D-backs swept by the Giants??

The young season has now hit an all-time low...as the D-backs lose 4-3 tonight to the Giants and end up getting swept...wow...can we please go back to April?! The Diamondbacks have now lost four straight, and are 3-7 in their last 10.

It was sad that the terrific outing by Randy Johnson went for not. The Big Unit went seven and only gave up two runs, along with nine K's to tie for second place all-time with Roger Clemens. Johnson left the game with a 3-2 lead and it appeared likely he would pick up career win 289 tonight...but Tony Pena promptly came in and walked a couple of guys to let San Francisco tie it up. Chad Qualls then gave up a solo shot to Randy Winn in the ninth and that was all she wrote. Qualls moves to 0-5 on the year now...but still only has a 3.12 ERA...strange.

However, it was nice to see another good hitting night from Justin Upton. I figured he was about to turn it up a notch again. He had a homer and a triple with a couple of steaks.

Next the D-backs will take on the Nationals tomorrow night, with Micah Owings on the hill. Maybe Owings can get the D-backs pitching and hitting going...

Lincecum too much for D-backs

Dan Haren said he felt good...best he has all year, but it didn't show up in the box score last night, as he took the loss to the Giants, 6-3.

"I had great stuff," he said. "My stuff has gotten progressively better as the season has gone on; unfortunately, I haven't put it all together out there. I'm feeling really good, but I'm not getting the results. But it's a long season, and we're only a third of the way through I'm not really worried about much."

Haren went six full innings, and gave up five earned runs on nine hits. Not stellar, but not horrible. But, it was the three-run shot he gave up to Bengie Molina in the third that was the most painful.

"I felt if I could get one just a little lower I could get him to swing," Haren said. "But it was more in the same spot, if not a little higher. He put the bat on the ball, and he's hot right now, and he's not missing much."

The real story of the night however was the pitching performance of the Giants' Tim Lincecum...wow that guy can pitch. I've never seen so many broken bats given up by a pitcher. And the guy is 5' 11'' and goes a buck 70. That's Pedroesque stature...but he can bring it big time. Lincecum went 7 1/3 and gave up three runs. He moves to 7-1 on the season with a dazzling 2.33 ERA. Watch out Webby....this guy is on your Cy Young heals.

Justin Upton continues to struggle...wore the 0-for-4 collar and was dangerously close to the golden sombrero as he punched out three times. Come on J Up...let's go man. Not sure if pitchers are finding holes in his swing, or if it's just a mental thing right now. But, he's due to snap out of it and crank it back up here soon. That should propel the D-backs back to where they need to be offensively.

It will be good to see Doug Davis back on the mound at home tonight taking on Jonathan Sanchez of the Giants. Hopefully the mood of the ballpark and team can push Arizona back to their winnings ways.

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Eric Byrnes went on the 15-day DL yesterday for the first time in his career. His bad hamstrings have finally gotten the best of him. Now it turns out he tweaked the first hammy during a race with Chris Young before Spring Training started:

"We were having some fun -- we were pushing each other getting ready for Spring Training," Byrnes said when asked if the pair were racing. "It was just a little tweak that stayed there and stayed there, and I think what happened is I overcompensated on the other side."

I'm sure Josh Byrnes was happy to hear about that....But it will be good to get Byrnesie right and healthy, and have him start contributing again real soon.

Byrnes & Young...dingers a plenty

Well....first time I've had a second to talk D-backs in a few days. Spent a couple of days in Breckenridge, Colorado, and now am in the Denver area. Seen a bit of everything: snow, rain, and warm blue skies. It's tremendous up here in the high country.

Anyway...back to baseball. Eric Byrnes hit his first ever grand salami today...are you kidding me?? His first ever? Yep. It was a shot that just barely cleared the wall in left off of Tom Glavine in the fifth. That was the clincher as the D-backs paced behind the now 6-2 Micah Owings, drilled the Braves 9-3. Chris Young started the game out with a solo shot in the top of the first....I love when he does that...sets the tone for the entire game.

One more against the Braves tomorrow with Brandon Webb going again for his tenth...think he'll get it this time.

Still on the road for tomorrow and the next day...will be back soon....happy trails....

Out for Memorial Day weekend

I will be off the grid for the next few days....spending time in beautiful Colorado....possibly some sparse updates to follow...go D-backs!

Webb good, but Marlins edge out D-backs once again

For Brandon Webb, being out pitched by Ricky Nolasco was something slightly on the improbable side. Webb pitched well enough to win for sure, going seven innings and only giving up three runs on six hits. All and all a very solid outing. Nolasco on the other hand only gave up three hits and one run in his seven innings. Three hits off of Ricky Nolasco. I'm actually not surprised at all. Once again the D-backs have trouble hitting guys that haven't seen a lot. Nolasco actually faced Arizona two years ago with similar results. In that game he went 7 1/3 and gave up three runs in his victory.

It was a good thing that Stephen Drew showed up yesterday, going 3-for-4 with a solo shot off of Nolasco (watch the homer here) in the fourth. Other than Drew, only one other Diamondback hit from Chris Snyder.

So, 10-0 not meant to be I guess. Not a problem. Myself and every other D-backs fan will take 9-1 in a heartbeat. Webby will get 'em next time...that is if the offense helps out his cause.

The Dodgers won yesterday as well, so the NL West lead is now down to three games. Arizona looks to not be swept today as the 5-2 Dan Haren takes on 3-3 Andrew Miller from Florida.

Lack of key hits foils D-backs against Marlins

17 left on base for the Diamondbacks in Florida....not gonna do it....Micah Owings pitched well enough to win most games, but not well enough as the Fish from Florida take the first one of the three, 3-2.

Owings went seven full innings, struck out 10, walked only two, and gave up all three runs. That was all the Marlins needed. The D-backs had plenty of chances, but just could not deliver. Owings and Justin Upton just had brutal nights...well, just about as bad as you can get. Owings was 0-for-3 with 3 punchouts. Upton was 0-for-4 with four punchouts....better known as the old golden sombrero.

Give some credit to Marlins starter Mark Hendrickson. He pitched a very nice game in his five innings of work.

On the positive side, Orlando Hudson did have another nice offensive game, going 2-for-3 and extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Chris Snyder hit a long ball in the seventh to close the gap to 3-2. Other than that...a lot of guys left standing on base at the end of innings.

The Dodgers are leading right now 3-0 in the seventh against the Reds. If they hold on, the D-backs lead would be trimmed to four in the NL West.

Well...the 9-0 Mr. Webb will be taking the hill tomorrow to face the Marlins 2-3 Ricky Nolasco. Let's hope Webby can smoke 'em and even this series up at one. Imagine if he can be 10-0 in his first 10 starts of the year...wow...not counting chickens yet...very bad karma to do that...wouldn't dare. It certainly won't be a gimme...these Marlins are a very good team.

More on Scherzer and Davis

As I talked about in my post the other day about what will happen when Doug Davis returns to the rotation, D-backs beat writer Steve Gilbert answered some mailbag questions regarding this same topic. Here is the full answer Gilbert gives to the question:

This has been a very popular question of Bob Melvin over the past 10 days or so and he continues to give some version of "We'll see what happens." Looking at the situation, I would think that Scherzer will stay in the big leagues, but be moved to the bullpen. He's pitched well and earned the right to stay in the big leagues. And the bullpen makes sense for him right now because, one, it would be hard to take someone else out of the rotation right now, and two, by pitching him out of the bullpen the team can also limit his pitches, which is something they want to make sure they do in his first full professional season.

The hard part is going to be making room for him down there. Two of the pitchers, Edgar Gonzalez and Brandon Medders, are out of Minor League options and therefore would have to be placed on waivers if the club tried to send them down. So if I had to guess, I would say Scherzer to the bullpen with a tough corresponding move to follow.

So, Gilbert like my option two of sending down either Gonzalez or Medders and leaving Max Scherzer in the pen. While I agree that keeping Scherzer up at the big club will be important, I think it makes more sense to keep him in a starting rotation and send him down to keep his work going on a consistent basis. There's nothing worse than having a great arm languishing out in the bullpen.

The Unit very large in big win today

Randy Johnson picked up his career win number 288 today as he blanked the Tigers 4-0 at Chase. An absolutely outstanding outing for the Unit. Seven innings...six hits...no runs...five K's...one walk. Now that is dealing for the 44-year old.

This was reminiscent of a stretch of games last year when Johnson was back to his Cy Young form. He certainly hasn't been dominant this year, but with a 4-1 record and an ERA at 4.42 now, he's right where he wants to be at this point. After the game he was reluctant to talk about the big 300.

"I don't really think about that kind of stuff now," Johnson said of 300 wins. "I just want to be a part of winning ballgames here. The big picture is a long way away and we still have a lot to do, but any win we get at this point is great. The big picture is hopefully getting back to the playoffs and for me being a part of that. I wasn't [part of it] last year, and I've worked extremely hard having two back surgeries and I want to be a part of that."

The game started out much the same as last night's, with the Tigers starter (Nate Robertson) dominating the D-backs hitters.

But it was Chris Young who came through big-time in fifth with a two-run double to center. That made it 2-0 D-backs. Young also picked up another freebie steak the next inning when he was walked with the bases juiced.

It was nice to see The Sheriff Mark Reynolds have a good day at the plate as well. Reynolds went 3-for-4 with a couple of run scored.

The series win over the Tigers means that Arizona has won 10 series this year, and have lost only three. That'll get ya to October in a hurry. The Dodgers were embarrassed by the Angels today, bringing the D-backs NL West lead back to 5 1/2.

Glad to see the announced crowd today was 38,793. That's a nice turnout for a Sunday afternoon against the Tigers....but there are certainly many Michigan folks in the Valley.

Now it's time to hit the road for the 28-16 D-backs as they take a two-team tour of the NL East. First stop is Florida for three and then a four game set in Atlanta. Really looking forward to see the .400 hitting Chipper Jones. Off day tomorrow, then Micah Owings will take the ball on Tuesday against the Marlins.

What will happen when Doug Davis returns??

Trying to figure out what the Diamondbacks plan to do when Doug Davis returns after his last minor league start today. Something has to give on the D-backs pitching staff. They are currently carrying 12 guys on the staff, so could possibly make it 13, but that's a bit unconventional these days. Edgar Gonzalez would seem to be an obvious choice to move down, but he's out of options, so that makes it more difficult. Brandon Medders is also out of options. Here are some possibilities in the order that I would do it:

• Move Max Scherzer back down to AAA Tucson to keep him going on a regular basis in a starting rotation
• Move either Gonzalez or Medders down to Tucson and maybe they would clear waivers
• Trade Gonzalez, Medders, or possibly Juan Cruz to try to pick up another lefty...having only Doug Slaten down there is a little slim.
• Send Robby Hammock down and just have two catchers and 13 pitchers
  

Option number one seems to make the most logical sense. But, I've got a feeling that keeping their prized package up in the big leagues might be a priority. We'll just have to wait until late next week when it's expected that Davis will join the team in Atlanta....should be interesting.

Scherzer tough, but no support costs D-backs

Max Scherzer will have to wait quite a while now to get his first major league win. He threw well enough in five innings to get a win, but not on a night when D-backs hitters decided to take the night off. Scherzer ended up throwing 102 pitches and only surrendered three hits and two runs, neither of them earned. Sounds like a decent night, but Detroit's Armando Galarraga ended up out dueling him by going six innings and giving up two runs as well and only one stinking hit. Scherzer seemed to be running deep counts on almost every hitter, resulting in his high pitch count and early departure. He's got such explosive and electric stuff, that command could be an issue at times, but really hasn't been until last night when he gave up four walks along with his 5 K's. With Doug Davis coming back to the big club after his last minor league start Sunday, it's back to the pen for Scherzer.

The Tigers only managed six hits, but Arizona could only muster three hits....three hits...now Galarraga is a good, young pitcher to be sure...but, they simply could not capitalize on the five walks that he gave up. Just one of those nights I guess...

Surprisingly, Eric Byrnes was not in the lineup. Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic reported that he was a late scratch due to his recurring bout with tight hamstrings. Of course Byrnes was frustrated not being in there after his breakout game on Friday.

“That’s why I definitely even more so wanted to be in there, to have that day yesterday,” he said. “I had a feeling yesterday that I believe I can repeat and I definitely took a lot better at-bats. I’m looking forward to building off of that either tomorrow or later in tonight’s game.”

Indications are that he should be in the lineup in Sunday's game.

Hopefully the D-backs can turn it around today with Randy Johnson on the bump. He'll be taking on Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.04) today at 1:10 PM. Hopefully it will be rake time today against Robertson. Don't really like those Saturday black unis...so back to the red for Sunday and back to winning. The Dodgers won yesterday, so the D-backs lead is now trimmed to 4 1/2.

Saturday D-backs roundup

So, it was actually Chris Snyder who pulled the plug on Eric Byrnes' at-bat intro song from The Outfield and brought back Van Halen's "Jump".... and Byrnesie wasn't really happy about it.

"I was upset," Byrnes said. "I thought they changed it up top. I like hearing The Outfield, and even when I wasn't getting hits, it was nice to hear. Now, Snyder won't let me change it back."

That's OK Eric...the rest of Phoenix knew it had to go as well...let it die. Watch his homer from last nigh here.

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Got the young and electric Max Scherzer on the bump this evening against the Tigers' Armando Galarraga (2-1, 3.07). Scherzer will be going for his major league win in three attempts. His first two were solid with an ERA of 3.14. Hmm...3.14...Pi...think that means he'll win tonight and get a pie in the face...I have a feeling he's due tonight.

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Doug Davis will make his second and last minor league start for the Sidewinders tomorrow. It is expected that he will take Scherzer's spot in the rotation with Max going back to the pen. It's somewhat unfortunate, but what else can the D-backs do?? Webb...Haren...Owings...Johnson...none of those guys are going anywhere. I suspect a spot will open back up for him soon though.

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Good story on mlb.com on Kirk Gibson and his history with the Tigers. As the Tigers manager Jim Leyland says:

"The best thing he had going for him, which is what I like in all players, he came here every day to try to beat the other team," Leyland said. "That's what he came for. He was out there to beat you."

That's Gibby.

Eric Byrnes is back and D-backs win!

Ok....Eric Byrnes must have heard my plea to change his at-bat intro song to help get him out of his slump :-) Tonight he switched back to Van Halen's "Jump" and Byrnesie was mashing once again! He broke out of it with a solo blast in the fifth to score the D-backs first run and close the Tigers lead to 3-1. He later hit an RBI single in the seventh as part of Arizona's three-run inning that lead to the 4-3 win. He was much more under control and focused at the plate. Woohoo!!! Byrnesie is back!!!

But, let's not forget the outstanding outing from Dan Haren. In what was an almost identical line to Brandon Webb's from last night, Haren went seven innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He also had four punchouts and did not surrender a free pass. The win for Haren brought his season record to 5-2 and ERA to 3.14...very nice.

Juan Cruz came in for Haren in the eighth and looked like Mariano Rivera out there. Three up..three punchouts...he was lights out. Tony Pena came in (Brandon Lyon needing a night off) closed it out beautifully in an uneventful ninth.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman actually had a no-no going through the first four innings, and ended up pitching a tremendous game. If it wasn't for a couple of Detroit defensive miscues, Bonderman would have ended up winning this one.

But, it was a classic game where the Diamondbacks once again showed their resiliency. There was just a feeling in the air that they would come back. A feeling experienced many times last year as well...

If Byrnes is now officially back in gear, watch out National League. With the Angels beating the Dodgers tonight, the D-backs now go up 5 1/2 in the West.

Updated: Eric Byrnes on Phoenix radio this morning

Eric Byrnes was on XTRA Sports 910 AM this morning for his Friday morning segment with Bickley and MJ. The segment actually sounded more like a therapy session than a radio interview.

Byrnesie was not real pleased with D-back fans for their booing of him in Wednesday's game against the Rockies. He said they pay their money and have a right, but....

He spent most of the interview trying to convince Bickley and MJ that he's gone through this before (9-for-96 slump while he was in Oakland), and that he'll be fine. Sounded to me more like he was trying to convince himself of it. Not sure if he'll be in the lineup tonight against the Tigers, but I think keeping him out too long will mess with his head even more.

Byrnes mentioned that one of things he has noticed from watching tape is that he's trying too hard right now....that's exactly what I mentioned the other day. He's swinging out of his shoes every time up. He needs to just relax...see a few good pitches...and play pepper out there...it will come back. Oh, and please change the at-bat intro song!

3:20 PM UPDATE: Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic just told me that Eric Byrnes will in fact be in the lineup tonight....great news. Go do some serious damage out there Byrnesie....

Webb is amazing again to get to 9-0

Brandon Webb....Brandon Freaking Webb goes to 9-0 baby after putting away the Rockies 8-5 at Chase. This guy is sick....nine wins in his first nine starts of the year. I can hear the chants now: 30....30....30. Well, that ain't gonna happen, but I don't think 25 wins for Webby this season is that far out of the realm of possibility. Nails...absolutely nails.

Leading 8-3 going to the ninth, Bo Mel called upon seldom used Brandon Medders to get him some work. Well, Medders brought his gas can to the mound and tried to torch the place. He left with the bases loaded with no outs to yield to Brandon Lyon to clean up the mess (12th save). In fairness to Medders, he just hasn't been able to get any work in this year. The starters always seem to go at least six innings....leaving only room for the Qualls/Pena/Lyon show.

For the first seven innings of tonight's game, Webb was almost untouchable. He ran into some difficulties in the eighth, giving up three runs before yielding to Doug Slaten after one out. Slaten quickly disposed of Todd Helton and then Chad Qualls came in to finish up the inning unscathed. Very nice to see Qualls earn his paycheck tonight after his recent struggles.

Webb threw 111 pitches on the night, and it was obvious that he had tired in the eighth. But, that was after he had worn out Rockies hitters with 8 punchouts and one walk.

Leading 5-3 going to the bottom of the eighth, the D-backs piled on as they put three more on the board thanks to Orlando Hudson (RBI single) and Justin Upton (two-run triple).

On the offensive side, Stephen Drew continues to swing a red hot bat hitting in that two hole that I love so much. He only went 4-for-5 and was just a long ball away from the cycle. That kind of game raised his season average to .295. Drew hasn't sniffed .300 since being called up in the middle of '06...very nice to see.

But it was Chris Snyder that had the biggest hit of the game however. His three-run dinger in the fifth put the D-backs up 5-0 and provided a much needed cushion for Webby to get his ninth win.

Once again Orlando Hudson came to play for the third straight game after being out with that tweaked hammy. He went 2-for-3 with two steaks. He was 6-for-11 in this series as the D-backs add another series sweep to their season resume and take their season record to a major league best 26-15. The Dodgers won again so their NL West lead remains at 4.5.

Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic noted before game time that both Eric Byrnes and Conor Jackson would not be in the lineup tonight. Byrnes out because of his well documented horrific slump, and Jackson out apparantly due to a right quad injury he suffered on Sunday against the Cubs (that and the fact that he is 0-for-12 lifetime against Aaron Cook :-) ) Jeff Salazar took Byrnesie's spot in the lineup tonight....Melvin is sure hoping that some time off will get him back into it again. Or maybe Byrnes decided to go search for some new intro music and needed the night off ;-).

Ahh...tomorrow starts that inevitable time of the year...interleague play. Mixed emotions on this one. It will be nice to see the Tigers come into town...albeit that they are the struggling Tigers (16-25). Danny Haren will get the nod tomorrow against Jeremy Bonderman with the familiar 6:40 PM start time at Chase.

D-backs squeeze by Rockies

Micah Owings did a masterful job of pitching when it really counted last night against the Rockies. Getting out of jam after jam and not surrendering a single run over his six innings of work as the D-backs nipped the Rox 4-3. Melvin after the game:

"Typical Micah, has to make a pitch and he does," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said.

He gave up five hits and also had five K's and a couple of walks to round out the outing.

The D-backs were leading 4-0 after six when Melvin went with his seventh inning guy Chad Qualls. He quickly gave up a couple of hits and a run, but ended up striking out the side. However, Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon then made it really interesting the last two innings. Pena gave up two runs in the eighth on a two-out single from Scott Podsednik. Then with a 4-3 lead going to the ninth, Lyon had the heart of the Rockies lineup staring at him. He quickly got the first two, but then gave up a couple of hits and had first and second with Brad Hawpe at the plate. Hawpe popped out to Mark Reynolds and that was all she wrote.

For the second time in two nights, Orlando Hudson had very productive plate appearances. He went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs in the fourth with a double off of Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa. Stephen Drew also still looking good in the two hole as he went 2-for-4 as well.

As for our guy Eric Byrnes....still hitting in the sixth spot, and again another 0-for-4 collar with five guys left on base. I did notice of couple of things while watching him last night. He is definitely down on himself, and is carrying himself that way. No smile. Looking like his dog just died. And at the plate, he is swinging out of his shoes. Slow down my man...One suggestion...change your intro song coming up to the plate. It's all mental, and sometimes changing something as simple as that can change your outlook and frame of mind. Come on Byrnesie...let's go!

D-backs go to 25-15 on the season (7-1 against the Rockies), the best record in all of baseball, and still lead the NL West by 4.5 games.

Huge game tonight with Brandon Webb going for win number nine against the Rockies' almost equally as good Aaron Cook (6-1).

D-backs back to their "old" ways in win

As I thought would be the case, getting the D-backs back home against the NL West was just the recipe for getting back to their winning ways. They pounded out 15 hits in their 8-4 victory last night against the hapless Rockies. They are now 6-1 this year against Colorado.

It was The Big Unit, Randy Johnson, who somehow managed to squeak out his third victory of the year (3-1), and get his career win number 287. But, Johnson didn't need to do more than the five innings, nine hits, and four runs that he gave up. D-back hitters pushed across three runs in the first, and another three runs in the second on Stephen Drew's three-run blast (watch it here). It was fantastic to see Orlando Hudson back in the starting lineup after being out with that hammy tweak. Hudson then promptly came out and went 2-for-4 with two steaks...missed ya O-dog :-).

The first five hitters in the lineup (and yes finally did NOT include Eric Byrnes who was pushed back to number six) did some absolute mashing last night. They were a combined 11-for-22 with seven runs and six RBIs. Justin Upton had some thoughts on tonight's win:

"In Chicago, things obviously didn't go our way so we got back home, washed our hands of that and jumped out early," right fielder Justin Upton said.

"I don't know what it is, to be honest with you. Jeff Francis is a great pitcher," Upton said. "He's switched up his game plan a couple of times. We just happened to be swinging the bats when we've seen him."

As for Byrnesie....another collar on the night with two punchouts to bring his season average down to .220. Hmm...not sure what to do here with this guy. I think this calls for something very drastic. Not just growing back the porn 'stache...I'm talking something with the Shaggin' Wagon....and something that might not be or shouldn't be legal...

I really like Drew hitting in the two hole...and as long as Byrnes is struggling...and even after that...I'd like to see him stay in that spot. He seems really comfortable up there right now.

The bullpen looked great tonight again after a horrid previous week. The combination of Cruz, Qualls, Pena, and Lyon did not give up a run over the last four innings and put this one to bed.

Micah Owings takes his 4-1 record to the hill tonight against Jorge De La Rosa in the second of three against these Rockies.

Bullpen woes continue for Diamondbacks

Another solid effort by a D-backs starter goes for nothing again Sunday afternoon against the Cubbies. Because of the cold and rainy conditions, both Bob Melvin and Lou Piniella decided to pull their starters, Randy Johnson and Carlos Zambrano and not risk injury. Well, unfortunately it was not a good time to pull Johnson, as noted has never lost to the Cubs.

But, Edgar Gonzalez stepped in and pitched a very solid five innings. He only gave up two runs on five hits. But...with the D-backs leading 4-2 in the seventh, once again the bullpen came in and gave it all away. Juan Cruz gave up two runs, and was then replaced by Tony Pena. With the game tied at four, the Cubs Daryle Ward hit a two-run double to win it for the Cubs.

And, along with the faltering bullpen, once again the ineptitude of the D-backs offense keeps rearing it's ugly head. They could only muster five hits....

So, the D-backs have now lost two consecutive series, but still retain a 3.5 gain lead in the NL West. So, that's the good news..the Dodgers are tanking right now as well.

They've now lost seven of their last ten. Time to panic yet? Don't believe so. It was bound to happen, and now it has...that's all.

Hopefully with the Rockies coming into town on Tuesday, that the Diamondbacks will return to the old form, i.e. the way they have mastered the West in the past.

Scherzer outstanding, Qualls a mess in D-backs loss

Max Scherzer threw an absolutely brilliant game today in Chicago. I mean, six complete innings and only gives up a single run on five hits. He also had 6 K's and one walk. He left with a 2-1 lead and we're all thinking it's money time for Mr. Scherzer and he's going to get his first major league win. Come on, with the D-backs masterful 7-8-9 guys...most likely will happen....

Well....Chad Qualls promptly brought in his gas can to the mound in the seventh, and it was a mess. His fuel led to four earned runs in 1/3 inning...wow....Then Brandon Medders relieved him and quickly gave up a two-run shot to Fukodome...I mean...freaking Fukodome!!??? That shut the door for good as the D-backs go down 7-2.

Mercifully Eric Byrnes was not in the lineup today. Hope he can get back in there manana and right the ship somehow...this team is going nowhere fast without Byrnesie being a huge part of the offense. Four hits scratched out again today...and two by our main man Augie Ojeda....not good.

Well....the D-backs have Randy Johnson going tomorrow...thank goodness...since he has never lost to the Cubs...argh....hope I didn't speak to soon...

Haren good, but not good enough

Dan Haren threw an outstanding game today. Seven innings and only gave up two runs on five hits. Normally with this team, that's an automatic W. Not today. Ted Lilly had a slightly better line: one run on three hits in seven innings.

So, the 3-1 loss brings Haren to 4-2 on the year. The D-backs offense just could not get it going today. It was definitely a chilly day out there...maybe that had something to do with it. The offense only scratched out four hits. That ain't gonna do it.

The game started out like many other games this year, with the D-backs taking a first inning 1-0 lead on a solo shot by Chris Young. Young was again in the three hole today. Eric Byrnes again hit leadoff....and was 0-for-4 with 2 K's. Don't understand why Melvin is putting Byrnes in the leadoff spot when he is struggling so horrifically. He's not doing his team any favors there....PLEASE...Bo Mel...put him way down in the lineup until he figures it out!!!!

The D-backs will try to figure it out again tomorrow when Max Scherzer makes his second start of the year against the Cubs Ryan Dempster. The D-backs got a tough draw in the Cubs pitching this weekend...with the 4-1 Dempster on Saturday and the 5-1 Carlos Zambrano going Sunday against the Big Unit. But, the Unit has never lost against the Cubbies, so that may be the savior. But, I think Scherzer is going to be lights out tomorrow...just a feeling.

Brandon Webb....lighting it up again

For Brandon Webb, everything has come easy so far this season. We as D-back fans have now come to expect him to win every time out - and he hasn't failed us. Today he went to 8-0 on the season, with a complete gamer as the D-backs evened the series with the Phillies by winning 8-3. Webb gave up three runs (only two earned), on six hits. He also had 4 K's and not a single walk.

Webb gave up a quick run in the first, but then the D-backs came right back in the bottom of the first to get two runs back. They are almost unstoppable when they score in the first inning. It was Chris Young who was responsible for those two runs, hitting a dinger with one out for his eighth of the year. Young was uncharacteristically hitting in the three hole today, and made the most of it early. Eric Byrnes hit leadoff instead, and continued to drill deeper in his slump, going 0-for-5 on the day. As I mentioned yesterday, Byrnesie has to get that 'stache going or things are going to get uglier. I understand Melvin's decision to go with Byrnes at leadoff I guess....try to get him going one way or another. But, honestly he really belongs in the six or seven hole right now. Maybe Bo Mel thinks it would be a blow to his psyche, but he needs to take the pressure off for a bit to get his stroke back.

Augie Ojeda is great, isn't he? I mean, you can plug this guy in at any time and he will play good, solid defense and hit like a witch. He went 1-for-3 again today filling in for O-dog, and is hitting .351 on the year...love that guy.

As I felt would be the case last night, Conor Jackson was not in the lineup today to give him another day of rest after that big-time collision in yesterday's game. Jackson said before the game he could have played today, but best to take a day to recover. Looks like he suffered a mild concussion from that helmet to the face...ouch....

Also nice to see Mark Reynolds heating up again, going 3-for-4 today.

Tomorrow it's off to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, where Danny Haren will take the hill against the Cubs Ted Lilly in the first game of the three-game series. It's an early 11:20 AM start local time. The Cubbies are at 19-15, two games back of the Cardinals in the NL Central.

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Great news from the Doctor's office: Arizona left-hander Doug Davis has been pronounced as being cancer free, after testing showed that the disease had not spread. Davis is ready to make two starts in AAA Tucson, on Saturday and next Thursday before rejoining the big club. Hmm...wonder what's going to happen to that starting rotation...Scherzer back to the pen??

Tough one tonight for D-backs

Today Conor Jackson turned 26. Today Conor Jackson had himself a real nice night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs, including a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh, but it was a collision at first base in the eighth that may cause Jackson not to remember much of tonight. Phillies' center fielder Shane Victorino was busting it down the line to first when he collided with Jackson as he moved to the inside of the bag to take the throw. Make no mistake, it was a violent collision. Both seemed a bit dazed briefly, but Jackson certainly got the worst of it.

In the post-game interview with Jackson, he indicated he was a nauseous and had a headache. It was clear he had a bit of a welt on his right cheekbone from the collision. Since the D-backs play a 12:40 PM game tomorrow, I would seriously doubt Jackson would play....but...their bench is thin right now with O-Dog not available as well. So...Hopefully Jackson can get some good rest and will be ready to go soon.

Hitting sensation Micah Owings pitched an outstanding game and went 1-for-3 with a double. He went seven innings, giving up only three runs on four hits. Two of the three runs came on a two-run homer in the seventh off the bat of Pedro Feliz. He left the game after the seventh, with the game tied at 3. The offense then promptly came up and got a run back from Jackson's double to take a 4-3 lead at the end of seven.

But, the usually reliable D-backs bullpen gave it up in the eighth, as Chad Qualls gave up a couple of knocks and a couple of runs (go-ahead RBI by Chase Utley) . Qualls gets both the blown save and the loss (0-3), as this was really his first big struggle of the season.

Brad Lidge then came on in the ninth and just buried Arizona. He has just about the nastiest slider and 96 mph heater I've seen in quite some time. This guy was dead and buried for a couple of years, and now he is just lights out. He still hasn't given up an earned run this year and leads the majors in strikeouts per innings pitched. He obviously has no memory of Albert Pujols at this point....unfortunately.

This was a tough one to lose here, especially since the D-backs had nearly twice as many hits (13) as the Phillies (7), but when you leave 18 on base it's not going to happen....and it didn't.

Let's see if our money man Brandon Webb can even out the series tomorrow against the Phillies Brett Myers.

Eric Byrnes: please grow your 'stache back!

After the torrid start and hitting streak to start the season, Eric Byrnes and his 'stache-less face have gone in the tank. Consider his last 10 games: he's hitting .146, slugging .171, nine punchouts, and one stinking RBI.

Byrnesie my man....please grow that lame porn 'stache of yours back. Take one for the team here bro...you need it...the team needs it...and most importantly I need it :-)

You are in the depths of despair, and since you are now a happily married man, the usual slump buster is not going to work here...so...your slump buster is the porn 'stache...do it...do it...do it...

3-run dinger from Drew pushes D-backs past Phills

Stephen Drew hit a key 3-run homer in the fourth inning tonight off of Phillies starter Adam Eaton, as the D-backs got back on track to win it 6-4. Randy Johnson wasn't great, but good enough in six solid innings to pick up his second win of the year (2-1). The Unit gave up four earned runs to go along with five hits, six K's and 2 walks.

The D-backs bullpen then came in and gave it the usual lights out with their 7-8-9 trio...Qualls...Pena...Lyon. Although Brandon Lyon made it interesting in the ninth - giving up two hits and having first and third with two outs. But Lyon got Eric Bruntlett to fly out to short right field to end it. Bruntlett had hit a 2-run dinger off of Johnson earlier in the game. That save was Lyon's 10th of the year. Wow....considering his slow start, having 10 saves at this point is awesome at right near the tops in the majors.

Nice to see Chase Utley get shutdown tonight (0-for-4)...that has not happened many times this year.

As I mentioned this morning, Orlando Hudson should not have been in the lineup yesterday, and pleaded that he be replaced by Augie Ojeda tonight....well....I've got Bo Mel's ear ;-) because that's what happened. Hopefully O-dog is not hurt too bad and just needs a few days to heal the dings. Melvin indicated in the post-game that the MRI showed a strain in his bad hammy, and he could be out anywhere from five to ten days. With Hudson out of the lineup, Drew moved up to the two hole and went 2-for-4 with the homer. Melvin said Drew thrives on hitting up higher in the order...safe bet that he'll stay up there while Hudson is out.

So, a good win for the D-backs tonight, getting them back on their winning way again.
They now go to 22-11 on the season, which is still the best overall record percentage-wise in all of baseball. They are now 4-4 on the 10-game home stand as well. As I'm writing this, the Dodgers are out in front of the Mets 5-4 in the sixth. Come on Mets....beat those L.A. bums and let the D-backs extend their NL West lead back to four again.

Micah Owings will take the bump manana against the Phillies Kyle "no relation to Ken" Kendrick for another 6:40 PM start in the third of the four games in the series.

Scherzer takes loss in debut

For youngster Max Scherzer, last night was a good introduction to major league baseball. It was nothing like his perfect relief appearance last week, where he was on top of every hitter he faced. Last night the hitters were a step ahead of him as he took the loss in the loss to the Phillies.

"I didn't get ahead of the hitters as well as I did last time," Scherzer said after watching his D-backs fall, 11-4, to the Phillies on Monday night at Chase Field. "It's a good learning lesson tonight."

"Fell behind hitters and fell behind in the count -- and just allowed them to be in positions to sit on my fastball, and they did a good job of hitting it," Scherzer said.

That's good to hear from him, and not unexpected. I'm quite sure Scherzer will take this one to heart, break down tape for hours and figure out exactly what he can do differently next time. But, it's not like this was a total catastrophe. I mean, while he did give up five runs in his four innings, only two of them were earned. He did give up seven hits but also had five K's and a couple of walks.

This dude is going to be back in his next start with a vengeance.

As for the bats.....reminiscent of last year....scary....couldn't get anything going against Jamie Moyer who is older than dirt and throws slower than I do. But, got to give him credit I guess...but, the D-back hitters absolutely HAVE to make adjustments against a guy like him.

Orlando Hudson was back in the lineup....not sure he should have been though. While he was 1-for-3 at the plate, he was at least one or two steps slow in the field...missing balls he normally would have nailed. Let's get him out of there tonight and put Augie Ojeda in there and give O-dog another day to rest.

The Phillies bats lit up the D-backs for 17 hits...Chase Utley (2-for-4), Geoff Jenkins (3-for-6), and Eric Bruntlett (2-for-5, 3 RBI) all had big nights.

So, now the NL East have taken three out of four from Arizona. That pesky NL East....The Big Unit will try to turn things around tonight against the Phills Adam Eaton. Come on D-backs...let's pound these guys.

Scherzer struggling in third

Max Scherzer is struggling in his first major league start...giving up a run in the first, and now four more in the third. But, only two of the runs are earned...so guess that helps a little. Well...knew he'd face some adversity early on...and he's sure getting it. His pitch count is getting up there as well, not sure how long he'll last.

D-backs Odds and Ends

Interesting piece on Yahoo Sports from Sean Deveney on Max Scherzer. Great opening paragraph from Deveney:

I admit, I’ve got Max Scherzer fever. It’s to the point that, as you’re reading this, I am probably on a plane heading to Phoenix, just so I can get a glimpse of the guy. From what I heard, in his first big-league appearance, Scherzer threw a pitch that went 134 mph. He faced 13 batters and struck out 16. I also heard he killed himself a b’ar when he was only three.

Sure hope the Scherzer hype is not too much for the young man. But, I really don't think it will be - he's going to be money long-term, but will certainly face some adversity early on that he'll have to battle.

The D-backs also sit first in his power poll this week. Here are his top 10:

1. D-backs
2. Angels
3. Red Sox
4. Phillies
5. Cardinals
6. Dodgers
7. Mets
8. A's
9. Cubs
10. Yankees

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Looking at the latest from AAA Tucson, our former D-back Alex Romero is lighting it up as would be expected. The young Venezuelan is hitting .333 with 8 RBIs in only 12 games for the Sidewinders. Better yet, he gave my son an autograph last week when we were out at the park - good guy.

Third baseman Jamie D'Antona is even hotter - hitting .406 (ahh....the Splendid Splinter) with 13 doubles and 17 RBIs. I saw this guy play last week, and was really surprised at how he can rake. I can see both of these guys as big-time trade prospects or early callups for an injury this year.

D-backs just can't beat the Mets

It seems that unless Brandon Webb is on the mound, the D-backs just can't beat those pesky New York Mets. At least they were able to pick up one of three this weekend....the Mets just absolutely own them at home - 15 out of last 17 at Chase.

A costly error by Conor Jackson in the ninth ended up being very costly, as the Mets broke a 2-2 tie to win it 5-2.

Bo Mel wasn't too hard on Jackson after the game:

"Conor's been playing a beautiful first base," Melvin said. "He throws a ball away, and obviously, you don't want to do that in that situation. The timing obviously wasn't great, but I'm certainly not going to beat him up for his defensive play, because he's been good over there."

It was a superb pitching dual between Dan Haren and Johan Santana. Both went six innings, with Santana giving up only a single run and Haren giving up two.

It doesn't get any easier tonight as the NL East leading Phillies come to town for four big ones. Max Scherzer makes his big league starting debut against old-timer Jamie Moyer (is that guy still alive?). Watching Scherzer tonight will be must see TV. The scalding hot bat of Chase Utley will present big problems for the D-backs if they aren't careful. Utley comes into tonight with 13 dingers and is hitting .357. Please...don't let him beat you.

Tough night for Owings and D-backs

Once again the D-backs have shown their inability to beat the Mets at home....wow...don't understand it. Micah Owings was knocked around hard in his 5 2/3 as Arizona falls 7-2.

Back at it today at 12:45 PM local with Sir Brandon Webb of the 6-0 variety taking the bump to hopefully straighten things out.

Grab Scherzer in your fantasy league!

Today UmpBump.com listed three players just coming up from AAA who should make a difference immediately, and is suggesting to grab them quickly for your fantasy team. One of these guys is Max Scherzer. I already snapped him up in my league...I definitely think he'll be an impact guy, especially early on. Here's what UmpBump had to say:

Max Scherzer, SP, Diamondbacks - The DBacks are riding high with baseball’s best record, and had no particular plans or even need to call up Scherzer any time soon, but his insane performance at AAA so far this year - a 1.17 ERA and 38 K in 23 IP - forced them to call him up. Initially they were just going to use him as a reliever, but his stunning performance on Tuesday night, retiring all 13 batters he faced, 7 by strikeout, while hitting 98 mph on the gun, forced the Dbacks to take Edgar Gonzalez out of the rotation to make room for him. He will be starting on Monday, and should be good for strikeouts, and with the Dbacks’ offense, wins, right from the get-go.

So, go grab him now while you can!