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Diamondbacks Line-up
- Gerardo Parra, CF
- Willie Bloomquist, 2B
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Miguel Montero, C
- Cody Ross, RF
- Martin Prado, 3B
- Jason Kubel, LF
- Didi Gregorius, SS
- Wade Miley, P
A good off-day for the Diamondbacks, who extended their lead in the division while enjoying a cold one by the pool. That came courtesy of the Marlins, who proved no easier picking for the Giants than they were for us, holding San Francisco to one run on four hits, as they took the opener of that series, 2-1, at AT&T Park. The Rockies also lost - they're back at .500 now, so perhaps are becoming who we thought we are. In the only intra-division action, the Padres beat the Dodgers. From the point of view of the standings, that probably wasn't the best result for Arizona - but if Los Angeles doesn't win another game the rest of the season,. I'd be delighted.
Miley vs. Cueto this evening at Chase: not a match-up I like, because the Reds' pitcher has been a bete noir for us, ever since his major-league debut in 2008 against the Diamondbacks, when he started when turned out to be a one-hitter, fanning ten over seven innings. In six starts against us, he is 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA and a .143 batting average against. The sixth start was still won by the Reds, in ten innings, so we've never beaten Cincinnati when Cueto starts for them. Kinda sounds like the situation with Clayton Kershaw before this season, and I think something similar with Yovani Gallardo too. So, we've clearly got this one. :)
Cody Ross gets to start against a tough right-hander, so I guess this will be a good test of whether or not his eyesight has been the problem, as was suggested the other day. I'm somewhat conflicted on this: obviously, I can certainly see how it would be a significant issue with regard to hitting. But if it was as bad as Ross indicated, causing him to lose track of the count earlier in the series against the Marlins. I do have to wonder why it took almost 2 1/2 months to address the problem. And generally, it's his power numbers which have been down: his batting average (.257) is right around his career average (.262). Could be less "barrelling up" of the ball though?
Elsewhere in the NL West, the Rockies are under way in Washington, with Colorado currently edging the home team by a 1-0 score. About half an hour after first pitch at Chase, the Giants will face the Marlins again, with Lincecum taking on Nolasco, and it's a battle of the Claytons in San Diego, as Kershaw starts for the Dodgers against the Padres' Richard. We'll be keeping an eye on all of these as the night progresses.