Webb Takes Mound
Now that Randy Johnson appears to be in form, the Arizona Diamondbacks hope Brandon Webb can stay in form on the road.
The Diamondbacks seek consecutive road victories for the first time in more than a month as they continue their series with the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday at Coors Field.
Oddsmakers have made Arizona -115 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for todays game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 80% of bets for this game have been placed on Chicago -110 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Johnson helped Arizona (21-19) improve to 2-2 on its nine-game road trip in Tuesday’s 3-0 victory. The veteran left-hander struck out nine and allowed only one hit en route to his first win of the season, helping the Diamondbacks notch their first shutout since Sept. 9.
"Whether you got good stuff or getting-by kind of stuff, you’ve just got to get ahead, especially at this ballpark," said the 43-year-old Johnson, who had a 6.00 ERA in four starts after offseason back surgery.
It was just the third win in the last 11 road games for Arizona, which has not won back-to-back road games since a five-game streak from April 5-18. The Diamondbacks now hope Webb (3-2, 3.32 ERA) can continue his early dominance on the road.
Webb is coming off his best start of the season, a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts in Friday’s 3-1 victory at Houston. The right-hander carried a shutout into the ninth inning but still improved to 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in five road starts.
"It’s tough to lose the shutout," said Webb, who has won two of his last three starts overall. "To get the complete game and the win is nice, too."
Webb, though, has struggled against the Rockies recently. In two starts this season, he has allowed 10 runs and 16 hits in 12 innings, and took the loss in a 6-3 defeat on April 13 when he was reached for five runs and eight hits in seven innings.
He also did not receive a decision at Coors Field on April 2, getting reached for five runs and eight hits in five innings before the Diamondbacks rallied for an 8-6 win. Webb is 3-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 11 lifetime starts at Coors Field, and 7-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 17 overall appearances.
Diamondbacks left fielder Eric Byrnes extended his hitting streak to nine games with a solo homer, and is hitting .324 (11-for-34) with three homers in that span.
Colorado counters with Aaron Cook (2-1, 4.38), who will try to win three consecutive starts for the first time since May 7-19, 2006. He pitched five scoreless innings before allowing three runs in the sixth inning of a 5-3 home win over San Francisco on Thursday.
"I was starting to lose command of my fastball," Cook said, "and they were all pitches I left up and they hit right back up the middle."
Cook is 0-2 with a 7.28 ERA in five starts against the Diamondbacks since his last win on April 11, 2006. He has not factored in the decision of either of his starts against them this season, giving up eight runs and 17 hits in 12 innings.
He faced Webb on April 2, giving up five runs and nine hits with four walks in six innings, and is 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 11 starts and 13 lifetime appearances versus Arizona.
Tuesday’s defeat was the sixth loss in nine games for the Rockies, who have scored three runs or less in seven of those games.
"I’m still counting on us hitting," manager Clint Hurdle told the Rockies’ official Web site. "We’ve got guys that have hit. We’ve just got to keep working."
Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson was 0-for-4 on Tuesday and is hitting .107 (3-for-28) with two homers and three RBIs since May 6. Hudson, though, is hitting .522 (12-for-23) lifetime against Cook.
by: Dave Michaels – thespread.com – Email Us
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