Batista shuts out Dodgers on six hits

07/20/2006
PHOENIX -- As he watched from his position in left field, Luis Gonzalez saw something very familiar Wednesday night.
"I had flashbacks to 2001, the Miggy of 2001," Gonzalez said after watching Miguel Batista toss a six-hitter as the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers, 8-0.
The win was Arizona's seventh in its past nine games and pushed the D-Backs into third place in the NL West, three games behind the Padres.
Getting consistent innings from Brandon Webb has been a constant this year for the D-Backs, but the rest of the rotation has not always followed suit. In order to play meaningful games in September, they need Batista to display the same consistency.
"Webby and then he's the guy we look to next," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "If we're going to compete and go all the way down to the end in this division, Miguel's going to be a key guy for us. Coming in, that was the plan, Miggy was going to be one of the go-to guys."
It's no different than 2001, when the club needed Batista to pick up some innings in a rotation that was dominated by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Batista did just that down the stretch for the eventual World Series champions.
Even if Batista joins Webb in providing consistency, the team will still need help from its other starters -- Juan Cruz, Claudio Vargas and Enrique Gonzalez.
"We are sucking some innings for the team," Batista said of he and Webb. "We are trying to get people like Juan Cruz healthy and able to last out there. I believe [Enrique] Gonzalez is going to be a great starter. They are a little [young] and they have stuff to learn, but if we get those guys going, probably by the end of September we might be pushing other people out."
Batista (9-5) is not a strikeout pitcher -- he fanned just two Wednesday -- so to be effective he needs help from his defense and he got it, particularly from shortstop Stephen Drew.
In six games since making his Major League debut, Drew has shown himself to be a very capable defender and he had his first multi-hit game Wednesday, doubling twice and adding a triple.
"Defensively, he's made some great plays already," Melvin said. "Offensively, get the first hit out of the way and then get a couple under your belt, now you get rolling a little bit and you feel like you belong. Certainly his at-bats, other than maybe one at-bat today, he was pretty much on everything."
The D-Backs struggled early against Dodgers starter Derek Lowe, who appeared to have his sinker working as he limited Arizona to just three hits in the first three innings.
In the fourth, though, the D-Backs broke through as they scored four times on five hits -- including a two-run homer by Shawn Green -- to grab the lead.
"Lowe had a good sinker the first couple of innings and then it flattened out the third and fourth and we were able to take advantage of it," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez had a significant hit in the fourth for two reasons. The first was that his double knocked in Chad Tracy for a 1-0 lead. It also was Gonzalez's 525th career double, tying him for 31st on the all-time list with Ted Williams.
Meanwhile, Batista kept mowing down the Dodgers.
"That could be the best he's thrown this year," Melvin said.
As the innings wore on, Batista could see the finish line and was not about to look to the bullpen for help. Instead, he wanted his third complete game of the year, which would tie him with Webb for the second most in the NL.
"I believe that baseball has evolved to a point to where a lot of starters don't go out there with the mentality of throwing a complete game and that's totally bad for the game," Batista said.
Batista's desire for complete games was sowed on a plane ride he shared from the Dominican Republic to Miami with Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal. The legendary hurler did not like to come out of a game. Ever. He completed 244 games in his career, one more than his win total.
"He told me, 'Nobody relieves me. I relieve myself. After the seventh I come with a different mentality and I've got to finish my game,'" Batista recalled.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Gonzalez left out and upset

07/20/2006
PHOENIX -- Luis Gonzalez never likes to see his name out of the lineup, but his omission Thursday in the final game of a four-game series with the Dodgers was particularly upsetting.
After struggling at the plate during the first half of the season, Gonzalez has experienced a resurgence this month. He had three hits Wednesday night against the Dodgers, including a double that tied him with Ted Williams for 31st on the all-time list.
In July, he's hitting .358 with nine of his 19 hits doubles.
So when Gonzalez was not in the lineup against Dodgers left-hander Mark Hendrickson, he clearly was not happy. In his place was Carlos Quentin, one of the team's top prospects, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Tucson earlier in the day.
"Of course I'm disappointed," Gonzalez said. "I'm just starting to swing the bat well in the second half. It's nothing against Quentin, I'm excited he has the chance to come up and play, but at the same time I'm starting to swing the bat well, I feel good and we're playing the Dodgers."
D-Backs manager Bob Melvin explained the decision to start Quentin, a righty, by saying he wanted to give the lefty-swinging Gonzalez a day off against Hendrickson.
"It's just going to be a one-day thing," Melvin said. "Gonzo will be back out there tomorrow. But certainly Gonzo wants to play every day and I don't blame him and he's swinging the bat well and I expect him to continue to swing the bat well."
"I don't care if they say it's a one-day thing or not," Gonzalez said. "I take a lot of pride in playing and being out there every day. I've been a warrior out here for eight years trying to be a rock for the club so it just doesn't sit well with me right now."
Gonzalez has long been the face of the franchise, but relations between him and the front office this year have at times been awkward. The 38-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the club holding a $10 million option for next year. With top prospects like Quentin and Scott Hairston showing they are ready at Triple-A, it seems unlikely the club will pick up that option.
Last month, a comment by managing general partner Ken Kendrick acknowledging that there had been "whispers" about Gonzalez and performance-enhancing drugs when he slugged 57 homers in 2001 furthered the rift between the two sides.
Quentin's promotion came less than a week after shortstop Stephen Drew was called up from Tucson. Drew took the place of veteran Craig Counsell, who suffered a broken rib, while Quentin takes the place of first baseman Tony Clark, who has a strained shoulder.
Gonzalez said that there are a "couple" of veterans in the clubhouse in addition to himself who are wondering whether the front office really wants to win in 2006. Arizona began play in third place, three games behind the Padres.
"I love my teammates," Gonzalez said. "I love my coaches. I love playing for BoMel. He's my all-time favorite manager. Other than that I just don't know what's happening upstairs, what direction we're going. We're making a push right now, we're three games out and now they want to, I don't know, bring up guys here and there. I understand with Drew it was Counsell getting hurt. I just kind of wish the organization would let myself and maybe a couple of the other guys know what their immediate plans are going to be.
"Are we trying to win it? We're too close to start doing other things."
GM Josh Byrnes does not comment on lineup decisions, but since taking over last November, Byrnes has emphasized that the club's goal is to be competitive in 2006 and beyond.
Both Quentin and Drew's Triple-A numbers were hard to ignore. Drew posted an .802 OPS (on-base plus slugging) mark, while Quentin had a .912 OPS including a .424 on-base percentage.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Notes: Quentin gets the call

07/20/2006
PHOENIX -- After sending down pitcher Edgar Gonzalez following Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks called up former first-round draft pick Carlos Quentin from Triple-A Tucson on Thursday.
The 23-year-old was then promptly placed in left field and hit seventh as he made his Major League debut. D-Backs manager Bob Melvin stressed before the game against the Dodgers that Quentin was making a spot start for Luis Gonzalez and was not called up to be a regular starter.
"It's not something that I have scheduled to play X amount of games," Melvin said. "The only one that I have him schedule to start is today. One, we wanted to get him in there right away, and two, it happened to be a left-hander [Mark Hendrickson] and we'll just give Gonzo a day today."
Right field is the right-handed-hitting Quentin's natural position, although he has played all three outfield positions over the course of his Minor League career.
"One of the things we wanted him to do was play all the outfield positions," Melvin said. "So he's comfortable with any of them. He's a good athlete."
Quentin was hitting .289 for Tucson with a league-leading 30 doubles, nine home runs and 52 RBIs. After hitting only .263 on June 10, he has gone on a tear over the last 32 games, hitting .330 over that span. Quentin also set a record for being hit by a pitch 31 times so far this season, breaking his previous record of 29, which he set last year.
The move adds depth to what was a four-man bench. On any given day, the team will now have two infielders on the bench in Andy Green and Damion Easley and two outfielders, Quentin and usually Jeff DaVanon, in addition to backup catcher Chris Synder.
Quentin was selected 29th overall in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. Current D-Backs first baseman Conor Jackson was also picked up in the first round (19th overall) that year.
"That's a good thing, you have some people you know," Quentin said. "I know Conor. All the guys here are great. It's good to have some young guys and the older guys they always keep us under their wing."
The callup was the second for the D-Backs over the last several days as shortstop Stephen Drew was brought up on Saturday to fill in for Craig Counsell, who is on the disabled list with a fractured right rib.
Quentin admitted he knew little about the opposing pitcher.
"He is a tall, left-handed pitcher," Quentin said of Hendrickson. "He's going to throw it over the plate and it's my job to hit it."
Heading south: Melvin said the club decided to send Edgar Gonzalez back to Tucson because the team has not needed a long man out of the bullpen so far this season.
Gonzalez made a pair of starts and was moved to the bullpen when Juan Cruz returned from the disabled list. The D-Backs called up Tony Pena, who was a closer in Tucson, on Tuesday, making the need for a long reliever less of a necessity.
"We really haven't been in a spot yet, knock wood, where we've needed a guy to go out there and throw 60 or 70 pitches," Melvin said. "[Greg] Aquino is able to give us two [innings], [Brandon] Medders can give us two, we feel like Pena can give us two. As it is right now, we feel like we're covered down there."
Gonzalez was initially recalled on June 22 and went 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA over three starts and four relief appearances.
Decision coming: Third-round draft pick Dallas Buck will decide soon whether to have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
The D-Backs baseball staff and team physician Michael Lee gave Buck the choice between trying rehab for three months to see if the elbow responds and if it doesn't have the surgery then, or just go ahead and have the surgery now.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Quentin makes quite a splash

07/21/2006
PHOENIX -- Carlos Quentin proved he knows how to multi-task in his Major League debut on Thursday.
With a two-run lead and Chad Tracy on first, Quentin belted a 2-1 curveball from Mark Hendrickson into the left-field seats in the sixth inning, delivering his first big-league hit, home run and RBI in one fell swoop as the D-Backs downed the Dodgers, 5-2, at Chase Field in front of 25,294.
"I don't know. It's kind of indescribable," Quentin said of running the bases following the homer. "Everyone's on their feet, cheering. It's kind of like, 'Whoa, did I just do that?' And then you get home and [Tracy] has a big smile on his face and you got to give off a big smile. It was a great moment for me."
Quentin -- whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Tucson before the game and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup -- joined Travis Lee and Alex Cabrera as the only three players in franchise history to homer in their big-league debut. He is also added to another list of four other franchise players, whose first big-league hit was a homer.
"I think it was the only at-bat where I saw more than a couple pitches," said the 23-year-old. "[Hendrickson] started out with some hard stuff and they were preying on my aggressiveness early so they were throwing me some changeups."
Prior to the homer, Quentin grounded out twice and flied out in the eighth.
If at all possible, his night got even better when he was delivered the home run ball.
"The guy gave it back," Quentin said. "He didn't want anything. He wrote me a little note. I think I'll send him something, maybe a bat or something to say thank you. This is my first time here. I don't usually get balls back. I don't have people go get them for me. I was fortunate enough that the guy was kind to give it to me."
D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said that despite Quentin's home run, Luis Gonzalez will return to left field on Friday. Melvin said prior to the game that Quentin was called up to be a spot starter.
Arizona plated three runs over the first two innings and that was more than enough to power ace Brandon Webb to his 11th victory of the season.
"I had pretty good stuff," said Webb (11-3), who allowed two runs over eight innings. "My arm felt great. I was able to work in and out, had a pretty good comeback sinker for some strikeouts."
"Sometimes I struggle coming down here [to the press interview room] with what to say about him," Melvin said. "[He had a] great sinker, off-the-body sinkers with the left-handers, good control of his curveball, changeup, everything. It was kind of a typical outing for him."
The D-Backs defense turned four double plays behind Webb, which ties a club record.
"The defense played a really stellar game behind me," he said. "And again, they came out swinging the bats and that makes it a lot easier for us."
Shortstop Stephen Drew, who was called up from Tucson on Saturday, had his first big-league error, which allowed big brother J.D. Drew of the Dodgers to reach first in the eight inning. Drew didn't seem too affected by the miscue as he started a double play to end the inning on the very next ball that was hit to him.
"That's the thing about Webby, you better be on your toes," Melvin said. "Because you boot one, you better not feel sorry for yourself because the next one will be coming your way in a minute."
"His defense has been pretty unbelievable," said Webb of the young shortstop. "He's showing range that I didn't see. I didn't know that he had that. But he's making great plays."
After going 0-for-7 to start his Major League career, Drew has since gone 7-for-15, including three doubles over the last two games. He also plated his first big-league RBI on Thursday.
With the win, the D-Backs secured the series victory, having won three out of the four games. Arizona finds itself in third place in the National League West, two games behind first-place San Diego. The loss was the Dodgers' seventh in the last eight games.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/