Diamondbacks’ *two* weeks in review

Okay, so my trip to New York fell through, but I figured you probably deserved a week off from me! Eleven games played by Arizona since last report, with the team going 6-5, and briefly (two days) enjoying their first stint owning top spot in the division since April. They lost the first game of both interleague series against Baltimore and Tampa, before bouncing back to take the next two. However, in a crucial series against the Dodgers, they lost three of four, but won the opener against the Giants last night in San Francisco. They’re currently in second, half a game behind San Diego.

AZ 2, Devil Rays 10 An embarrassing defeat for the D-backs against their expansion brethren, running the team record to 0-7 against Tampa. The Rays scored in seven different innings, smacking 12 hits off Livan Hernandez in six innings, and adding four runs off Enrique Gonzalez, who promptly got sent down to Tucson. Orlando Hudson and Stephen Drew had two hits each.

AZ 10, Devil Rays 8 It took more than nine years, and a comeback from 8-2 down in the sixth, but Arizona finally beat Tampa Bay. Doug Davis sucked, allowing seven runs in four innings; however, the D-backs roared back late. Tony Clark hit a ninth-inning pinch-hit homer to tie the game, and Chris Young followed with a walk-off shot in the tenth. Eric Byrnes and Young had three hits apiece.

AZ 7, Devil Rays 4 Arizona took the series, and largely have a pair of three-run homers, from Byrnes and Chad Tracy, to thank for that. That was good enough to make a winner out of Micah Owings, despite him running into trouble in the sixth inning, and having to be relieved by Tony Peña. Jose Valverde got his 23rd save, tying Matt Mantei for the franchise record of 74.

AZ 1, Orioles 7 Baltimore proved no trouble at all on the road, but an embarrassingly-weak performance at home condemned Arizona to defeat. Brandon Webb was tagged for seven runs, but only three were earned, thanks to three errors in the second inning, two by Chad Tracy. Meanwhile the offense struggled too, managing only four hits and one run against the team they’d scored 21 against in three games the previous weekend.

AZ 7, Orioles 4 Things looked bleak as the Orioles took a 4-0 lead, until the D-backs staged a stirring recovery with seven unanswered runs, a two-run triple in the fifth by Mark Reynolds proving key. Livan Hernandez lasted only four innings, allowing 13 base-runners, but the bullpen threw five innings of two-hit, scoreless ball. Juan Cruz got the win, striking out four in two frames of work.

AZ 8, Orioles 3 With the win, the D-backs posted their first interleague winning record since 2003, going 8-7 - a big improvement on last season’s 4-11. Though outhit by Baltimore, the home team got the knocks when they mattered, with seven different players driving in runs. Chad Tracy reached safely four times on two hits and two walks, and Doug Davis pitched into the seventh inning for the win.

AZ 1, Dodgers 8 Showcased as a key match-up of divisional rivals, the series got off to an awful start for Arizona, as Penny and Broxton handcuffed the offense to only five hits. Young drove in the sole run for the D-backs; Owings actually had a 1-0 lead going into the sixth, then hit his seemingly-inevitable sixth-inning wall, and LA scored four times. The Dodgers bloated the score with three runs in the ninth off Jailen Peguero.

AZ 5, Dodgers 6 At least Arizona made a game of this one, it taking a 10th-inning homer to give Los Angeles victory. The D-backs blew two leads, and the Dodgers one of their own, Edgar Gonzales proving just as ineffective as his opposite number, neither reaching the fifth inning. Young, Byrnes and Mark Reynolds homered for the home team, and Tracy had two hits. Doug Slaten took the loss.

AZ 2, Dodgers 0 Webb pitched seven shutout innings, and combined with three relievers on a nine-hitter, though had the visitors’ clutch failings to thank, as the Dodgers were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. A first-inning run scored for the D-backs without a hit, and that was it until Byrnes’ two-out RBI single in the seventh. Hairston had two of Arizona’s six knocks.

AZ 5, Dodgers 9 Randy Johnson’s return from the DL was brief, pitching only three innings, and taking the loss for six hits, two walks and four runs. The bullpen struggled manfully, but Arizona committed four errors, leading to a total of four unearned runs for the Dodgers - that was the margin of victory. Byrnes had two hits and two RBI for Arizona, who fell from first in the NL West as a result.

AZ 4, Giants 3 For the ninth time in a row, a game against San Francisco was decided by one run. In this case, Miguel Montero’s tenth-inning homer gave victory to the Diamondbacks, despite Barry Bonds hitting his 750th career homer. The bullpen got some much-needed rest, as Hernandez pitched eight innings; Arizona perhaps have Giants’ CF Roberts to thank for this win, as he dropped a routing fly-ball, allowing two runs to score.

News and Notes
Soaring: Eric Byrnes (9-for-29, 7 RBI); Orlando Hudson (8-for-26); Brandon Webb (7 IP, 0 ER); Lyon/Cruz/Peña (14.2 IP, 0 ER). Falling: Chad Tracy (4-for-20); Chris Young (7-for-30, 7 K); Edgar Gonzalez (4 IP, 5 ER); Randy Choate (3 batters faced, 3 hits, designated for assignment).

Injury Report: Randy Johnson, as noted, wasn’t a great success on his return from the DL, but blamed failure to execute, rather than his back, for the results. Tony Peña missed a couple of games after getting some kind of infection on his thigh. I’ve no idea what that was about - it sounds nasty. However, he’s back in full effect again.

The Week Ahead: Arizona is on the road until the All-Star break. They face the Giants again tonight and tomorrow, before heading into the mid-West; first, they visit St.Louis for a four-game set, then go to Cincinnati next weekend for three games. All three teams are considerably under .500, so the Diamondbacks will be looking to get their record padded before they enjoy a four-day break.

Hey, now, you’re an All-Star: tomorrow, we’ll get to find out which Diamondback players get to represent the franchise in the 2007 All-Star game in San Francisco, July 10th. While Jose Valverde, second in the majors with 26 saves, is perhaps the front-runner, Byrnes (8th in batting average and SB), Webb (8th in ERA) and Hudson (er…20th in doubles?) might also be in for consideration.

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Tags: Brandon Webb