Chicago White Sox at Arizona Diamondbacks

From the moment the Diamondbacks traded Blaze Alexander a few weeks before Spring Training, Ildemaro Vargas had a good shot to make the Opening Day roster -- but it wasn't until just a couple of days before the season opener that he was officially told he had made it. Nearly a month later, the Diamondbacks are left to wonder where they would be without him. The journeyman utility player stepped into an everyday role due to early-season injuries and has continued to deliver both offensively and defensively. His latest installment came Wednesday night, when he hit a pair of homers to help lead the Diamondbacks to an 11-7 win over the White Sox. The first long ball was struck against Chicago's Anthony Kay in the second inning. Vargas has now hit in 20 straight games dating back to last season and his streak of 17 straight games to open a campaign is tied for the longest such streak since the start of 2013. The last streak to go longer to begin a season was Pablo Sandoval with a 20-gamer in 2012. Vargas followed that three-run homer in the second with a two-run blast in the third, marking his third straight plate appearance with a home run, dating back to a ninth-inning homer on Tuesday night.