Johnny Mac - Flashing the leather.

The losing streak has come to end, courtesy of a fine game by Mr. Ian Kennedy and a great performance from the rest of the team. Game 16/162. And, possibly in an attempt to shake up the offense, the game started with a shake-up in the line-up.

1. Gerardo Parra (CF) –  He was the offensive performance of the day. In the bottom of the second, trailing by a run with 2 outs, John McDonald was intentionally walked to pitch to Ian Kennedy with the bases loaded. Ian Kennedy walked on 4 straight pitches. Which brought Gerardo Parra to the plate. He deposited his second homer of the season into the pool (for the second time this season). Grand slam and a 5 run inning! 5-1 Dbacks. He also collected another hit and a stolen base on the day.

2. Aaron Hill (2B) – He was 1-for-4 on the day, but it was a well-timed hit. He doubled in the bottom of the 7th to drive home an insurance run. 6-3 Dbacks!

3. Justin Upton (RF) – Went 1-for-2 on the day with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, he was hit in his same, already-injured hand. He was the second hitter plunked on the day. (Check in with the HBP-o-Meter to see where the season stands!) And, then – in a fit of rage – he was promptly caught attempting to steal second to end the inning.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – Wasn’t his strongest offensive showing of the season, 0-for-the day.

5. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Had a less-than-stellar day at the plate (0-for-3 with a walk), but he was defensive gold in the field today. Solid outing from the youngster. 3-6-3 double play! Smart, smart baseball.

6. Jason Kubel (LF) – 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. And, most impressively, was the put-out he recorded from left field, to throw out Dan Uggla, trying to extend a single into a double. It was a laser-beam, perfectly placed strike and it beat Uggla to the bag by at least 5 feet.

7. Cody Ransom (3B) – He made the most of his start today. He looked immensely comfortable at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored and was a solid stopper at the hot corner.

8. John McDonald (SS) – John McDonald had great day. He was his usually defensive whiz (Exhibit A) and also stepped up at the plate. 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

9. Ian Kennedy (SP) – He had to battle all day, but he kept his head and kept his team in the game: 7.0 IP, 9H, 3R, 2BB, 5K. He also got an RBI by taking a 2-out, bases-loaded walk in the second inning. Exactly what you want from the ace of your staff.

9b. AJ Pollock (PH) -0-for-1 in his pinch-hit appearance.

9c. David Hernandez (RP) – 3-up, 3-down in his 8th inning appearance for his 4th hold of the year.

9d. Lyle Overbay (PH) – 0-for-1 in his pinch-hit appearance.

9e. JJ Putz (Cl) – He came in for the 9th inning with a 3 run lead.  A strike out, a solo HR (to Juan Francisco) and 2 fly ball outs en route to his 5th save of the season.

Score: 6-4, Diamondbacks win! Record 8-8. Back to .500 and it feels so good!

Conclusion: This is a solid team – from top to bottom – and, today, everyone chipped in to help get it done. A little shake up in the line-up and everyone came out swinging.

Update: The team announced after the game today that long man out of the pen, Wade Miley, is going to get the start tomorrow against the Phillies. Good luck, Mr. Miley!

image from flickr user cedwardbrice (flickr.com/photos/cedwardbrice/5563380036/)

On Wednesday, Kirk Gibson announced that, barring injury or major catastrophe, Ian Kennedy will be the starter that the Diamondbacks send to the hill on opening day against the Giants.

This should come as a surprise to exactly no one. After a career year in which he posted a rather remarkable 21-4 record, with a 2.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, tossed his first ever complete game – a shutout, came 4th in the NL Cy Young race and got MVP votes, he’s more than earned that honor and Kirk Gibson agreed.

It hasn’t been formally announced, but it has been pretty heavily implied that Tim Lincecum will be taking the mound for the Giants on that day.

In 2011, the Dbacks played 4 games against Lincecum and posted a .255/.330/.408/.738 quadruple slash line (avg/obp/slg/ops). In contrast, when facing Ian Kennedy, the Giants offense put up a .188/.241/.277/.518.

Last season, IPK pitched 5 games against the Giants, going at least 6 innings in each of the games. He won 4/5, the lone Diamondbacks loss coming in May during a 1-0 contest in which he struck out 8 (Kennedy earned a no-decision).

Ian Kennedy and Tim Lincecum went head-to-head twice last year, once in May and once in September. The May game was the previously mentioned 1-0 Diamondbacks’ loss in which both Lincecum and Kennedy went 8 innings, giving up 0 runs on 4 hits. In the September game, Ian Kennedy was true to his 2011 form, giving up one earned run over 7 innings in a 7-2 Dbacks’ victory.

What does this mean for the Diamondbacks?

Well, Ian Kennedy pitched well last year and this remained the case when he faced their primary division rival. And, (stating the obvious here) everyone knows that Tim Lincecum can pitch, but it seemed in 2011 that the Diamondbacks hitters were able to figure him out just a little bit more than some other hitters around the league. The average quadruple slash line for batters facing Lincecum last season was .222/.302/.344/.646, with the Diamondbacks hitting above that mark in all 4 categories.

So, familiarity might breed contempt, but it also breeds knowledge. Hopefully the Diamondbacks will be able to continue to build upon the knowledge gained last season and keep the momentum going and start the season off on a high note.

And, it certainly seems that Ian Kennedy is the right man for the job.