Webb drilled in series loss to Dodgers

Well, Brandon Webb appears to have hit another lull in his otherwise spectacular season. He has now had consecutive outings where he has been hit hard and often. Only going 3 1/3 tonight against the Dodgers, he gave up all eight runs, as Arizona went down in the series finale, 8-1. Number 20 is on hold for at least another five days.

The D-backs are going to need Webb to be big-time down the stretch here in his last six or so starts, or there will not be a postseason in their future. He threw 89 pitches in that brief outing...wow...and gave up five walks, with two of them being the intentional variety to Manny Ramirez. I guess Bo Mel finally had enough of Man Ram after the first two games....hmm...sure wish he would have had enough of Jody Gerut and Ty Wigginton from the past two weeks.

Really nice to see big crowds at Chase over the weekend, albeit with half of them in blue...Got the Cards in for three starting tomorrow. With a 2 1/2 game lead now, and with the Dodgers now winning a couple in a row, it's time for serious business.

As for the David Eckstein trade, it's actually quite a puzzling move from my standpoint. While it does provide a guy with plenty of postseason experience, including that MVP in the '06 World Series, does he really provide anything more than Augie Ojeda does? He hit .277 in only 76 games this year with the Blue Jays. He wouldn't appear to be a long-term acquisition, so he clearly is being brought in for his experience in pressure situations and to help solidify the second base spot down the stretch. Doesn't Ojeda provide that same small guy, gritty, get-after-it type of play for them?? I guess the only real difference between Ojeda and Eckstein is the postseason - which can't be totally discounted. Just hope it proves to be a galvanizing move both on the field and off the field, as the D-backs obviously need a fire lit under them with their putrid play of late.