--LHP Randy Johnson was scratched from his Sunday start about 2 1/2 hours before the game was to begin because of inclement weather in Chicago, with RHP Edgar Gonzalez filling in. "With a guy that's had the problems he has with his back, to send him out there in those conditions... it will certainly be a wet field, but windy conditions, which play on the back. There are a lot of reasons not to pitch him (Sunday)," manager Bob Melvin said. All the starters were pushed back a day, with Johnson, RHP Micah Owings and RHP Brandon Webb to start on six days' rest in a series against Colorado that begins Tuesday. The D-backs were off Monday.
--IF Augie Ojeda has 12 hits in his last 28 at-bats while starting seven of the last nine games, primarily as a fill-in for 2B Orlando Hudson. Ojeda had four multi-hit games in that run and has improved his batting average to .370.
--LHP Doug Davis threw 85 pitches in his first rehab start for Class AAA Tucson on Saturday, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out three in his first game since having a cancerous thyroid removed April 10. Davis is expected to make one more start for Tucson, either May 16 or 17, manager Bob Melvin said, before likely rejoining the D-Backs. "I can't tell you how relieved I am," Davis said after his start.
--RHP Max Scherzer gave up an unearned run and struck out six in six innings in his second career start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced and getting to three-ball counts on only three. "It's all about getting ahead for me," said Scherzer, who pitched in front of 22 family and five friends who made the five-hour drive from their St. Louis home. Scherzer was removed after 82 pitches. "We've said all along we will be real careful with him. Ninety (pitches) is going to be his top," manager Bob Melvin said.
--2B Orlando Hudson (hamstring) was scheduled to play Sunday but was scratched because of weather conditions. Hudson has not played since May 5 but is expected to be in the starting lineup Tuesday.
--RHP Edgar Gonzalez threw first-pitch strikes to the first 14 batters he faced in an emergency start Sunday, when he started on three hours' notice in place of LP Randy Johnson. Johnson was scratched while it was still raining at Wrigley Field, although the rain stopped and the game was played. "They asked me if I could pitch. I said 'Give me the ball,'" Gonzalez said. "I'm always ready. I'm ready for anything." It was Gonzalez's first appearance since he threw three innings in relief May 5.
BY THE NUMBERS 5 -- Consecutive starts in which RHP Micah Owings has hit safely while fashioning a .417 batting average.
QUOTE TO NOTE "After Micah? (St. Louis') Rick Ankiel, you'd have to throw out there. He's probably the only guy you could compare Micah to, as far as being that type of athlete." -- D-backs manager Bob Melvin, when asked about the best hitting pitchers he has seen following the hot start of RHP Micah Owings.
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Interest in Texiera has dropped and no one needs a quality hitter 1st baseman more than Arizona. Peter Gammons on ESPN feels that Arizona could be the most likely candidate as the Braves get a decent 1st baseman in return. and a qulaity propsect in jarrop parker plus perhaps a 2nd prospect. Gammons feels that it would make the DBacks a str
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This 10 game trip for the Diamondbacks will be huge for the team. We get the Giants who are on somewhat of a tear and finish with the hated Dodgers. I hope we can some how come up with 6 wins, it will be tough though.
All the Chisox hitting coach did was tell Quentin he was doing something wrong with his right foot. Tweaked his batting stance slightly and now the Chisox have a bonafide slugger that we broke in, and at our expense. We had two hitting coaches that should have caught this discrepancy in Quentin's stance that a little film work revealed to the Chisox and now we are paying dearly fo
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