Jun 28, 2007 4:15 pm US/Pacific
'Big Unit' Returns To Finish Dodgers' Road Trip
PHOENIX (AP) ―
Randy Johnson returns to the mound for Arizona tonight as the Diamondbacks wrap their crucial four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.
Johnson will head to the hill for the first time since June 10 when he threw six innings of one-run, four-hit ball in a win over Boston.
The left-hander was to start on June 16 against Baltimore, but skipped the outing due to severe pain in his back, and eventually landed on the disabled list. It was after that when Johnson learned he had re-herniated a disc in his back, an injury that had previously required offseason surgery this past winter and caused him to miss the start of this season.
However, after pitching in a simulated game on Monday, it was decided Johnson would start tonight.
The 43-year-old has won his last four decisions, spanning six undefeated starts, making him 4-2 on the year with a 3.52 earned run average. His 4,614 career strikeouts are third on the all-time list behind New York Yankee Roger Clemens and his 4,626 punch outs.
In 21 career starts versus the Dodgers, Johnson is 7-5 with a 2.71 ERA and two complete games.
Randy Wolf will try to stop a personal two-game losing streak with tonight's start for the Dodgers. After besting the Mets on June 11, Wolf took the loss six days later against the LA Angels of Anaheim and then was handed a defeat on Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Versus the Devil Rays, the left-hander allowed four runs for the second straight start while giving up 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Wolf has lost three of his last four starts to fall to 8-6 on the season with a 4.32 ERA.
He is 4-2 with a 4.07 ERA in nine career starts versus Arizona, including a loss to the club on April 30 of this year. On that day, Wolf was tagged for six runs on 5 2/3 frames.
The Diamondbacks entered this series with a 1 1/2-game lead over the third- place Dodgers for first place in the NL West, but lost the first two games before rebounding with a 2-0 win on Wednesday.
However, while the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have been beating each other up, the San Diego Padres have won two straight to jump into first place in the standings. Arizona is just a percentage point behind, while the third-place Dodgers are a half-game off the pace.
The Dodgers are still 6-2 against the Diamondbacks this season and is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings overall.
It was a pitching duel last night, as Brandon Webb (8-5) threw seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits and five walks in the win.
Derek Lowe (8-7) took the tough-luck loss, as he gave up only two runs -- one earned -- on five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He watched his offense go 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.
Chad Tracy hit a sacrifice fly and Eric Byrnes singled in a run for Arizona, which is 5-4 on a 10-game homestand that wraps tonight. The club next hits the road for 10 straight games.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are 5-4 on a 10-game road trip and will next return home for 10 games.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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