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Tucson Sidewinders pitcher Evan MacLane popped his head into Bill Plummer's office Saturday night and begged the manager to let him play in the outfield.

MacLane just wants to lend a helpful hand. He played some outfield in high school and junior college.

"I ask him every day. He always says no," MacLane said with a smile. "I know I'm never going to play out there, but it's still fun to mess with him a little bit."

Plummer has, however, used MacLane on the bench. With injuries and moves thinning the roster, MacLane has occasionally served as a pinch hitter.

He has also been the team's most consistent starting pitcher and likely its most improved since spring training, according to pitching coach Mike Parrott. The left-hander allowed four runs in six innings Saturday to improve to 7-6 with a 4.66 ERA. He was 7-7 with a 7.70 ERA last season for Tucson.

MacLane credits better preparation and a more consistent delivery for improved command.

"I was trying so many different things last year," he said. "I went to winter ball and figured out what I need to do and what my daily routine should be and I tried to stick with that."

D-backs right fielder Justin Upton (oblique) will join Tucson today for a rehab stint that will likely last more than a week. Plummer said the assignment is mapped out until Aug. 22.

The plan calls for Upton to be the designated hitter today, play five innings in the field Tuesday and seven Wednesday, get a day off and play three full games in a row before another day off.

Former Sidewinders owner Jay Zucker said a "major announcement" will be made about the future of professional baseball in Tucson at the final game Sept. 1. He declined to provide specifics, but said he has talked with independent leagues.

Hitting coach Joel Youngblood missed games on Friday and Saturday to attend the San Francisco Giants' ceremony honoring former outfielders.

"I was excited to see Barry Bonds again," said Youngblood, who played for the Giants from 1983 to 1988. "He welcomed the crowd very well. He was very receptive to everybody, gave me a big hug."

Reid Mahon has thrown one scoreless inning each of the last two nights, for his fifth and sixth saves, bouncing back from allowing six runs in two-thirds of an inning in his previous outing.

"After a couple days off, I feel like I'm back to my old self out there," said Mahon, who has not yielded a run in 11 of 14 outings overall. He has allowed runs in three of his last six games.

"I feel like I was trying to do too much and force it instead of letting it happen," he said.