

But if Sunday's near-no-hitter is any indication, those issues are behind him.

Buckner, a right-hander, took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of Tucson's 11-2 road victory over Albuquerque before allowing a leadoff single to Jason Wood. Buckner gave up two hits and a walk and struck out four in eight scoreless innings.

"He had the best use of a right-handed change-up I've seen in a long time," pitching coach Mike Parrott said.

Buckner also held Triple-A New Orleans hitless for eight innings last season while pitching for Omaha.

"Any time you feel more comfortable, you're going to be more aggressive," he said.

Buckner, whom the D-backs acquired in the off-season from Kansas City for infielder Alberto Callaspo, feels more comfortable with his mechanics, raising his hands before his delivery.

"I tried to work on (not tipping pitches) during the off-season, but without seeing myself there was no way to know if I was doing it or not," Buckner said. "I tried to get my dad out there to watch me. It's something that's hard to change, and I finally started feeling comfortable."

● Parrott said he has the D-backs' Doug Davis penciled in to pitch Saturday until he hears otherwise. Davis is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.