Great first win for D-backs over Reds

Woohoo!!! D-backs take the opener! Brandon Webb pitched exactly like the D-backs had hoped he would on an Opening Day start, putting his so-so Spring Training behind him, and beating the Reds 4-2 on a rainy day in Cincinnati. The game started about one hour late due to the conditions, but Webb was right on track from the beginning. He pitched six strong innings, giving up two runs (both earned) on only three hits in 90 pitches of work. He also struck out six and had four walks.

The offense was paced by three solo shots. Chris Young and and Eric Byrnes both hit towering shots off of Reds starter Aaron Harang in the third, and Jeff Salazar added a much needed pinch hit dinger in the seventh off of Jared Burton. The D-backs got started quickly in the first with a run scoring single by Conor Jackson to score Orlando Hudson.

The bullpen was magnificent....holding true to their form of last year....and finished up exactly like Melvin drew it up: The trio of Qualls, Pena, and Lyon combined for a scoreless and hitless seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.....a thing of beauty....

Tremendous start for this team. Let's see if they can carry some momentum with it when Dan Haren takes the hill tomorrow...really excited to see him.

One down....only 161 remaining.

D-backs start strong in 3rd against Reds

Conor Jackson had an RBI single in the first, and Chris Young and Eric Byrnes both just hit mammoth blasts in the third inning to give the D-backs a 3-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings. Reds starter Aaron Harang looked sharp in the first two innings, but the wheels came off a bit here in the third. After the Byrnes' home run, he then walked Conor Jackson and Chris Snyder, but then got Mark Reynolds to end the inning on Reynolds' second K of the game...ouch.

Brandon Webb has looked like the Cy Young winner we all know and love thus far - let's keep it going.

Time for lame baseball season predictions

Well, it's that time of year again...figured I'd wait 'till the last minute to make the MLB season predictions. These are basically meaningless, unless you happen to guess right on that one team that nobody else has on their radar, i.e. the Rockies last year.

So, here goes....


National League

East

Verrrry tough division here. The Braves, Phillies, and Mets will do some serious battle this year. But, the Mets addition of Johan Santana should put them over the top...that is...unless they melt down again.
Winner: Mets

Central

It's way too popular to pick the Cubs here with it being the 100th anniversary of their last World Series title. I think they are good enough to win the division, but I think the Reds will sneak in and win it. The Reds have a good young group of guys, and a solid pitching staff.
Winner: Reds

West

Ahh....the West. Well, I could just roll some dice here and not really think too hard about it. But, I think the Rockies will end up winning it here...I know blasphemy...But every time I see that offense of theirs, and the way they finished up last year, I have a feeling they will put the hurt on the rest of the division. The pitching for them is the obvious X-factor, but it should be just good enough. The D-backs, Dodgers, and Padres will all hang around, but won't quite get there.
Winner: Rockies

Wild Card

Got to give it to our D-backs. If the Unit can get 25 quality starts, Doug Davis can come back healthy and pitch four to five months, and the offense just clicks it up a notch from last year, they should be in a good position to take the Wild Card. But, expect the Braves and Phillies to be right on their heels.
Winner: D-backs


American League

East

It's going to be difficult to pick against the Red Sox to win again, so I won't. It will be interesting to see how effective Curt Schilling is when he returns, but even without him they are deep enough to outlast the Yankees, Rays, and Blue Jays.
Winner: Red Sox

Central

This is a tough one. The Tigers and Indians look like they will duel to the last weekend. I'll give the edge to the Indians though. Their pitching staff looks deeper than Detroit's, and that should carry them through.
Winner: Indians

West

This is a pretty weak division. For the Angels, I don't like the fact that John Lackey is out for some, if not all of April - mainly because he's on my fantasy team :-). The Mariners should be right in it with the Angels at the end, but I'll give the nod to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Irvine close to Costa Mesa.
Winner: Angels

Wild Card

I think the Yankees may surprise some people (strange to say that) and sneak in as the Wild Card just ahead of the Tigers (maybe a one game playoff to decide it).
Winner: Yankees



AL Champions

Indians over the Red Sox.

NL Champions

Mets over the Rockies.

World Series Champions

Indians over the Mets.


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Speaking of predictions, columnist Richard Justice is picking the D-backs to win it all...he has them beating the Red Sox. Wow, if that were the case, that would be my dream matchup of a lifetime. I grew up a Red Sox fan here in Arizona. My allegiance is clearly now with the Diamondbacks, but boy oh boy that would be special.

Bats and Owings lift D-backs in final spring game

Micah Owings got his most important win of the spring tonight...his first. He pitched five complete innings against the Monterrey Sultanes of the Mexican League, giving up three runs on nine hits in the 9-4 victory.

Justin Upton and Chris Young went deep back-to-back in the second inning, and Mark Reynolds hit a three run blast in the fourth. Other hitting notables were Eric Byrnes going 3-for-3 and Orlando Hudson going 2-for-2.

The Sultanes are no slouch of a team...they won the Mexican League championship last year...

D-backs go down at Chase

In what was an even more meaningless Cactus League game than any other this spring in light of what we all learned earlier today about Doug Davis, the D-backs were handed a 12-4 loss from the Rockies up at Chase Field tonight.

Davis obviously showed tremendous courage in going out and making the start in the wake of this news. He had a tough go of it, giving up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. He said after the game that he felt his stuff was pretty good, but they "just kept hitting it out of the park."

In his press conference, he also mentioned that his mother had previously battled through thyroid cancer as well, and was able to beat it successfully. So, from his standpoint, that has to be huge for him in terms coming to grips with this disease.

The D-backs finish up Spring Training officially tomorrow when they take on the Mexican League's Monterrey Sultanes, with Micah Owings getting the start.

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The D-backs finally settled that looming Brandon Medders/Dustin Nippert question, by trading Nippert before tonight's game to the Texas Rangers for Minor League right-hander Jose Marte. And this happened within hours of Nippert's wife giving birth to their second child! Wow...what a crazy day for Nippert.

Marte pitched in A ball last year where he went 4-4 with a 5.23 ERA. Hmm....not much in return it appears. Don't really like this deal. I know I've been saying all along that it made sense to keep Medders on the Opening Day roster, but the way Nippert had pitched so poorly during the spring, I think there was a decent chance that he would have cleared waivers and could have remained in Tucson to get things figured out. But, the front office obviously felt like he would not have cleared waivers, and wanted to be assured that they got something in return.

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Really glad to see Trot Nixon accept a spot in AAA Tucson and stay with the organization. He's a real competitor and I believe he'll make his way back up to the big leagues at some point this year to make a contribution. Said Nixon on his assignment:

"I want to play," Nixon said. "I have another opportunity for an opt-out in the middle of the season, but I'm not focused on that. My focus is on staying healthy and performing on the field."

From Nixon's standpoint, he obviously wants to play well to audition for other major league teams besides the D-backs. But, I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of him.

Doug Davis has thyroid cancer

As I mentioned this morning was likely to be true, it turns out that Doug Davis does in fact have thyroid cancer. A press conference is scheduled for later today with more details.

He is expected to pitch in tonight's Spring Training game at Chase Field, and then most likely the first two or three starts of the regular season before undergoing surgery. It is not clear yet how long that will keep Davis out. Thoughts and prayers go out to Doug and wish him a quick and complete recovery.

UPDATE: The East Valley Tribune now reporting some more details. He is expected to start April 3rd and April 8th and then is scheduled to have surgery on April 10. It's likely that he will be back in about a month. Yusmeiro Petit is a likely candidate to take Davis' spot during that time.

Derrick Hall talks about Spring Training in Tucson

Good radio interview this morning on XTRA Sports 910 radio in Phoenix with Diamondback's team president Derrick Hall. One of the primary topics of conversation was regarding the future of the D-backs in Tucson for Spring Training.

The Chicago White Sox are leaving and heading north next season....well, at least that's what they would like to do. They are planning to move to a new $80 million facility in Glendale, but they still have a lease with TEP ballpark until 2012. So, under that contract they must find a replacement team if they leave. They will be working to find that team, but are also trying to discuss different options with Pima County to get out of that agreement.

So, more than likely they will not be able to find another club and that will that leave only two teams in Tucson, which obviously is not going to fly. Hall mentioned that there absolutely would need to be three teams there, and ideally would be four teams. I agree with that...there really needs to be four teams in Tucson to make it truly viable.

Hall points out some of the negatives and positives of staying in Tucson. The negatives include playing the same teams many times, and when teams do come down from Phoenix, having them leave many of their star players up there. Plus, the D-backs attendance would improve as well with a spring home up there, and it would provide a year-round facility that the players could use. The primary positive he points out is that it gives the team a chance to get away from home (since so many of the players live up in the Phoenix area), and really focus on baseball for a month.

He really sounded unsure of the future at this point of where the D-backs will end up, saying that the city of Tucson is working hard to give them what they will need, but it is going to be a big, big challenge. My feeling is that Tucson will not pull their head out of their backside long enough to get it done, and that within a couple of years, that will be the end of Spring Training in Tucson...sad....really sad...

Baseball Musings report on Doug Davis

A very disturbing report late yesterday from Baseball Musings, which indicates that Peter Gammons is writing that Doug Davis has thyroid cancer. Baseball Musings' David Pinto says he has not seen a story out on it yet, only what Peter had sent him.

Sure hope there's some mistake here in this report.

Haren sharp in D-backs win over ChiSox

Dan Haren finished up his Cactus League season with a very strong outing today in Tucson against the White Sox. He threw 7 complete innings, giving up only two runs on three hits, in leading the D-backs to a 8-4 victory.

Haren's only two blemishes on the day were the solo shots get gave up to Paul Konerko in the second and Jeremaine Dye in the fifth. He also struck out six and walked only one. Haren finished the spring with a 4.29 ERA, and really had one of the more consistent springs out of the starting rotation. Can't wait to see this guy in action during the regular season...he's going to push Brandon Webb hard to be considered the number one guy.

Conor Jackson had another big day at the plate: 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, including his third homer of the spring in the fifth (.364 average now). I sure hope Conor saves some of his stick for the regular season. You see this a lot where if a guy is really struggling at the end of spring, he'll tend to start the regular season off strong. And conversely, if somebody is tearing it up in the spring, they will many times start the season out slowly. Just hope that he can buck that trend and keep it going.

This was the last game in Tucson for the Cactus League as the D-backs head up to Phoenix to play two games at Chase Field. Doug Davis will take on the Rockies tomorrow night.

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In what came as a surprise to at least me today, the D-backs announced today that Alex Romero will be the one taking the last position player spot on the Opening Day Roster. I had said yesterday that it was a safe bet that Trot Nixon would take that last spot, but Bob Melvin said it really just came down to the fact that Romero had a better spring...it's nice to see that the organization is rewarding him for his effort. Melvin had this to say about the decision:

"He just kept knocking on the door," Melvin said. "And he kept himself prepared, got big hits in games and got some starts because of it and getting hits in those games. He showed he could face left-handed pitching and be successful off that. [He] was always prepared whether he was starting, coming off the bench or pinch-hitting. He runs the bases well, does a lot of things that can factor into a game."

As for how Nixon felt about it...

"He understood," Melvin said of Nixon, who was signed as a free agent just prior to the team's first full-squad workout. "He actually said, 'Alex had a great camp, he deserves to be on the team.' He's a great guy. He understood that when he first came here the odds were long, but the longer he was here the better he fit in and the better his chances of making the team were."

Nixon is now trying to figure out now whether to accept an assignment in Tucson or not.

As for the bullpen..still no decision on Brandon Medders or Dustin Nippert yet...has to be coming soon...

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Earlier today I mentioned Jon Heyman's piece on picking the D-backs to win the NL pennant. Another SI. com baseball writer Tom Verducci also weighed in recently on his NL picks. He has the D-backs winning the Wild card. However, he has the Cubs going to the World Series and losing to the Tigers. Still, those are two highly respected baseball guys who both at least have the D-backs back in the playoffs this year.

Jon Heyman has D-backs winning NL

Great piece today on the D-backs from SI.com's Jon Heyman. Like last year, Heyman has picked the Diamondbacks to win the National League pennant again this year - hopefully his prediction will come to fruition this time. Here is how he summarizes his view of this year's D-backs:

Nobody has a better 1-2 pitching combo in the National League than the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nobody has a more solid bullpen. Nobody has a deeper overall pitching staff.

And no one has a more balanced lineup than the Diamondbacks. That's one through eight -- and one through nine on days when hard-hitting Micah Owings is pitching.

He essentially gushes over the entire lineup, saying anyone in it can hit 20 home runs or steal 15 bases. As he puts it:

Mark Reynolds is a perfect prototype third baseman, providing power and defense. Catcher Chris Snyder is on the upswing.

The bottom two hitters in the season's starting lineup, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton, are talented enough that they could wind up being the Nos. 2 and 3 hitters by midseason.

Upton is ready to show he's a star.

Leadoff man Chris Young is ready to move from stardom to superstardom.

He also makes a good point that although the team was outscored on the year by 20 runs, their run differential over the last 40 games was a +20.

So, although Heyman picks the D-backs to win the NL, he has them losing to the Indians (wow...interesting) in the World Series. I'd take that actually...with the youngsters and pitching staff this team has...if they were to make it to the World Series...wow...many good years ahead for us.

His picks for other NL division winners are the Cubs and Mets, with the Rockies getting the Wild card. In the American League, he's going with the Red Sox, Indians and Angels for division winners, and the Mariners picking up the Wild card.

So, no real surprises here...I'm guessing there will be at least one here...Tigers edging out the Indians is my bet.

So, gotta stick by our guy Jon Heyman here and hope that his prediction comes true this year...he was awfully close to getting it exactly right last year.

Unit to throw two more Minor League starts

The East Valley Tribune is reporting that Randy Johnson will start Opening Day for the Tucson Sidewinders, as I mentioned yesterday that Melvin said would be the case. He will then more than likely make one more start in Tucson before being brought back up.

Johnson talked about working on some of his pitches:

“I like goofing around. I like tinkering with pitches. I’m just trying to re-invent the wheel,” Johnson said.

“I might be able to take more velocity off” with the changeup. “If I’m topping out at 93 (mph) and I could throw a changeup at 72 miles an hour, that’s a 21-mile an hour variance, which is what you want.”

I think that if he can command that changeup this year, that is going to be a thing of beauty to watch. All signs indicate that the Unit is still healthy, and so his likely promotion on April 13 is looking really nice right now...

D-backs come back strong and beat Rocks

Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds continued their tear from yesterday, as the D-backs scored all 11 of their runs in the 5th through 8th innings to outlast the Rockies 11-8 at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson today. Reynolds was 2-for-4 with a double, and Drew went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Rockies starter Jeff Francis held the D-backs at bay for most of his five innings of work, surrendering two runs in the fifth before exiting. The Rockies bullpen then went south and gave up nine runs over the next three innings.

Minor leaguer Hector Ambriz started for the D-backs, and gave up four runs in four innings. He was then followed by Dustin Nippert who quickly gave up two earned runs on three hits in his one inning of work. At this point, Nippert has to be the guy in the bullpen to be left off the Opening Day roster. And the way he's been pitching, he won't have any problem at all clearing waivers.... so he'll be ready to pitch in Tucson this year.

Chris Burke also had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a dinger and 2 RBIs. This guy is going to turn out to be the key pickup from the Valverde trade.

Dan Haren will wrap up the Cactus League play in Tucson tomorrow when he faces the White Sox at TEP.

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Randy Johnson threw 75 pitches today in a game against the White Sox Minor Leaguers, and seemed pleased with the outing, although his numbers weren't reflective of it (five earned runs in 3 1/3). He worked a lot on his changeup, as he's still trying to figure out if the change or the splitter will be his most effective offspeed pitch this year.

"Of all the Spring Training starts I've made, I actually physically felt the best today," Johnson said. "The results may not have been there, which is OK because I didn't care about the results. I was giving up base hits, but I was throwing three straight changeups. My opportunity to work on things now is critical because I don't have very many starts left."

Melvin indicated that the Unit's next start will be April 3, which is Opening Day for the Tucson Sidewinders...

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In roster moves today, the D-backs sent right-hander Juan Guiterrez packing down to AAA Tucson. However, Melvin and the organization are still very high on this guy...I certainly expectd to see him back in Phoenix before September. As for the last position player spot, it's down to Trot Nixon and Alex Romero. Romero has come from nowhere to really make an impression this spring, hitting .352 while playing all three outfield positions (he went 3-for-4 today). I'd say it's a safe bet that Nixon will make the roster however, giving Romero much more playing time while in the Minors.

Offense and pitching hold to form, D-backs lose to AAA Halos 9-8

Courtesy Nam Y. Huh/AP

First of all, nothing infuriates me more than to have Phoenix teams not bring their big league rosters down to Tucson. In what amounted to be the Angels AAA team today, the fans got robbed of seeing the high profile players on this team. No Chone Figgins; no Torii Hunter; no Vlad Guerrero.....And you would think that the owner of the Angels, Arte Moreno who is from Tucson, would give a damn....but nope.......

Ok....enough bitching...back to today's game. In what has been the norm this spring, the hitting was strong and the pitching not so strong in today's 9-8 loss to the Angels in Tucson. This was the D-backs last official home game of the Cactus League. However, they play the White Sox on Thursday as the visiting team at TEP as well.

Brandon Webb was not sharp in his final start, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits in only 4 1/3 innings of work. He had two wild pitches as well. Webb was obviously not pleased with his performance either:

"Honestly, I'm not really where I want to be -- definitely not in midseason form yet by any means," Webb said. "Pitch-count-wise and stuff, I think we're good. Arm-strength-wise and condition-wise, I didn't feel too tired."

He was able to get his pitch count up to 93 on the day, although you never want to see it that high through only 4 1/3.

"We'll just have to work on a few things in the 'pen and get after it in Cincinnati," Webb said. "Hopefully the intensity and stuff will carry me a little bit further, too, during the regular season."

At the plate, however, was a different story. I was at the game today, and three guys for the D-backs were hitting absolute missiles out there: Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, and Stephen Drew.

Drew went 3-for-5 with a single, double, and a triple. Jackson was 2-for-3 with three RBI. And Reynolds was 3-for-5 with a blast in the third inning. What impressed me the most about all three of these guys was that every ball they seemed to hit was a rocket line drive....I mean lasers to the deepest parts of the park.

Orlando Hudson also had a nice day at the plate going 3-for-4 scoring two runs and raising his spring average to .347.

The D-backs will head over to Hi Corbett Field to take on the Rockies tomorrow, where Hector Ambriz (who??) will get the start. Randy Johnson will be throwing in a Minor League tomorrow as well....this will be a big one for him, so let's hope it's a quality outing and he comes out of it in good condition....

Former D-back Carlos Quentin looks to be heading down

According to Jon Heyman at si.com, the White Sox appear to be ready to send former D-back hopeful Carlos Quentin down to the minors. The play of Alexi Ramirez and Jerry Owens have apparently put the squeeze on Quentin.

It really is too bad, because he has so much darn potential....the guy can flat out mash. But, for whatever reason, between the ears is likely, he just hasn't been able to get it done yet. He's still young though at 25, so he should still have plenty opportunity to get it figured out...really hope that he does.

Jackson, Ojeda lead Diamondbacks over Giants

Conor Jackson had a two-run dinger and finished with 3 RBI, and Augie Ojeda went 2-for-4 with a couple of steaks as well as the D-backs outlasted the Giant's 6-5 today in Tucson. Ojeda filled in for Stephen Drew at shortstop today, and continued his usual steady style, raising his spring average to .327.

Micah Owings got his longest start of the Cactus League thus far, lasting 5 1/3 innings after throwing 92 pitches. Early on he didn't have his command, as he walked four and a had a wild pitch. But, he was able to settle in until the sixth when Fred Lewis and Bengie Molina both took him deep to end his day.

Owings seemed pretty happy with his outing, and feels like he's getting back more into a groove.

"I think early on in spring I was playing with a lot of things," Owings said. "Moving to the other side of the mound, I was playing with different pitches, trying to throw more offspeed here and there. It just kind of took me away from what I usually do, and as a result, I was falling behind. I'm not concerned. I don't think anybody should be concerned because the minute you start getting concerned you start pressing."

It was good to see Brandon Medders throw 1 2/3 shutout ball after taking over for Owings, most likely futher solidifying his Opening Day spot. It was interesting that Dustin Nippert threw the 9th and picked up the save. Wonder if they just wanted him to get some work...or if he was being auditioned in that spot...hmm....

Also, Doug Slaten made his spring debut today and looked good in pitching a scoreless 8th inning while giving up one hit. He had just made a Minor League start a couple of days ago.

Brandon Webb gets his final start of the spring tomorrow when the D-backs take on the Angels at TEP (I'll be at the game....woohoo!).

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Randy Johnson will throw in a Minor League game this Wednesday. There are two reasons for this according to Steve Gilbert:

First and foremost, by not appearing in a game in which admission is charged, the team will be able to backdate any disabled-list placement the full nine days allowed by the rules. Secondly, it keeps the division-rival Rockies from getting another look at him. Johnson's first outing of the spring came against the Rockies on March 10.

While it's fairly certain that Johnson will not be with the club on it's opening six-game roady, Melvin indicates that this Minor League start will help to clarify how the rotation will stack up.

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D-backs sent down a couple of pitchers to AAA Tucson today: Leo Rosales and Billy Buckner. Neither had any serious shot at making the Opening Day roster.

D-backs fall to Brewers; Davis good effort in loss

Doug Davis had a rough start to the game, but ended up fairly solid even though the D-backs ending up being outlasted by the Brew Crew 5-4 up in Phoenix. He pitched four complete innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits.

Both teams played a bit sloppy, combining for six errors...four for the Brewers and two for the D-backs. Former Diamondback favorite Craig Counsell had three errors himself, getting two in one inning.

It was good to see Stephen Drew go 2-for-3 on the game, raising his spring average to .238 in limited action. Not a whole lot more out the lineup though...they left an unbelievable 26 guys on base...wow...

However, the game was fine by me...because my favorite guy, Gerardo Parra, was inserted as a pinch hitter and what did he do....of course he hit a double. That brings his spring average to .667 in limited appearances. Parra had been sent down to minor league camp in a week and a half or so ago, but this guy has shown he is certainly not intimidated by the big boys. I really look forward to watching the 20-year-old and his progress this year..most likely starting in high-a Visalia.

Tomorrow, the guys are back in Tucson to take on the Giants. Micah Owings gets the nod on the hill and it will be real nice if he can start to get it going in what looks to be his second to last start of the Cactus League. He has really struggled, and Bryan Price has given indications that Owings has been pressing and trying to do too much.

D-backs, Rockies have hit parade

The D-backs and Rockies combined for 23 runs on 35 hits today in Tucson, as Colorado outlasted Arizona 12-11 in this classic spring training slug fest. Gotta love spring training...there are so many meaningless numbers that fly out there.

Chris Y0ung had his second and identical big offensive day in three days: three hits including a single, double, and solo homer to lead off the game. That was Young's sixth double and third dinger of the Cactus League.

The pitching half of the club wasn't as fortunate, as the Rockies put the wood to Edgar Gonzalez to start the game (five runs on seven hits in 3 2/3), then later lit into Brandon Lyon. Lyon gave up five earned runs in 2/3 of an inning to raise his spring ERA to 16.20. Now I know I just got through saying that spring numbers are meaningless...but Lyon really needs to get it together about now. Melvin seemed to have a hint of concern when talking about Lyon:

"He doesn't have very good command of his fastball right now, which we've seen with quite a few of our guys," manager Bob Melvin observed. "It all starts with that. He's still not throwing too many breaking balls, based on [the fact that] he wants to get command of his fastball."

The D-backs are back up in Phoenix tomorrow to take on the Brewers....Doug Davis takes the hill.

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Doug Slaten pitched a minor league game today in Tucson, as he continues his effort to come back from off-season microfracture surgery. He pitched a single inning, giving up a run on two hits. Melvin indicated that Slaten's next appearance might be in a Cactus League game...so obviously they feel good about his progress.

"It could be in a game," Melvin said. "I feel pretty good about him starting the season with us, so whether it's the next time or the time after that, he's basically getting his work in in games right now, just controlling the situation a little bit more as far as him running around, but everything he's doing out there is at game speed."

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Dan Haren got some good work in today as well, getting in 90 pitches in a camp game at D-backs Spring Training complex. He indicated he felt really good out there today...he only has one start left in the spring before he takes the mound for the second game of the year against the Reds.

D-backs go deep over Dodger blue

With the Big Unit taking the bump for the third time this spring, the D-backs used a few deep balls to over power their division rival Dodgers, 9-8 today in Tucson.

I was at the game today, and Johnson looked strong in first couple of innings. He ended up working 3 2/3, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three strikeouts. I'd say a pretty solid outing for him. He was able to get his pitch count over 60, which was his goal for the game. And to nobody's surprise, Melvin indicated that the Unit will not be ready for Opening Day. He talked about how the first few starts will go:

"I think there's a good chance it's Danny Haren on Day 2," Melvin said before Johnson's start against the Dodgers on Friday. "And probably Doug on Day 3. And then we'll see where we go from there."

The D-backs were able to get some big fly offense today, getting two shots from Chris Snyder, and a go-ahead blast from Justin Upton in the 8th. Snyder ended up the day with six steaks, and in the process raising his Cactus League average up to .353. Upton went 2-for-3 on the day to continue his impressive offensive spring, as his average is up to .372 now. Having these two guys have breakout years would be absolutely huge for this team. As I mentioned back in January, hitting Snyder in the four hole may end up being a real possibility. He made such tremendous strides the second half of last season, and he appears to be carrying that over this spring.

On the not-so-good side, Dustin Nippert continues to shoot himself in the foot, and make it an easy decision between himself and Brandon Medders as to whom will be a casualty when Johnson is ready. Both are out of options, but Medders is having the better spring of the two. Nippert gave up five earned runs in one inning of work today, raising his ERA to 14.63. Who knows, maybe Nippert will clear waivers and the D-backs will be able to keep him in AAA Tucson.

It was good to see the Dodgers here in Tucson...there are so many Dodger fans in Arizona that it really made for a party atmosphere out at TEP today.

Young hot, Buckner not in 8-7 loss to Rangers

Chris Young had a banner day at the plate for the D-backs at TEP in Tucson today, going 3-for-5 with a single, double, and solo shot. However, Young's effort wasn't enough to overcome the five earned runs given up by Billy Buckner in his four innings of work, as the D-backs went down 8-7 to the Rangers.

Kevin Millwood was very impressive in his five innings of work for Texas, giving up three hits and no runs to go along with five strikeouts.

It was good to see Trot Nixon get his first start of the spring at first base today. Melvin seems convinced that Nixon is going to contribute to the team this year, and ensuring that he can perform adequately there is an important part of keeping him around.

D-backs and Dodgers will do battle tomorrow in Tucson. This will mark the first time that the Dodgers have been in Tucson for a spring game, as they just left Vero Beach earlier this week to make their new home in Phoenix.

The Big Unit will start his third game of the spring, and Chan Ho Park will go for the Dodgers. And to nobody's surprise, the game has been sold out.

D-backs fall to M's under the lights

In the D-backs first night game of the Cactus League season, they didn't fare too well as they fell to the Mariners, 7-4 up in Peoria.

Speaking of lights...Justin Upton botched a fairly routine long fly ball hit by Ichiro in the sixth inning. It was very reminiscent of a similar play he made last season right after he was called up. It didn't appear on the replay that the lights played a factor...so that it's an indication to me that Upton is still losing some focus out there at time. He was also picked off first base earlier in the game. Granted, he is still only 20 years young, and he will most assuredly improve his mental game as the season progresses. But, it's something to definitely keep an eye on.

However, Upton did have a very nice game at the plate: 3-for-3 with a double and a run batted in. That raised his spring average to a cool .350.

On the bump, Micah Owings' outing left little to be desired. He pitched four complete innings, giving up five earned runs on six hits. This raised his spring ERA to a nasty 11.32. On the positive side, he did seem to settle down in the third and fourth innings to finish strong. Owings just has not seemed to be able to find his groove yet this spring. The D-backs are really counting on him to be a solid number 5 guy....so, he has to try to straighten things out here in his last couple of starts.

Tomorrow the D-backs are back in Tucson where they will take on the Rangers, with the "other" Billy Buckner taking the hill.

Bonds still unsigned - how about D-backs?

Interesting piece from MLBTradeRumors.com today, as the Players Association will be looking into whether there is any collusion in keeping Bonds out of baseball this year. Bonds' agent said he could be ready to go in two weeks. There's also the chance that he could get picked up later in the year by a team looking for a bat.

The obvious reason he hasn't been picked up yet is simple: too much cash for too much baggage.

However, as I talked about last month, Barry Bonds in a D-backs uniform does sound strange, stupid, pathetic, outlandish...all of those things and more. But, I still believe it may make more sense than you would think. He can still deliver that big bat that the D-backs so desperately needed last year. He has incentive to play since he's chasing 3000 hits. For all that's happened since he broke the all-time home run record, I think Bonds' ego may be a little deflated (if not his head as well) and would not necessarily be a cancer in the clubhouse.

As for playing him in the field...like I said last time: Bonds in left, Byrnes in right, Upton at third, and Mark Reynolds on the trade block.

Does anyone....anyone....feel like this would work?

D-backs double up the Padres

Edgar Gonzalez took is spring record to 2-0 today as he threw four complete innings, while giving up a single earned run in the D-backs 8-4 win over the Friars. Gonzalez also had three strikeouts and didn't give up any freebies.

Not so nice of an outing for Dustin Nippert. He was hammered for three runs (two earned) on five hits in 1 2/3, raising his spring ERA to 10.29...I know...it's only spring.....but when you're fighting for you life to make the Opening Day roster.....

At the plate, Trot Nixon looks to have felt comfortable back in his customary right field, as he went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run shot. As for other D-backs, O-dawg went 2-for-3 to raise his Cactus League average to a lofty .355. Talk about being off the radar....there has been zero buzz about Hudson this spring....considering he's coming off his hand injury from last year, you'd expect a little more conversation about him coming back from it...

A very rare off-day tomorrow for the D-backs...back at it for a likewise rare spring night game on Wednesday (Owings) up in Peoria against Seattle.

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Apparently Nixon was heckled by some Yankee fans at today's game:

“I guess they were Yankee fans,” the former Red Sox outfielder said after he helped Arizona beat San Diego 8-4 on Monday. “If you want to get me right, bring in some Yankee fans.”

Sweet...that's what I like to hear...

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More Nixon....

Bo Mel is starting to see him as a 'Tony Clark' type of player in terms of a veteran presence, pinch hitting, and situational starts:

"Whether it's a pinch-hit or a start against when the matchup is good, we don't have too many left-handed hitters in our starting lineup either," Melvin pointed out. "Typically, most of your closers are right-handed. A lot of your setup guys, and then you have your situational lefty. That's an important role. We saw Tony take that role here, and he was big for us. [Those at-bats] end up a lot of times being as big an at-bat in the game as you're going to get."

Conor hot, Haren not in D-backs win

Conor Jackson had three hits, including a double and a run batted in, as the D-backs beat the White Sox 6-5 under wet skies in Tucson today.

Dan Haren was not so fortunate in his five innings of work. The right-hander gave up five runs (four earned), on six hits (including a home run) in his outing. On the positive side, however, he did have four strikeouts and no walks.

Brandon Medders actually ended up getting the win by coming in for two innings following Haren. He gave up three hits, two walks, and had two strikeouts. So, don't know if that helped his cause to make the club or not.

Tomorrow, the D-backs Edgar Gonzalez will take the hill against the Padres in Tucson.

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On the injury front for the D-backs, most of the guys seem to be on the right track in their recovery. Doug Slaten, who's recovering from off-season microfracture surgery, threw a simulated game today, throwing 24 pitches and fielding his position as well. He's still shooting to be ready for Opening Day. Melvin like his chances of being ready as well.

"It's kind of the next step for him," manager Bob Melvin said of the simulated game. "I'm really encouraged about him potentially starting [the season] with us. More so than the other guys."

Randy Johnson has now thrown in his first two spring training games, and has shown progress from the first to the second (throwing 43 pitches in three innings). So, he's still on track and making progress towards a first or second week of April return.

Chad Tracy and Miguel Montero aren't quite as strong as the others. Tracy's microfracture rehab is progressing, as he starts to take part in defensive drills and soon fielding practice. Montero's broken finger though is still keeping him out of baseball related activity, so Melvin is not real optimistic that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Unit impressive in second start

Randy Johnson went 3 full innings today against the Angels in this second start of the spring. A good line too: one hit, one earned run (home run in first inning), two strikeouts, and no walks. The D-backs ended up falling 5-4, but it was an excellent second outing for Randy.

His pitch count on the day was 43, which was short of the 50 pitches he was hoping for:

"If I'm not going to achieve that pitch count today, now the increment goes a little bit higher and my next start it's actually more pitches that I'm required to throw and that might trigger something," Johnson said.

Hmm...seems a bit testy here...So, he was a bit concerned about that, but overall was satisified.

"I think when you're coming off an injury you're still kind of a little leery about going all out," Johnson said. "So I think that will be a progressional thing as my body gets a little bit stronger with the more innings and pitches that I throw I will progressively get a little more comfortable with where my body is at. But right now I feel like I'm a little bit further along healthwise than I was last year."

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The D-backs got a couple of dingers in the game...as Jeff Salazar hit a three-run blast in the second inning and Eric Byrnes picked up his second of the spring in the sixth. Chris Burke continued his impressive spring with two more hits today, bringing his Cactus League average up to a lofty .417...the more I look at the Valverde trade, the more I say the D-backs got a nice deal getting Burke and Qualls.

Stephen Drew continues to struggle. He was 0-for-3 today to bring down his spring average to .185. In his defense, he has been hampered by sickness and other ailments thus far, so expect to see him getting stronger in the next week or so.

Webb shelled...not concerned

Brandon Webb got rocked today as the D-backs fell 11-6 to the Giants in Scottsdale. He gave up a hefty 11 hits and six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. But, he sounded like he was OK with it.

"Maybe I'll reevaluate during the season if I'm getting hit like this," Webb said. "But right now, we're just trying to get some work in, get my pitch count up, get the innings in, which I did today."

It is amazing how these bad outings in the spring don't seem to affect the big time major league pitchers. Some of the young guys it will rattle, but the guys who have been there before know that they can't take the numbers too seriously.

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Bob Melvin was able to get Trot Nixon into his first spring game at first base today as well. He played just one inning there, but was able to see some action while the Giants put up three runs in that inning. I think Nixon will be a nice addition to the D-backs Opening Day roster if Tracy isn't ready to go.

Next up...the Big Unit will make his second start of the spring tomorrow against the Angels in Tempe.

Medders gives it up in 8th as D-backs fall to Brew Crew

In what could potentially be a blow to the opportunity for Brandon Medders to make the Opening Day roster, the D-backs reliever gave up five earned runs in the eighth inning today, as the D-backs lose 8-6 against the Brewers.

Medders was shelled in his one inning of relief, giving up five hits and hitting a batter. That takes Medders to 0-2 on the spring. He had started off Cactus League action so well, that he looked to have reverted to his stuff of 2006. But today was reminiscent of his struggles last season. That may have been a dagger for Medders....

Micah Owings had the start today for the D-backs, and did in fact improve over his first start of the spring. He gave up five hits and two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Not stellar by any count, but he did also have four strikeouts and no walks in the outing.

Melvin had this to say about Owings' performance:

"I thought his stuff was better," manager Bob Melvin said. "It seemed like his fastball was getting out of his hand better. He threw more changeups, some good, some not great. Just looking at his stuff, I thought it was a little better, but obviously with as many pitches as he had in the time that he was out there, his command wasn't great."

At the plate, Chris Burke and Conor Jackson continued their impressive springs. Jackson went 3-for-3 (.314) and Burke 1-for-3 (.387). As for Owings...0-for-1.

Webby will be taking the hill tomorrow in Scottsdale as the D-backs take on the Giants.

Quality start from Davis, but D-backs fall short

Doug Davis went four innings today against the A's up in Phoenix, while giving up only one hit and one earned run in a 2-1 loss. He did give up four walks though, and had 2 K's as well. His ERA, like that of fellow starter Dan Haren, is right at 4.00 for the spring.

The bats were rather quiet today - only collecting five hits. But Byrnes looks to be coming along now as he went 2-for-3 to get his Cactus League average above .300 now.

The D-backs will be back in Tucson tomorrow to take on the Brew Crew...our favorite silver slugging pitcher will be taking the mound. I'm guessing he'll probably be in seven hole again tomorrow, since he never it made it to the plate after being roughed up in his last outing.

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Apparently Conor Jackson forgot to pack his jersey for the trip to Phoenix to play the A's. He ended up borrowing a size-too-small jersey from minor leaguer Evan MacLane. Hmm...should these guys really be packing their own bags?? I thought they were pampered major leaguers who didn't have to do anything themselves....The D-backs need to hire a few more clubhouse kids to help these guys out....

Haren so-so in 8-7 loss to Royals

In Dan Haren's third appearance of the Cactus League, he pitched four innings and gave up three earned runs to raise his spring ERA to 4.00 in an 8-7 loss today against the Royals in Tucson. He also had four strikeouts and a walk to his credit on the afternoon.

At the plate, Mark Reynolds, Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder all went deep, but that was most of the offense. However, Chris Burke did hit his fifth double of the spring (.393 avg as well) ....nice.....he's going to be a great addition it appears.

D-backs will head back to Phoenix tomorrow to take on the A's...Doug Davis will take the hill.

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Speaking of Burke, D-backs writer Steve Gilbert did a nice piece today on him now starting to play a little first base as well. Burke started at first today against the Royals, and played six innings. The consensus was that he had a solid effort out there. Melvin's thought here is that if Chad Tracy does start out the season on the D.L., that it gives him another option if Burke can play first and be able to share some time with Jackson. This guy can now officially play all positions except catcher and pitcher....that is sick...

Big Unit survives first test of spring

Courtesy Michael Chow/Arizona Republic


Randy Johnson threw in his first Cactus League game today, and although the results weren't what he would have liked, he did appear encouraged with this work.

"There's a lot of things I could be happy with, just getting through a competitive lineup once," Johnson said. "Obviously, the results weren't great, but even in years past, I'm not looking too much at the results [in Spring Training], I'm looking to gain some endurance and stamina and work on my location. I think, minus the result, that there were a lot of positive things."

His line looked like this: an inning and a third; four hits; three runs (all earned); one strikeout and a walk.

So, this is certainly a work in progress. But knowing Johnson the way that we all do, his competitiveness and drive will definitely have him ready early in April.

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Good interview this morning with pitching coach Bryan Price on 620 KTAR radio (Doug and Wolf). Price mentioned that he planned to use both Tony Pena and Chad Qualls in one plus inning stints. This would allow them to reduce their number of appearances. He sees both guys as being able to get four outs on a regular basis.

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Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic reports today that Chad Tracy might be off blood thinners from his previous blood clot condition on March 14th. That would allow him to possibly see game action four days after he goes off the thinners.

Webb goes four in D-backs loss

Brandon Webb was extended to four innings today against the Mariners at TEP in Tucson. Webb gave up four runs (all earned) on eight hits, but did not take the loss. Brandon Medders gave it up in the 7th for his first blemish of the spring.

Chris Burke had a nice day at the plate while playing short today. He went 2-3 with a bases clearing double in the second.

This loss takes the D-backs to 5-7-1 in Cactus League play....but who really cares.

I'm really amped to see the Big Unit take the hill tomorrow against the Rockies. This should set the tone for the rest of his spring.

Owings roughed up against Cubbies

After skipping his last start because of arm soreness, Micah Owings did not look particularly sharp today in a 4-1 loss to the Cubs in Mesa. Through 1 2/3 innings, Owings gave up four runs on five hits and gave up 3 walks. To make matters worse, Melvin had placed him in the 7th spot in the order, but he never had an opportunity to come to the plate before he was pulled.

On a positive note however, the bullpen did not give up another run the rest of the game. The combination of Mahon, Peguero, Lyon, Qualls, Petit, and Buckner gave up just 3 hits, while striking out nine and allowing only a single walk.

Jon Lieber for the Cubs threw four strong, scoreless innings for his first win of the spring.

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Looks like Randy Johnson is staying right on track with his spring regimen. The D-backs announced this morning that he will make his spring debut on Monday against the Rockies in Tucson. It isn't clear exactly how long they intend to use Johnson, but I think just getting him out there in real game action will keep his progress on pace. I've got a gut feeling that Randy is heading towards a very productive year....more so than I'd say most are expecting.

D-backs among others looking at Ponson

MLBTradeRumors.com is reporting that the Diamondbacks, Cards, Mariners, and Royals all watched a workout from Sidney Ponson yesterday.

Ponson threw for about 15 minutes at the Cardinals Spring Training facility in Jupiter Florida. He apparently is trying to get his act together again after taking last year off. He has had weight and drinking issues in the past, but came in yesterday a little lighter, and says he has overcome the alcohol abuse.

He's an interesting guy to look from the D-backs perspective. The 31-year-old right hander had his best year back in '03 when he was with the Orioles, when he went 14-6 with a 3.77 ERA.

The team's starting rotation looks good on paper, but without knowing exactly what Johnson will end up bringing, Ponson wouldn't be a bad safety net.

Haren looks good in second start of spring

Dan Haren had his second consecutive "quality" start this spring against the Royals today in Surpise. A Spring Training quality start that is...three shutout innings, with three strikeouts, a walk, and two hits. That performance wasn't enough however, as the D-backs were taken down 4-3 by the Royals.

The two Chris's...Snyder and Burke... each had a pair of hits and a run to pace the offense.

Up next for the D-backs will be split-squad games in Tucson with Edgar Gonzalez starting against the White Sox and Doug Davis taking on the Padres in Peoria.

D-backs are currently 4-4 in Cactus League play thus far....

Chad Tracy an outfielder?

I had to chuckle when seeing in this mlb.com post that the subtitle of the story on Chad Tracy's rehab read as follows:

Outfielder eager to get back on field with his teammates

Tracy has not had a sniff of outfield grass in 3 years....and even then only played about 50 games out there....

Trying to keep the Diamondbacks in Tucson

Good article today at azcentral.com on how Tucson is battling to keep Spring Training baseball there. Today, the D-backs, Rockies, and White Sox all call Tucson home for the spring, but that will change next year when the White Sox will pack up and head north to Glendale.

The problem is that without a third team there, it would be very likely that the D-backs and Rockies would also want to bail and head to the Phoenix area.

The Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority would be able to impose taxes in order to help fund improvements and new facilities in an effort to attract a new team. However, that will still require approval by the Pima County supervisors, voters, and the state Legislature.

That's a lot of bureaucracy to fight through to be able to get that needed funding, but let's hope Tucson and Pima County step up to the plate like Phoenix and Maricopa County have done and make a full fledged effort to ensure that baseball stays there. It would be a real shame if 60 years of Spring Training baseball died and went north for the spring...because it most likely would never return...

Jackson has six steaks in win

Conor Jackson literally slammed the Rangers today in Surprise as the D-backs took this one 9-3. Jackson went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a triple, for a total of 6 RBI on the game. He is now hitting .412 for the spring. It's really good to see Conor starting out strong like this....still think he'll end up hitting in the 3 spot this year.

Justin Upton also went deep for his first this spring, while Chris Snyder clubbed his second dinger of the Cactus League season.

Our favorite guy Gerardo Parra did not have an at bat today...hopefully tomorrow...

Brandon Webb was on the hill for three innings, and his line was not terribly impressive: four hits, two earned runs and a strikeout. It was also good to see Tony Pena see his first action of the spring, throwing a scoreless and hitless sixth inning.

The D-backs will be back in Tucson tomorrow to host the Cubbies out at TEP. Maybe even a few D-backs fans will show up for this one ;-)

Parra on par to make D-backs big club at this rate

Gerardo Parra....I know...not many have really heard much about this guy. As I mentioned the other day, this guy is absolutely tearing it up out there in Cactus League action for the D-backs. Try a .615 average, which include a couple of doubles and a homer.

Parra is in fact one of the top position player prospects in the Diamondbacks farm system. The outfielder comes out of the Dominican Republic, and is a mere 20 years old (turns 21 on May 6). He's listed at 6-1, and is a left-hander who bats from the left side as well.

As for his numbers thus far coming up...not too shabby. Started last year at Low A South Bend and hit .320, with 25 doubles, and 24 stolen bases. He then finished up the year at Hi A Visalia in the California League where he hit .284 in 24 games.

While Parra certainly won't crack the Opening Day roster by any stretch, he is certainly opening some eyes in Tucson - which should be worthy of a promotion to AA Mobile. You remember Mobile....the springboard for both Upton and Reynolds last year...

D-backs win...D-backs win

Ok...it's only Spring Training...but..the D-backs picked up their first win of the Cactus League season today with a 12-5 beat down of the White Sox.

Doug Davis and Brandon Medders each threw two shutdown innings, and the offense hammered out 14 hits in their best spring outing thus far.

As for Micah Owings doing the DH today....1-for-5 with a run scored.

Tomorrow it's back to playin' the Rockies with Juan Cruz taking the hill for the D-backs.

Haren makes D-backs debut

Dan Haren made his D-backs debut today at TEP against their ballpark-mate White Sox. Interesting line for Haren...pitched two innings, giving up five hits, a run, and had four K's. So, he obviously was throwing a lot of strikes...some were missing bats...some were not. But, Haren said he felt good about his performance.

As D-backs reporter Steve Gilbert reported in his piece today on the game:

"I felt really good," said Haren, who was acquired by the D-backs in blockbuster deal with the A's in December. "I was throwing a lot of strikes, which was a goal of mine. I had said a couple of days ago that I just wanted to establish my fastball on both sides of the plate, which I was doing. I got ahead of a lot of guys. I put some guys away, gave up a few hits. That's part of Spring Training, figuring out how to get guys out with two strikes."

This just in.... Gerardo Parra is on fire. He has now gone 2-for-2 in each of the first three spring games. His first hit being a home run to right-center. You can bet that Melvin and the brass are taking note...

By the way, the D-backs are still looking for their first Cactus League win....0-2-1 thus far.