Arizona's Webb tries to stay hot vs. Colorado
Posted: Thu May 15 10:57 AM
(Sports Network) - Brandon Webb will try to put together the best start to a season in franchise history tonight, as he leads the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game set at Chase Field.
Webb has won all eight of his starts this year -- the first to do so in the National League since Pedro Martinez in 1997 -- and has a 2.41 earned run average on the season. It marks his best start since also beginning the 2006 season with a franchise-record 8-0 mark, though he did that over his first 11 starts. Of course, Webb went on to win the National League Cy Young Award that year after posting a 16-8 mark and 3.10 ERA.
Webb's current eight-decision win streak is tied for the second longest in club history, one behind Curt Schilling's nine-decision run from April 23-June 8, 2002.
The right-handed Webb's most recent win came on Thursday against the Phillies, a complete-game effort that saw him give up three runs (2 earned) on six hits without a walk.
Webb has already bested the Rockies twice this year to improve to 10-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 career starts against them. However, he also lost to Colorado in last year's NLCS, dropping Game 1.
The 29-year-old will also get a chance to pitch Arizona to a three-game sweep of Colorado tonight. The Diamondbacks have already swept the Rockies once this year -- in Colorado from April 4-6 -- and try for their first three-game sweep of the club at home since April 11-13, 2005.
Arizona lost 10 of 18 to Colorado last year and was swept by the Rockies in the NLCS, but has claimed victory in seven of eight matchups so far this season.
The Diamondbacks won the second game of this set on Wednesday by a 4-3 count. Micah Owings (5-1) gave up only five hits and two walks over six scoreless innings, while Orlando Hudson had a pair of hits and drove in two. Stephen Drew had two hits and scored a run, while Conor Jackson went 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI.
Jorge De La Rosa (1-2) lasted only 4 2/3 innings after surrendering four runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out six batters in the losing effort, the Rockies' fourth straight loss.
Todd Helton was 3-for-4 while Ryan Spilborghs had two hits and an RBI for the Rockies. Garrett Atkins singled to extend his hit streak to 12 games, and he is batting .383 in that span. The outfielder also has a hit in 26 of his last 27 games.
Though Colorado starters have struggled to a major-league worst 5.51 ERA this season, Aaron Cook has been the Rockies best hurler by far and will try to win his seventh straight start tonight.
Cook hasn't lost since April 2 and following a no-decision on April 7 versus Atlanta, the right-hander has ripped off six straight wins while lowering his ERA to 2.26, fourth best in the National League. He has yielded more than two runs in just two of his eight starts this year, including Friday in San Diego when he limited the Padres to a run on three hits in seven innings. He did walk a season-high four though.
Cook's current win streak began on April 13 with a win over the Diamondbacks, as he gave up three runs on eight hits in six frames of a road victory. Cook went 1-0 in four starts versus Arizona in 2007, but gave up seven runs in 12 innings at Chase Field, where he has a career ERA of 5.83 in eight games (7 starts).
