Fans of pitcher's duels could be in for a treat at Chase Field on Wednesday night, when reigning Cy Young winner Jake Peavy will lead the light-hitting San Diego Padres out on the field against the West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks and Dan Haren, who would be the No.1 ace on most other staffs in either league if it were not for Brandon Webb. These National League West rivals will meet in the second of a three-game set.
Peavy (9-8, 2.61) still did not receive a whole lot of support, but his offense did enough to get him the win in a 3-2 victory at home over Milwaukee. Peavy scattered a run on four hits over seven innings, striking out eight and walking three. This was a big improvement from his last outing, when Peavy walked five and struck out only three. The 27-year-old righthander has given up six earned runs in his last four starts, but has only a 2-2 record to show for it, which has been the story of the season. For example, Peavy has a 1.29 ERA against the Diamondbacks in 2007, but he has split his two meetings with the West leaders.
Haren (13-6, 2.96) threw a season-high 118 pitches in a 6-2 romp over Colorado on the road, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits over eight innings. Haren also matched another season high with nine strikeouts to go with two walks, and he is now first in the National League in terms of WHIP, a very important category. The 27-year-old righthander had a rough outing immediately after signing a long-term extension with the Diamondbacks, but Haren rebounded to show exactly why Arizona wants him to stay, as he and Webb are arguably the best starting duo in the entire major leagues. Haren is 2-1 in three appearances against the Padres in 2007, posting an impressive ERA of 2.14.
Being division rivals, these clubs are familiar with each other, and Arizona had taken seven of their 12 meetings with San Diego heading into Tuesday's opener. If you are expecting lots of offense and runs, you may want to find another game because Haren and Peavy are as good as you will see in the majors, and they seem to pitch to the level of the opposing pitcher, which will make for a long night for both offenses.
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