Diamondbacks Week in Review 4/29/07

by user Bobman024

Original article: http://azsportshub.com/diamondbacks-week-in-review-3/

The Diamondbacks had an even record at 3-3, but this was seriously a week of two halves. A miserable losing streak developed early on, as the team dropped five games, scoring only fourteen runs in total. And a sixth looked about to happen, as Trevor Hoffman had two outs in the ninth and a 2-1 lead on Wednesday. But a Drew homer turned everything around, and the team also won on Thursday and Friday, to finish the week third in the NL West, 1.5 games back of the Dodgers.

AZ 0, Giants 1 Edgar Gonzalez was great. But Barry Zito was just a little bit better, and on another night while our hitters gently weeped, we lost by the narrowest of margins. Inevitably, it was the other Barry - Bonds - who provided that margin, clubbing a solo homer in the second to bring him one closer to Aaron’s record. That was the only blemish for Gonzalez, who allowed four other hits, all singles in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. His ERA dropped to 4.26, which is basically NL average for a starter (4.24) - we’ll take that, any day.

The offense, however, continued to slump, managing just five singles all night. The top-half of the order was particularly ineffective, slots 1-5 going a combined 0-for-16 at the plate, and we only got three runners past first-base while Zito was in the game. We did get the tying run to third in both the eighth and the ninth inning: however, first Quentin and then Callaspo grounded-out harmlessly, to end the frame, our chance and, in the latter case, the game.

AZ 1, Giants 2 As above, so below. This time, it was Matt Cain who handcuffed the Diamondbacks, allowing the Giants a cheap sweep - they scored only seven runs in the series, but we managed only three in total. Cain pitched a complete game, and took a one-hitter into the ninth: there, Arizona did at least end their scoreless streak at 23 innings, but again left the tying run harmlessly on base. Eric Byrnes had two of the three hits, and Alberto Callaspo the other one.

Micah Owings was on the DL with a hamstring problem, so Yusmeiro Petit was called up from Tucson for a spot start; like Gonzalez, his performance deserved much better. In his first appearance as a Diamondback, he allowed four hits and no walks in seven innings: unfortunately, two of them did leave the park, including another one to ‘Roidman. Petit came to Arizona in the trade with the Marlins for Jorge Julio - since Jorrible Jorge is now sporting a 19.06 ERA in Florida, and is on the disabled list, this deal is already looking like a work of total genius.

AZ 5, Padres 10 An off-day Monday set the stage for the long-anticipated return of Randy Johnson on Tuesday. But let’s just say, it didn’t go quite as well as expected, the Big Unit allowing six runs in just five innings, on six hits and four walks. It wasn’t as bad as it seemed, however: he was getting no help at all from the home-plate umpire, and five of those six runs scored on two swings of the bat - one coming in the fifth when Johnson was clearly flagging. There was some vintage Randy to be seen and I think, once he gets his stamina up, he should be fine.

That wasted an offensive outburst, relatively, from Arizona: by the end of the third, they’d matched their runs total from the entire series against San Franciso. It was a good day for the Young Bloods: Stephen Drew, Chris Young and Chad Tracy all had a couple of hits each, and Carlos Quentin hit his first homer of the year. That kept the game close - it was only 6-5 to San Diego after five frames, with David Wells as ineffectual as Johnson in a battle of veteran lefties. But Dana Eveland was tagged for three runs while retiring one hitter, and the Padres handed the Diamondbacks their fifth straight loss.

AZ 3, Padres 2 This game featured one of the most dominating pitching performances I’ve ever seen: and it wasn’t for the winning team. Jake Peavy fanned 16 D-backs in seven innings, including nine in a row at one point. He was a couple of inches away, on a Byrnes checked-swing, from tying Tom Seaver’s 37-year old record of ten. He allowed two hits in the first, but that was it, and he left with a lead, though Brandon Webb had pitched almost as well, restricting the Padres to two runs over eight innings, on six hits.

Arizona pulled one back as soon after Peavy left (and manager Bob Melvin was ejected!), on a pinch-hit homer by Miguel Montero. But Padres’ closer Hoffman hadn’t allowed an earned run this year, and though Conor Jackson coaxed a six-pitch walk, we were down to our last out with Drew at the plate. But he worked to the count to 3-1, and then sent a pitch the opposite way, just over the fence in right-field. That brought the Diamondbacks a victory that seemed utterly improbable - and probably even less likely than that, through the front seven innings.

AZ 7, Padres 4 At first, it didn’t look like there was much carry-over from Drew’s heroics, as the Padres took a 3-0 lead with one out in the top of the first. Adrian Gonzalez clobbered a fat, hanging pitch from Livan Hernandez, that may well have burned up on re-entry; much like a certain bowl of petunias, the thought “Oh, no - not again ” came to mind. Fortunately, the D-backs were made of sterner stuff and tied the game in the second, with the help of Padres pitcher Chris Young, who made an error to load the bases, then threw a wild pitch that brought a run home.

After that, it was basically the Tony Clark show, as our veteran first-baseman, getting some starts because of an injury to Conor Jackson, swatted two homers, driving in three runs. That was more than enough margin of victors, since Hernandez settled down very nicely after the first, posting six subsequent zeroes. Doug Slaten’s streak of consecutive scoreless appearances came to an end at eighteen, after he allowed a run in the eighth, but Lyon and Valverde got the remaining four outs, to give us back-to-back victories.

AZ 3, Giants 2 The Diamondbacks faced Barry Zito for the second time in a week, but came out ahead of the former Cy Young winner this time. It was still a struggle, and Arizona managed only three hits until the bottom of the sixth inning. At that point, the score was 1-1: Randy Winn had just tied the game with a homer, but Doug Davis had been excellent otherwise: in seven innings, he scattered seven hits, but only one run.

Walks proved the key to this game. Zito allowed a four-pitch walk to Jackson, in order to get to left-handed hitting Drew: however, Drew made him pay with a two-run double that gave Arizona the lead. Going the other way, Melvin intentionally walked Bonds three times ; the last time Barry was so delicately handled was September 2004. Each came with a runner in scoring position and first-base open - all three times, Ray Durham, following Bonds, failed to deliver. Lyon and Valverde both brought the tying run into scoring position with one out, in the eighth and ninth; however, Arizona survived, to take a modest three-game winning streak into this week’s action.

News and Notes Soaring Stephen Drew (8-for-22, 7 RBI); Chad Tracy (5-for-17); Doug Davis and Edgar Gonzalez (both 7 IP, 1 ER). Falling Eric Byrnes (3-for-20, 5 K); Carlos Quentin (1-for-15); Alberto Callaspo (1-for-13); Dana Eveland (0.1 IP, 3 ER).

The upcoming week Tonight and tomorrow, Arizona faces the Giants again. They then hit the road for a quick three-game series against the Dodgers, before coming back to Phoenix to welcome the team with the best record in the National League, the New York Mets for four games from Thursday on through next weekend.

Injury report Conor Jackson took a couple of days off last week with a sore hamstring, but was back in the starting lineup on Friday. Micah Owings makes a rehab start today for Tucson; he’s eligible to come off the disabled list May 3, and we’ll have to decide whether to keep him or Edgar Gonzalez in the rotation. Juan Cruz (strained shoulder muscle) is playing catch from 75 feet, but has yet to throw off a mound. Jeff DaVanon (right shoulder) still has not hit left-handed in batting practice on consecutive days. No timetable has been set for his return.

Love to glove you, baby Orlando Hudson will be presented with his 2006 Gold Glove award before tonight’s game at Chase Field. It’s also Orlando Hudson bobblehead night - and, naturally, his figure has a gold glove too…