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Josh Johnson, RHP (9-6, 2.85) |
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Livan Hernandez, RHP (9-8, 5.34) |
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A fine day off, sees me very ready for the return of our Arizona Diamondbacks to the fray, even if the Dodgers apparently didn't get the memo, scoring in the ninth inning to beat Colorado and slide atop the NL West. Should be an interesting game tonight, with Livan Hernandez making his first start for Arizona - expectations are high, given the stories in the papers about his amazing rubber arm. So anything less than nine innings tonight will be seen as a severe disappointment. ;-)
Bit of a tough cookie for Livan to chew on as his debut opponent, as Johnson hasn't lost more than once in any month since April, with ERAs for May-June of 1.96, 1.78 and 3.16. However, it may be that fatigue is catching up with him, as he only lasted three innings in his previous start, on August 5th against the Dodgers - he allowed eight hits and two walks, and still threw 80 pitches. We'll hope that Arizona can provide something similar this evening: this is a series we certainly should win, and with Webb going tomorrow, victory would set us up nicely.