The Diamondbacks are 10-9 in June and they just lost to one of the worst teams, the Baltimore Orioles. Yet, they still sit just a half game back of the first place Dodgers and they’re in a virtual tie with the Padres. The only thing this mediocre stretch has done for all three contenders in the West is put the hot Rockies back into the mix and they sit just four games out of first and three losses back of the Diamondbacks.
To make matters worse, Randy Johnson is on the shelf with a sore back again. He had put together four straight wins and six straight decent starts and while he’s due to come off of the DL this week, we’ll have to wait and see whether he’s ready. Having a mostly healthy Unit would be a huge boost in the second half.
And what can you say about Eric Byrnes. I know you can’t expect him to keep up this pace, but if he somehow does, you’re looking at a MVP candidate. He’s getting on base, driving in runs and even stealing bases. And he’s doing it with some above average defense (three fielding runs above average). It looks like last year wasn’t a fluke and Byrnes is an above average outfielder.
The guy who’s been disappointing has been Chris Young. I know you can’t expect much from a rookie but a .285 OBP isn’t going to cut it. The ten homeruns are nice but the rest of the package isn’t living up to expectations. With a good second half though, the kid could still pick up rookie of the year.
Brandon Webb is starting to come into his own as well. After a mediocre May, he’s been very good in June even if the win/loss record doesn’t reflect it. One thing he’s been doing is striking more guys out. He’s on pace for his first 200 strikeout season and his batting average against is actually better then it was last year when he won the Cy Young.
Livan Hernandez gets the start tonight and he’ll take on Brian Burres. Livan’s dropped his last three and he’s been roughed up bad in his last two starts and hopefully this will be the night he turns things around.
