Saturday, May 9, 2009

Scouting Report: Nationals at Diamondbacks (5/9)

The Nationals go for three in a row tonight in Phoenix. Game starts at 8:10, so you may have a chance of seeing the whole thing.

Here's my look at Arizona's game two starter and prediction. You can check out my preview of the series here for breakdowns on their hitters and bullpen.

On the Mound
Doug Davis: One of the most durable pitchers around before he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last season, Davis is a soft-tossing lefty with good command and a willingness to challenge anyone. His best pitch is a curveball, and his fastball averages around 84-85 mph.

Bottom line, he's solid option as a back-end starter, no more. This year, he's got a nifty 3.52 ERA over 38.1 innings, but that's on an 87.1% strand rate and .261 BABIP, which is especially low for a groundball pitcher like Davis.

Still, you gotta root for the guy, even when he's going against the Nationals.

Fearless Prediction
Season record: 18-9
D'Backs, 6-4.

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