Diamondback Journal

Max Scherzer struck out seven in 4.1 innings of relief of starter Edgar Gonzalez in a 6-4 loss to the Houston Astros. Gonzalez had a hard time getting anyone out, giving up six runs on eight hits in just 2.2 innings. Scherzer was promptly announced today as being moved into the starting rotation after his impressive debut.

The 23-year old rookie from Missouri finally arrived after much anticipation by Diamondback fans. The offense could not score enough to bring them back into the lead and win the game for him however.

Miguel Tejada had two hits in the game, one being a two bagger. Orlando Hudson had two hits, including his third triple of the month old season. Justin Upton had two hits, to keep his batting average at .330 after the first month. Upton has been impressive early in his first whole season in the big leagues.

Astros starter Jack Cassel lasted just 4.2 innings giving up only four hits and three runs. He was also thrown out at the plate by Jeff Salazer who picked up his first outfield assist of the year. Doug Brocail picked up the win, his first of the season.

Dan Haren helped himself out in a big way on Monday. His outing on the mound was impressive, going 7.2 innings giving up just a measly five hits and three runs. His RBI double however was a difference maker. He drove a pitch down the right field line to score Stephen Drew for the first run on the game.

Haren’s win was his fourth to up his record to 4-1. Brandon Lyon also picked up his eighth save of the season by working a scoreless ninth. Chris Sampson was roughed up by the Diamondbacks for seven hits in 4.1 innings allowing all five of their runs and not striking out a single batter. He dropped to 1-3 on the year.

Conor Jackson had a pair of hits in the game, driving in one and scoring one. Mark Reynolds had a double and drove in two runs. He also stole third, his third stolen base this year.

The Diamondbacks record is now 19-7, best in the bigs. It puts them 6.5 games ahead of Los Angeles in second, with a record of 12-13.

The Diamondbacks won two of three against the Padres this weekend. The victories were by a score of 5-1 and 2-1 and the loss was by a score of 8-7 on Saturday.

Brandon Webb won his sixth consecutive decision Sunday, improving to 6-0 on the season. He lowered his ERA to 1.98 in outdueling reigning Cy Young winner Jake Peavy who was dealt his first loss of the year. Webb allowed five hits in six innings, and struck out five as well. Peavy struck out nine in 7.2 innings allowing just two runs. In a game when offense was scarce, Chris Snyder came up big, hitting his first homer of the season. The Padres Khalil Greene was the only player with two hits in the game.

In a game on FOX on Saturday, the game went into the 13th before the Padres won with a run in the bottom of the 13th. Tadahito Iguchi hit his first homer of the year to send the Padres home winners.

Micah Owings bat was impressive going 3-3 with two runs and an RBI. He was roughed up on the mound however, going just five innings giving up five hits, five runs, and striking out five. Justin Germano did not have any more success, giving up six on six hits in his five innings. Adrian Gonzalez had a big game with three hits and Iguchi had two hits including the homer. Chris Young hit his sixth homer of the year and had two hits. Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson each also had two hits.

In Friday’s game, Randy Johnson got his first victory of the year. He went six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He walked only two while racking up seven K’s. He also had a hit at the dish. Randy Wolf was roughed up for five runs on seven hits in just four innings. Orlando Hudson had two hits, as did Miguel Montero. Mark Reynolds hit his seventh homer of the year in the game.

Dan Haren suffered his first loss of the season to the Dodgers last night by a score of 8-3. Haren lasted just 4.2 innings giving up nine hits and six runs and walking two. He managed five K’s in the short outing.

Derek Lowe was more than up to the challenge of the streaking Diamondback bats. He threw 5.0 innings allowing only one run on three hits. Five players had multi-hit games to back Lowe. Rafael Furcal, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Matt Kemp and Chin-lung Hu all had two hits in the game. The Dodgers for the game rapped out 13 hits.

Stephen Drew hit his third homer of the season in the game.

The loss dropped Haren to 3-1 and the win improved Lowe to 2-1.

Brandon Webb must have forgotten what it feels like to lose, or he just did not like the feeling. After winning again on Tuesday 5-4, his record now stands at 5-0 for the season. He is the first to 5 wins among all MLB pitchers.

Webb got hit around a little bit early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but shut down the Giants offense after that point. Despite giving up 9 hits in 6.0 innings, he managed to leave many of those runners on the bases. He also struck out 7 opposed to walking two.

The Diamondbacks were badly out hit in the game 13-6 by the Giants, but strung together their hits to score 5 runs. Webb helped himself out with a run and two RBI’s. Chris Snyder also had two RBI’s.

Fred Lewis had three hits for the Giants continuing a solid series. Randy Winn and John Bowker each had two hits in the game as well.

Barry Zito dropped to 0-5 for the season with a loss Tuesday. He lasted just 3.2 innings giving up all 5 runs on six hits and two walks. The huge off-season acquisition from last year has yet to pan out in a Giants uniform.

Brandon Lyon picked up his fifth save of the season in the ballgame working a scoreless ninth with two K’s. The win gave the Diamondbacks the series sweep.

Micah Owings won his fourth game of the season yesterday, against no losses. He matched teammate Brandon Webb for the NL lead in wins with the victory. He had the Giants offense off balance all day, allowing just two runs in the 4-2 win.

Owings was backed by three solo homers. Eric Byrnes, Mark Reynolds, and Orlando Hudson all went deep in the game. Byrnes and Hudson each hit their third of the season, Reynolds hit his sixth. Owings held his own at the plate, going 2-3 and scoring a run. Justin Upton hit two doubles in the ballgame, keeping up his good start to the season with a .384 batting average.

Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Jose Castillo all had two hits for the Giants, but only one other player managed to put a hit in the box score. Lewis hit his first homer of the season.

Kevin Correia had a decent outing, allowing just three runs in 6.0 innings on 8 hits. He received little in the area of support though, and took the loss dropping him to 1-3.

Brandon Webb will try to improve to 5-0 tonight against Barry Zito who is 0-4.

Conor Jackson has been named the National League Player of the Week for his searing hot week. Jackson had 12 hits in 25 at bats for an average of .480. He led all players with 10 RBI’s in the week, as well as two doubles and three homers while scoring 10 runs.

Jackson had a huge game against Greg Maddux and the Padres earlier in the week. He had two triples in that game, falling only a double short of the cycle.

He won the award over man notable hot players such as the Braves Chipper Jones and the Mets David Wright.

Randy Wolf was not the best left handed pitcher going into the game on Sunday, no one would question that. But on Sunday, he was the better pitcher. Wolf out pitched Randy Johnson in the game.

Wolf went 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, but struck out seven. Johnson could not find a groove, going just 5.2 and giving up six runs on six hits and three walks.

Khalil Greene had three hits on the day, scoring two runs. Justin Huber hit his first big league homer among his two hits. He drove in three and scored two also. Kevin Kouzmanoff also contributed two hits.

Conor Jackson continued his hot hitting, going 3-4 with a couple of runs. Mark Reynolds also had two hits, but the rest of the team only managed three more.

The D’backs also had three errors in the field behind the pitchers, causing Johnson to have two of his runs unearned.

This spring, MLB has coordinated with A&E to produce the Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series Collector’s Edition DVD set.  There’s no anniversary but that shouldn’t have stopped anyone from producing a boxed set for one of the greatest World Series ever.

The contents are pretty simple to describe.  You just get every minute of this great series.  Games four and five are tough to take for Diamondbacks fans but these games are incredible to watch with the Yankees hitting two run ninth inning homers before winning the games in extra frames.  You also have the whole backstory of 9/11 that makes this series that much more important.  And then, of course, you have that awesome game seven ninth inning come back.

There are a ton of extras as well.  You get some highlights of the NLDS as well as the trophy presentations.  You also get to listen in on Luis Gonzalez after his big hit in game seven along with some spots from a few other players.  The sleevestat feature is pretty cool too and you get a ton of background information on what’s going on while the game is being played.  This is definitely a must buy for any Diamondbacks fan.

Greg Maddux was crushed over the span of 7 innings on Friday. He gave up 13 hits, and nine runs, all earned. Conor Jackson provided the thunderpower going 4-5 with a homer, two triples and a single, falling just a double short of the cycle. He drove in four, and scored three runs.

The Diamondbacks bats got going early and never looked back. Chris Young and Eric Byrnes opened the game with consecutive singles, followed two batters later by Jackson’s first triple of the game. Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton followed with two more singles, and after a Stephen Drew intentional walk, Chris Snyder cleared the bases with a double.

Upton went 3-4 in the game, his average now stands at .377. Byrnes and Snyder each had two hits in the game.

Not to be overshadowed, Dan Haren allowed three hits over 7.0 innings. His record now stands at 3-0 on the year, and has shown dominance in his change back to the NL.

Brandon Webb won his fourth consecutive decision to improve to 4-0, becoming the first MLB pitcher to four wins this season. In a game that featured little offense, the Diamondbacks had just a little bit more to win by a score of 4-1.

The story of the day was Webb’s masterful performance. He threw 8.0 innings, and allowed just three hits, two singles and a double. He only walked two, and struck out five. He also had two RBI’s to helps his cause. Brandon Lyon also notched his third save of the season.

Stephen Drew was the only player with two hits in the game as offense was hard to come by.

Barry Zito took the loss to drop to 0-4 already in the young season. He gave up four runs, three earned, in 6.0 innings on only five hits. He walked five, which proved to be costly.

The Diamondbacks took the series with the win and open up their first series against the Padres at Chase Field tomorrow. Dan Haren will get the ball and face Chris Young.

After a mini-losing streak of just two games, the Diamondbacks got back to winning ways with a 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Chris Young led the way with a two run homer and a double, while Micah Owings shut down the Giants bats.

Young had two across the board, in runs, hits, and RBI’s. Owings threw 6.0 solid innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He also only allowed two free passes and struck out six. Conor Jackson had his second consecutive strong game, knocking in three runs on two hits. Eric Byrnes also had two hits.

Kevin Correia was roughed up in the start for the Giants. He allowed five runs, all earned, in 6.0 innings. He allowed two homers, while dropping to 1-2 on the season. Brad Hennessey had no better luck in a relief stint, allowing another two runs in 2.0 innings.

Owings improved to 3-0, matching Brandon Webb’s record. Mark Reynolds, the MLB leader in RBI’s, had the day off. The Diamondbacks now sit at 10-4, and will look to win the series tomorrow.

Randy Johnson left the mound in a position to win his first start of the year. Four innings later, the Diamondbacks lost 5-4 to the lowly Giants.

Johnson went 5.0 innings allowing no earned runs, three unearned on only three hits. He also punched out seven Giants batters. Chad Qualls took the loss for the game.

Conor Jackson had a stellar offensive game, going 2-4, scoring two runs, and driving in three. He also jacked his first homer of the season. Orlando Hudson also had two hits, and scored two runs.

Randy Winn had two runs, two RBI’s on one hit in the ballgame. Aaron Rowand also contributed two hits.

The Diamondbacks defense proved incapable of helping out the pitching, as all five Giants runs came unearned. Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew made costly errors in the field.

The Diamondbacks have lost two in a row after reeling off eight straight wins. Micah Owings will look to even up the series today in San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks eight game winning streak came to a screeching stop Sunday after the Rockies crushed them 13-5. Matt Holliday, Clint Barmes and Garrett Atkins each had three hit games with a homer apiece.

Holliday and Atkins each drove in three and Barmes drove home four, while each scored two runs. Willy Taraves and Yorvit Torrealba also contributes two hits each to a Rockies offense that pounded out 15 hits off Dbacks pitching. Edgar Gonzalez lasted just 3.0 innings and not one of the relievers that followed had any success getting Rockie batters out with any consistency.

Aaron Cook picked up his first win of the year, allowing just three runs in 6.0 innings to the Diamondbacks bats which have been scorching lately. Stephen Drew had a great game with three hits, and Chris Snyder broke out of a mini slump with three hits of his own. Jeff Salazer contributed two hits with three RBI’s.

Randy Johnson will make the start tomorrow against the Giants in San Francisco.

The way the Diamondbacks are swinging the bat lately, one would think they are playing all their games in Coors Field. Not lately, the Diamondbacks are at home against the Rockies. After a 10-3 trouncing of the Rockies on Saturday, the Diamondbacks have won eight straight ballgames.

Dan Haren was stellar in his Chase Field debut going six strong for the win. Justin Upton hit a homer for the second straight day, taking his total to five on the young season. Mark Reynolds had an RBI to up his league leading total to 15.

Haren improved to 2-0 on the year, and there was little doubt from the first pitch he was on his game. He struck out seven, giving up only five hits and one run. Franklin Morales took the loss, getting knocked around and lasting just four innings. He allowed seven runs off seven hits and walked four.

Upton upped his average to .415 with a 3-4 day. That average places him second in the National League. He scored two runs, knocking in four among the three hits. Eric Byrnes contributed two hits in the game as well.

The Rockies offense was scattered, with only Clint Barmes having a multi-hit game. The loss drops them to 4-7, while the Diamondbacks hold the majors best mark at 9-2.

Game time is set for 1:10 on Sunday.

Brandon Webb remained unbeaten in his first three starts of the season in an 8-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The team has now won seven consecutive games after starting 1-2, and is standing with a record of 8-2.

Webb gave up only four hits over 8 full innings, while striking out six and surrendering only two runs. He received support on three two-run homers from Eric Byrnes, Justin Upton and Orlando Hudson.

Mark Reynolds had an RBI, taking the league lead with 13 on the season. He also is tied for the league lead in homers with five. Upton hit his fourth of the year in the sixth with a runner on. The top third of the order tore apart Rockie pitching, with two hits and two runs from each Chris Young, Byrnes and Hudson. Stephen Drew also had two hits to round out the balanced attack.

Matt Holliday had two of the Rockies four hits on the night. The hitters were kept off-balance all night by Webb’s masterful performance. Jeff Francis was on the losing end, his second loss to Webb in as many attempts. His ERA jumped to 9.53 for the season, while his record dropped to 0-2.

Chris Young signed a contract extension through the 2013 season today.

The exact numbers have not been released yet, but according to an mlb.com article, the contract is reported to be similar to that that Troy Tulowitzki signed with the Rockies this offseason which was a six-year deal worth in the area of $30 million.

Young is coming off a season in which he hit 32 homers and stole 27 bases. He was acquired from the Chicago White Sox after the 2005 season.

The Diamondbacks entered the ninth inning losing 1-0 and things were not looking good. They responded by plating two runs before the Rockies forced the game into the tenth inning with a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Diamondbacks won it in the tenth where they scored three more to win 5-2.

Mark Reynolds jacked a two run shot after a Conor Jackson single leading off the ninth to put Arizona up 2-1. Stephen Drew followed by leading off the tenth with a solo shot that put the Diamondbacks ahead to stay. Both players now have two homers on the year.

Franklin Morales threw 6.0 shutout innings allowing just two hits, but got the loss after the bullpen blew the lead late. Edgar Gonzalez had a stellar outing as well. He allowed just one run on six hits in five innings. Brandon Lyon picked up the win after blowing the save in the bottom of the ninth.

The Diamondbacks came into Colorado with a vengeance, after being swept out of the playoffs last season in the NLCS by the very same Rockies. They left this time with a much sweeter taste in their mouth after taking three of three at Coors Field.

The Diamondbacks home opener will be tomorrow with Dan Haren taking on the Dodgers Esteban Loaiza.

Chris Young had a two homer game, while Justin Upton homered for the third straight game to provide more than enough support for Brandon Webb to win his second straight start.

Winners by a score of 7-2, the Diamondbacks now have taken the first two games of the series. Young homered to leadoff the game, and the Diamondbacks never looked back. Upton followed with a solo shot in the second, before Young added his second of the game in the sixth inning.

Young went 2-5 on the day, with 2 runs and 3 RBI’s. Upton and Conor Jackson both went 3-5 in the game. Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew each had two hit games as well.

Webb was exceptional throughout the game. After starting off by giving up a homer with two outs in the first to Todd Helton, he only allowed one more run to cross in the second inning before shutting down the Rockies bats completely. Surrendering only five hits in seven innings, with five K’s, Webb showed why he is considered by many an early favorite for the Cy Young Award in the NL.

Jeff Francis was roughed up by the D’backs bats. In 6 and a third innings, he gave up five runs on 12 hits, three leaving the yard. The Diamondbacks had 15 hits against the Rockies staff on the day.

Todd Helton and Matt Holliday each had two hits for the Rockies in the losing effort. The teams accounted for 53 runners left on base: 28 by Arizona and 25 by Colorado.

The Diamondbacks offense put up three runs in the top half of the first before Micah Owings had taken the hill, and it proved to be more than enough for him. After that the final 8-1 was all but decided.

Owings made his season debut emphatic to say the least. He went 6 2/3 innings, punching out nine hitters while allowing just one run to cross. He had a streak of 17 straight batters retired after allowing a leadoff double to Willy Tavares in the first inning. After that double, Owings did not allow a hit until Todd Helton hit his first homer of the season to leadoff the 7th inning.

Justin Upton provided a punch at the plate, hitting a homer for the second game in a row and going 3-for-5. Third baseman Mark Reynolds went 2-4, with his first homer of the season, while driving in three runs. Orlando Hudson also had two hits and two RBI’s in the game.

Mark Redman took the loss for the Rockies, surrendering five runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Diamondbacks had 23 runners left on base in the game, which reflects the fact the game could have been much more of a blowout in the Rockies home opener.

The two teams will play the second game of the series tomorrow with Brandon Webb pitted against Jeff Francis.

The Diamondbacks batters might as well have gone up the plate without their bats today. They came in useless all day, as the lineup managed just one hit off rookie Johnny Cueto. Cueto did not allow a hit until the 6th inning, when Justin Upton took him out of the park for his first homer of the season.

Cueto had a stellar outing, going seven very strong innings allowing just the Upton homer. He struck out ten hitters in the game, and only walked one. The Diamondbacks bats could not figure him out, and it carried over to the relievers who did not allow a hit in two innings.

Doug Davis, making one of his last starts before undergoing surgery, had a rough day. He only lasted 3.2 innings, walking 6 and giving up three runs on four hits. He took the loss to drop him to 0-1. The Diamondbacks bullpen kept them that close the rest of the game, throwing 4.1 innings of shutout ball and allowing just one hit.

The Reds bats were relatively quiet in their own right, having just five hits in the game. Jeff Keppinger continued to hit the ball well, going 2-3 with a homer. His batting average jumped up to .500 as a result.

The loss dropped the Diamondbacks to 1-2 early on, and they leave Cincinnati and open a 3-game series with the Rockies in Colorado tomorrow. Micah Owings will take the hill for Arizona in his debut.

Edwin Encarnacion got his first hit of the 2008 season in the second game. It could not have been any bigger. Encarnacion took a 2-2 Brandon Lyon fastball deep over the outfield wall to drive home three runs and win the game for the Cincinnati Reds. Lyon faced three batters, and retired none.

Dan Haren made his first start for his new team on the day, and was impressive in six strong innings. He allowed only four hits, but two left the park, while surrendering three runs to the Reds. He also had four K’s opposed to just one walk. He also had a double that knocked in a run, and scored a run to help his cause.

Stephen Drew hit his first homer of the season in the second off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, blasting the ball deep into right field. Drew went 2-4 in the game. Second baseman Orlando Hudson also had two knocks on the day. The Reds were backed by all their runs on homers. Encarnacion had a 3-run shot, while Brandon Phillips had a 3-run bomb and Corey Patterson added a solo homer. Phillips added another hit to go 2-4, while Jeff Keppinger went 3-3 on the day.

Jeremy Affeldt picked up the win after throwing a scoreless top of the ninth before Encarnacion ended the night sending fans home happy.

The Diamondbacks will play one more game in Cincinnati before heading to Colorado. The Diamondbacks will try to claim the series win tomorrow.