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Last night's defeat was definitely a bit of a downer - we were ahead, Davis escaped a couple of jams, and then the wheels fell off. But who better to bounce back today than Hernandez 2.0? It'll be his fifth consecutive start against division opposition, and the results have been mixed: one win, one defeat and two no-decisions, though in typical Livan style, he won the game where he allowed five runs, lost the outing where he gave up only two, and got a no-decision after seven shutout innings. He has a 3.60 ERA over those four starts and 25 innings, despite 30 hits and seven walks.
Derek Lowe was scratched from his last outing, and seems to be fading a bit down the stretch: in his last four starts, despite a 2-1 record, he has a 6.17 ERA. The long ball has been a particular problem, as he's allowed seven in 23.1 innings, more than in the first three months of the season. Really surprised to see Clark in the line-up today, as he's only 3-for-24 lifetime against Lowe, though two of those hits left the park. Eric Byrnes (11-for-24) and Stephen Drew (4-for-9) are the active D-backs with most success.
Decks have indeed been cleared, so will be booting up the laptop and watching this one in its entirety. A win would be very helpful; another defeat, while far from terminal, would certainly prove cause for concern... No need to panic though, Skins. ;-)