Doug Slaten
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Farm Bureau: April 10, 2009
* CLASS A+: VISALIA RAWHIDE - In the California League, the Rawhide (formerly known as the Oaks) got off to a good start with a 6-5 road win over the Padres' affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm.
Although top prospect Jarrod Parker is expected to headline the Visalia rotation, his 2009 debut was deferred until Saturday so that Max Scherzer could make a rehab start in the opener. Scherzer went 4.2 IP, H, ER, 4 BB, 5 K as he continues his recovery from shoulder soreness that landed him on the DL. The walks suggest he's not yet in top form, but Scherzer finished the Cactus League strong and should be on track to join the Diamondbacks rotation next week.
Batting third and playing right field was mighty-mite Collin Gowgill; he powered the Visalia offense with a 2/2, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI performance. A 5'9", 195 lbs product of the University of Kentucky (the alma mater of Brandon Webb), Cowgill was rated by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization. With a...
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Diamondbacks Notes: April 7, 2009
* ROCKIES TAKE GAME 2 - Colorado shut out Arizona 3-0 on Tuesday night, evening both clubs' records at 1-1. The season's second game was radically different from the opener. After trading runs early and often in Game 1, both clubs were held scoreless tonight until the fifth inning. Leading off the inning, Troy Tulowitzki cracked his second home run in as many games on a first-pitch curveball that Dan Haren grooved over the heart of the plate. The pitch was the only real miscue of the night for Haren, who didn't walk a batter and finished with a handsome line of 7 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 9 K.
If the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez (7 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K) was not quite as sharp, he came through when it counted. Jimenez induced a double-play to end Arizona's two-on, no-out threat in the second. He again put a pair of runners on before striking out Miguel Montero to end the Diamondbacks' threat in the sixth.
Colorado tacked on a pair of runs against Jon Rauch to extend the lead in the eighth,...
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2009 DIAMONDBACKS SEASON PREVIEW - PART III
* WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN - As a franchise, the Diamondbacks' age, payroll and record rocketed sky-high on the way to their 2001 World Series victory. Those expensive, aging veterans that won Arizona's first major professional title began to fall from the stratosphere in the seasons to follow. The 2002 Diamondbacks (98-65) managed to repeat as NL West champs, but were swept 3-0 in a NLDS rematch with St. Louis. By 2003, Arizona would slip to a third-place finish at 84-78 behind a half-hearted mix of veterans and youngsters.
Fortunately, Arizona had found its cornerstone in Brandon Webb, whose sinker opponents were helpless but to pound into the infield grass. Drafted in 2000 while the "old" school roster was still ascendant, Webb would make his debut in 2003 and come to exemplify the Diamondbacks' new strategy: to win by developing its own talent. Another pair of building blocks joined the organization that year with the selections of Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin....
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