In the opener of a three-game series, the Diamondbacks hope Mark Reynolds can continue his surge in a matchup with the Pirates and their top starter Zachary Duke Tuesday night.
The Pirates had a 7.91 ERA in losing three of four at Arizona from July 23-26. Duke (9-9, 3.26 ERA) earned Pittsburgh’s only victory of that series, giving up three runs and 10 hits in 6 1-3 innings as the Pirates won 10-3 on July 24.
Duke improved to 2-2 with a 4.45 ERA in five starts against the Diamondbacks (47-59).
Series at a Glance
The left-hander is a win away from matching his career high, set in 2006, and he has certainly pitched well enough to have already reached that mark. He’s gotten two runs or fewer to work with in five of his last eight starts.
Matchups with the Pirates haven’t given Reynolds much trouble. He’s batting .347 with six homers and 15 RBIs in 19 games against them, including four homers and eight RBIs in 10 games at PNC Park. He is 4 for 7 with a homer and three doubles versus Duke.
Arizona could need another big game from Reynolds if Yusmeiro Petit (1-5, 6.75) has problems with the Pirates again. His only career start against them came July 24 and he was tagged for six runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings of a 10-3 loss.
Petit, however, bounced back Wednesday night to post his first win of the year, giving up four hits while matching a career high with eight strikeouts in six innings of a 4-0 victory over Philadelphia. It was his first win since Aug. 23, a span of 11 starts.
Hide the names and it is difficult to differentiate Mark Reynolds' numbers from those of former Philadelphia Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt at the same stage in their careers. The resemblance is striking.
Reynolds celebrated his 26th birthday Monday by hitting his 31st and 32nd home runs the season, when the D-backs concluded a four-game series with a 6-5 victory over New York Mets.
Reynolds has seven home runs in his last seven games, and he is on a pace to hit 48 homers and drive in 111 runs this season after getting three more RBI Monday. Reynolds in is his second full season in the majors, although he spent most of 2007 with the D-backs after his contract was purchased on May 16, 2007.
"There's not a park in the big leagues that can hold him when he gets a hold of one," Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said.
The offensive numbers make for an interesting comparison. Reynolds hit .279 with 17 homers and 62 RBI in 366 at-bats in 2007, when he was 23 on opening day. Schmidt hit .196 with 18 homers and 52 RBI in 367 at-bats in 1973, when he was 23 on opening day. (His birthday is Sept. 27.)
At age 24, Reynolds hit .239 with 28 homers and 97 RBI, when he also set the major league record with 204 strikeouts. Schmidt hit .282 with 36 homers, 116 RBI and 138 strikeouts his next year, 1974, at 24. Schmidt hit .249 with 38 homers and 95 RBI the following season, his third with regular playing time in the major leagues.
If Reynolds continues at his current pace this season, which seems optimistic, he will have 93 home runs and 270 RBI in his first 1,496 major league-at bats. His career batting average would be .265, and he would have 40 stolen bases and 554 strikeouts.
Schmidt had 93 home runs and 266 RBI in 1,531 at-bats after 1975. His batting average was .248, and he had 60 stolen bases and 479 strikeouts.
Schmidt later had three 40-homer seasons and was the NL MVP in 1980-81 and 1986.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, METS 5: 3B Mark Reynolds homered in each of the first two innings to give RHP Dan Haren a 6-0 lead, and that was just enough to enable the D-backs to win the wraparound series, three games to one. C Miguel Montero also homered, and OF Gerardo Parra and 2B Ryan Roberts had three hits apiece. Haren, who has won his last six decisions on the road, went seven innings after going a season-low five innings in each of his previous two starts.
NOTES, QUOTES
--RHP Brandon Webb's right shoulder surgery Monday was successful, according to D-backs manager A.J. Hinch. Webb had an arthroscopic debridement procedure to clean out debris in his shoulder, Hinch said, and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Webb will begin throwing in October, agent Jonathan Maurer said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, which could enable the D-backs to have a good read on him before they must make a decision on their $8.5 million option for the 2010 season. Webb has a $2 million buyout. "We will now support Brandon through the rehab process and look forward to a successful recovery," D-backs general manager Josh Byrnes said.
--RHP Daniel Cabrera was signed to a minor league contract after Diamondbacks representatives attended a throwing session in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Cabrera, 28, was 0-5 with a 5.85 ERA for Washington this season before being released. Cabrera spent his first five seasons in Baltimore, where he was 48-59 with a 5.05 ERA.
--3B/1B Mark Reynolds' streak of 46 consecutive starts ended Sunday, when he did not play in a 5-2 victory over the Mets in New York. Reynolds' last non-start came June 8 in San Diego, when he was used as a pinch-hitter. He had played in 69 straight games since sitting out May 13 against Cincinnati. Reynolds has five home runs in his last six games, including homers measured at 481 feet (June 29) and 462 feet (Aug. 1), according to analyst Greg Rybarczyk, a mechanical engineer who runs the web site hittrackeronline.com.
--The D-backs had their first winning month of the season in July, going 14-12. They were 9-13 in April, 13-16 in May and 9-17 in June.
BY THE NUMBERS: 30 -- 3B/1B Mark Reynolds' home runs through Aug. 2, already two more than his previous career high, set last season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "At this point, I think Miguel has won the majority of the games back behind the plate, so I'll stick with Miggy." -- Manager A.J. Hinch, in announcing that Miguel Montero will start the majority of the games over the final two months ahead of former regular C Chris Snyder.
ROSTER REPORT
--3B Mark Reynolds was 5-for-12 with four home runs and five RBI in the just-concluded four-game series against the New York Mets, and he did not play Sunday, the first game he had not started in 46 games. Reynolds is hitting .387 with eight home runs since the All-Star break. He has as many home runs at new Citi Field as Mets 3B David Wright, who played with Reynolds on a traveling team during high school. "I'm going to text him that in a little bit," Reynolds said with a smile.
--RHP Dan Haren has given up 11 earned runs in his last 17 innings over three starts, going seven innings Monday for his first victory in his last three starts. "It didn't go quite as planned for me, but we got the runs early and just barely got it to hold up," said Haren, whose ERA rose to 2.38, the highest it has been since June 2. He is fourth in the NL ERA race behind St. Louis RHP Chris Carpenter, San Francisco RHP Tim Lincecum and San Francisco RHP Matt Cain.
--RHP Jon Garland (6-10) has made quality starts in nine of his last 10, and his ERA over his last seven starts (all quality) is 2.81, although he is only 2-3 with two no-decisions. If Garland is able to clear waivers, he would remain a trade option because it appears unlikely the D-backs will accept his $10 million option in 2010 despite the uncertainty surrounding RHP Brandon Webb. Garland's contract calls for a $1 million buyout if he declines a mutual option and a $2.5 million buyout if the club declines the option.
--SS Stephen Drew had hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games after getting two hits Monday, including a leadoff double in a three-run first inning. Drew is hitting .375 with seven doubles, three triples and two homers in 14 starts in the leadoff spot this season.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Tom Gordon (torn left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list May 4, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 26. He began a minor league rehab assignment July 13.
OF Eric Byrnes (fractured left hand) went on the 15-day disabled list June 26, and he had surgery that day. He will be out six to eight weeks.
RHP Brandon Webb (right shoulder bursitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 7, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 9. He felt soreness in a June 18 throwing session, and was shut down until July 27. He felt soreness while throwing that day, and he will have season-ending surgery on Aug. 3.
OF/1B Conor Jackson ("Valley fever," pneumonia) went on the 15-day disabled list May 12, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 23.