Vargas (3-4, 6.70)
Peavy (7-3, 3.14)
The ever-improving Vargas vs. the 2007 Cy Young award winner. I'm still not convinced by Vargas, who could easily be 1-6 rather than 3-4, but he is meeting Peavy at the right time. Last time out, the Padres ace allowed eleven hits and five earned runs, and over his last three starts, his line is:
Peavy: 16.2 IP, 22 H, 5 BB, 12 ER, 17 K
Despite those strikeouts, hardly the stuff to put the fear of god in you. Except, of course, compare and contrast that with his numbers against Arizona so far this year:
Peavy: 24 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 4 ER, 17 K
Oh, yes; that's why I'm not overly optimistic about this game.
As a result, not many D'backs have good numbers against Peavy in 2005: Glaus has three of those twelve hits, Cintron and Gonzo a pair each. Tracy may sit this one out, as he's 1-for-14 lifetime, though Clark isn't much better. Cintron could replace Clayton, and don't be surprised if Stinnett starts behind the plate.
And tonight does indeed see the long-anticipated Jered Weaver/Stephen Drew faceoff, elsewhere in California. So far, Weaver has been a bit wild (2-1, 5.85 ERA) while Drew is hitting .380, with a home-run about every dozen at-bats. Report to follow on that tomorrow.