Big Unit returns to smokin' D'backs

[Uncle B]

Not one of his better nights tonight...He seems to be struggling out there for some reason.

[Uncle B]

Well, shit...Apparently it was just that one inning, cause it looks like he all but shut them down from then out...

[Bostongambler]

He should gp pitch for the Phils. Those Pricks.

[stevo]

Unit guides D-backs past Rockies
08/13/2008 1:35 AM ET
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

DENVER -- Laser-like focus is one way Randy Johnson has been able to compile a Hall of Fame career.
Ask him about the possibility of getting his 300th win and he will almost cut you off in mid-sentence to change the topic to his next start.

The Big Unit took another step toward history when he picked up career win No. 294 as the D-backs beat the Rockies, 4-2, Tuesday night in front of 31,218 at Coors Field.

Johnson (10-8) has been on a roll since just before the All-Star break winning seven of his last eight starts, with the lone loss coming to the Pirates in a game where Jeff Karstens beat him 2-0.

"He had really good stuff today," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said. "I think he's got the light at the end of the tunnel, a little bit of a countdown going for him. That adds to it. First and foremost is winning for the team, but there is a little added incentive to roll off a few wins in a row."

Johnson's fastball had good life on it, hitting 93 mph regularly according to the stadium radar gun, while his slider was sharp and he was able to mix in some split-finger fastballs as well.

Chad Tracy got the D-backs on the board in the second with a two-run homer off Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11) as he continued his dominance at Coors Field. After going 3-for-5 with a double, homer and two RBIs, Tracy is now hitting .353 with seven doubles, five homers and 21 RBIs in 29 career games here.

"I think the full day off [Monday] helped him some," Melvin said. "He was on it all night."

The lead didn't last long, though, as Chris Iannetta homered to lead off the bottom half of the frame and two outs later back-to-back doubles by Clint Barmes and Ian Stewart tied things up.

"I was disappointed that I gave back two runs after Trace hit the home run," Johnson said. "It took me a couple of innings to get going, unfortunately. After I gave up those two runs, I was able to get into a groove. My stuff got a little bit better, my slider got a little bit better, my location of my fastball and my splitter."

That was all the runs Johnson allowed before leaving after six having given up five hits and one walk while fanning seven.

The D-backs untied the game with a two-run sixth. Chris Young and Chris Snyder led off the frame with back-to-back doubles to give Arizona a 3-2 lead.

Johnson then helped himself by lining a 96-mph fastball from Jimenez into right to score Snyder.

"To get an RBI to make it 4-2 instead of 3-2 is big," Johnson said. "Now they have to put someone on base to come up with the tying run and I think our pitching staff, most pitchers in the National League take pride in what they do. When someone is throwing 98 mph with a pretty good curveball, you just hope that you can make contact and you never know with this field, anything is possible."

Johnson's back, which he has surgically repaired in each of the past two years, was stiffer than usual during his pregame warm-ups, a condition he attributed to extra batting practice that he took on the team's recent homestand.

Johnson gave Melvin a scare in after the single when he grabbed his lower right back with his right hand just before reaching first base.

"I went out there and asked him and he said, 'I just haven't run in a while,'" Melvin said.

Johnson said he didn't injure the back and that Melvin was "just making sure."

The game marked the debut of outfielder Adam Dunn, who was acquired by the D-backs on Monday from the Reds. Playing right field and hitting fourth, Dunn was 1-for-3 with two walks and a pair of strikeouts.

"I didn't think I'd be as nervous as I was," Dunn said. "Swung at some pitches I probably shouldn't have and took some pitches that I probably should have swung at."

Earlier this year Dunn watched teammate Ken Griffey Jr. get his 600th homer and seemed excited about the possibility of seeing more history from Johnson.

"I had to catch myself from just kind of watching him," Dunn said. "What he did tonight, I don't know how he's been pitching lately, but that's impressive for a guy to come out and shut these guys down like he did. That's pretty awesome."

Unit guides D-backs past Rockies

[stevo]

Bullpen spoils Johnson's gem
by Nick Piecoro - Aug. 22, 2008 11:10 PM
The Arizona Republic
The Diamondbacks lost a game Friday night, a rarity these past couple of weeks, and Randy Johnson failed to win it, an occurrence that makes it increasingly likely that his quest for 300 victories will stretch at least another spring.

Johnson reached back in time with his performance, but he wasn't able to pull any closer to history, not after reliever Jon Rauch coughed up a pair of runs in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Florida Marlins at Chase Field.

At 44, Johnson did something he had not done since the tender age of 40: In seven mostly dominant innings, he struck out 13 batters, his highest total since Aug. 31, 2004, when he struck out 15 against the Dodgers.
"Good slider, good fastball, a bunch of strikeouts - it was kind of vintage Randy," manager Bob Melvin said.

Johnson, who gave up just one earned run, left trailing 3-2 but was in line for the win after the Diamondbacks scored twice in the bottom of the seventh.

But with Rauch on for the eighth, Florida's Josh Willingham hit a near home run - the ball bounced off the top of the wall and went for a triple - and, a few batters later, Cody Ross hit one well over the left-field fence to give the Marlins the lead.

"It was bad execution of pitches," Rauch said. "I was leaving too many up in the zone, and, obviously, against a team like this that can swing it a little bit, they're going to do some damage."

Johnson remained stuck on 294 victories for the second consecutive outing. He will need to win six of his remaining seven starts to hit the 300-win milestone before the end of the season.

He had near-flawless command of his low-90s fastball and good life on his slider, and he used both liberally to rack up punchouts against the team with the most strikeouts in the National League. He threw 116 pitches, his most since July 19, 2006, when he threw 129 against Seattle.

"A real aggressive team and making my pitches," Johnson said, explaining the strikeouts. "It's a little frustrating, but I guess the one good thing about today is that we already knew the Dodgers lost. We didn't lose any ground."

That's one way to look at it. Another is that they missed an opportunity to pad their NL West lead. Instead, the Diamondbacks, who lost for just the third time in the past 10 games, remain two games up on second-place Los Angeles, which lost at Philadelphia.

After the Diamondbacks regained the lead on run-scoring hits by Stephen Drew (single) and Chris Young (double), Rauch was summoned to protect it.

But for Rauch, who pitched well in his first 10 games since being acquired from Washington, it was the fourth time in his past five outings he has yielded runs and the second time he was tagged with the loss.

Rauch was at a loss for why he has been struggling.

"If I could put my finger on something I could fix it," he said.

He nearly was taken off the hook in the eighth, when the Diamondbacks put two runners on with one out for Alex Romero, who hit a sharp ground ball up the middle.

It looked to be a tying single, but the ball caught the front of the mound, and Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla fielded and flipped to Alfredo Amezaga to start an inning-ending double play.

Report

Key player

Diamondbacks left-hander Randy Johnson didn't get the win, but he threw seven innings, allowed just one earned run and struck out 13 batters.

Key moment

Cody Ross' solo home run to left field off reliever Jon Rauch broke a 4-4 tie and put the Marlins in position to win.

Key number

3: Errors by the Diamondbacks, two of which led to runs against Johnson.

Bullpen spoils Johnson's gem

[stevo]

Too bad they couldnt pull this out for him.

[Uncle B]

Ah man, that blows....I bet Rauch felt like shit after that one.

[Uncle B]

this could shape up to be another painful loss for him....dude just can't seem to catch a break.


maybe they'll be able to hold..

[stevo]

4-0 in 6th and cruising.........now 4-3 I see.

Damn.

[Bostongambler]

4-4

[stevo]

Fukin blows. 5-4

[Uncle B]

man oh man...brutal.

[th3ory]

dbacks are brutal.

[th3ory]

shutout baseball for 6 innings and then 5 runs in 2 innings...sounds about right with me taking johnson and the dbacks

[th3ory]

5-4 final...nl west is a joke

[Uncle B]

Originally Posted by th3ory

shutout baseball for 6 innings and then 5 runs in 2 innings...sounds about right with me taking johnson and the dbacks

yep, story of my life...

[Uncle B]

He looked old tonight.....Older than he actually is even...

dude just got butt-raped out there....

[stevo]

LOL at the pic.

I cant believe they came back and won. Went away from comp and thought Cards were going to take it.

[Uncle B]

Originally Posted by stevo

LOL at the pic.

I cant believe they came back and won. Went away from comp and thought Cards were going to take it.

I'll be damned...I didn't even realize they won...lol