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Diamondbacks line-up
- Willie Bloomquist, SS
- Adam Eaton, LF
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Martin Prado, 3B
- Aaron Hill, 2B
- Miguel Montero, C
- A.J. Pollock, CF
- Gerardo Parra, RF
- Patrick Corbin, P
The return of an old face to Chase Field today, probably prompting a reaction of, "Hang on - is he still playing?" We got Petit before the 2007, trading Jorge Julio to the Marlins, and he was a fringey pitcher for us over the next three seasons. His numbers were not as bad as I seem to recall - he had an ERA+ of 93 in his time with us, covering 35 starts and 203 total innings - but he was never able to stick around and was taken off waivers by the Mariners at the end of the 2009 season. After a couple of years in the minors, and a season in Mexico, he signed with the Giants, and got a cup of coffee with them last year.
This latest call-up is the result of Matt Cain hitting the DL, and Petit performed decently enough in his first start, with six innings pitched and two runs allowed, three walks and six strikeouts - not bad, especially considering this came at Coors Field. Still, there's a reason this afternoon is only his fourth major-league appearance since 2009. The Achilles heel during his time with the Diamondbacks was always the long-ball: he coughed up home-runs at the rate of 1.9 per nine innings, getting on for twice the average, in part because he was an extreme fly-ball pitcher, and we know how those tend not to play well at Chase.
The sample size for Petit this year is small, but that aspect doesn't seem to have changed, with twice as many fly balls as ground ball, so I'm hoping we see some balls leave the park. On that basis, it's a bit of a shame we didn't hold Eric Chavez back for this one, though considering he delivered the game-winning hit yesterday, hard to argue with the results. Instead, I'll be looking to Montero to take advantage, and Goldzilla's last home-run was on August 20, so it seems he's about due to increase his tally as well. Bloomquist is hitting lead-off again: his three hits last night were admittedly an effective counterpoint to my criticism. At least, until he goes hitless today.
Elsewhere, the Padres will take on the Dodgers, and the Reds face the Rockies. Both teams won yesterday, so our walk-off win didn't gain Arizona in the standings. If we're to reach the post-season, we enter September, really needing both to have our best month of the year (April and May, we went 15-12), and get significant help from elsewhere, most likely in the shape of a Reds implosion. It's really not likely, and I've pretty much stashed away any hope for the year. But beating the Giants is always a pleasure, as is watching Corbin pitch, and I'm optimistic we can get the last month off on the right foot this afternoon.