| 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| League | National League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Chase Field | |||
| City | Phoenix, Arizona | |||
| Record | 82–80 (.506) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Ken Kendrick Jeff Moorad | |||
| General managers | Josh Byrnes | |||
| Managers | Bob Melvin | |||
| Television | FSN Arizona (Daron Sutton,Mark Grace,Greg Schulte,Joe Garagiola,Matt Williams) | |||
| Radio | KTAR (620 AM) (Greg Schulte,Jeff Munn,Tom Candiotti) KSUN (Spanish) | |||
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The 2008Arizona Diamondbacks season was the 11th season of the franchise inMajor League Baseball. Arizona tried to defend theirNational League West title after winning the division theprevious year. But despite a franchise-best 20–8 start in the months of March and April, they couldn't maintain the division lead late in the season and collapsed with many losing streaks and stumbled to an 82–80 record, good enough for a second-place finish, only two games behind theLos Angeles Dodgers.
The 2008 season saw the best start in Diamondbacks history, going 20-8 in March/April and end up being way ahead in first place in the NL West. During the great start,Brandon Webb had his best career start by winning his first 9 decisions. The only low point was that starting pitcherDoug Davis was being diagnosed withthyroid cancer, before he could get his first start. Characteristically, Davis made his first two scheduled starts before undergoing surgery on April 8. Fortunately, his surgery was a success and was able to get back on the mound just 6 weeks later.
One of the more shining moments of April was when rookie pitcherMax Scherzer made his major league debut by pitching 4.1 perfect innings of relief, where he struck out 7Astros. While doing this, Max passedPete Richert of the 1962Dodgers for the record for the number of consecutive batters retired (13) for a pitcher making his MLB debut as a reliever. Consequently, Scherzer was immediately promoted to the starting rotation, in the absence of Davis; he was relatively effective; in his four major-league outings (the aforementioned relief role against the Astros as well as three starts in Doug Davis' spot in the rotation), Scherzer had a 2.33 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 191⁄3 innings.
(Upon Davis' return, Scherzer was returned to the bullpen and optioned back to AAA Tucson in early June, and he eventually spent about a month on the Sidewinders' DL with shoulder inflammation. Davis, for his part, has had a less-than-stellar 2008 season, he is 4-7 with a 4.75 ERA as of late August.)
May was a much different month for the D-backs. The team saw a sharp decline in hitting and run production compared to April, and was their first losing month (11-17) since September 2006. The biggest disappointment had to have been the month-long slump right fielderEric Byrnes fell into, where he hit .195 and had only 8 RBIs. Much speculation about his strained hamstring causing him to not perform well eventually led to him being put on the 15-day DL on May 27. He came back to action only to tear the left hamstring in late June, and was placed on the 60-day DL at that time.
The Diamondbacks continued to lead the NL West despite only being 47-48 at the All-Star break.
On July 17, 2008,Tony Clark was traded back to the D-backs from the San Diego Padres for a minor league pitcher, Evan Scribner.
On August 5,Dan Haren signed a four-year, $44.75 million deal with the Diamondbacks worth a guaranteed $41.25 million through 2012 and includes a $15.5 million club option for 2013 with a $3.5 million buyout.[1]
Orlando Hudson, one of the more consistent offensive D-backs players in 2008, underwent season-ending surgery on his left wrist August 9 in the wake of a collision with catcherBrian McCann of theAtlanta Braves. Hudson became a free agent in the offseason and signed with the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
LFEric Byrnes has been on the 60-day disabled list since late June, with a torn left hamstring, and was not expected to return to the lineup this season.
On August 11, 2008,Dallas Buck, RHPMicah Owings (pending clearing of waivers), and one other prospect were traded to the Reds (in last place in the NL Central at the time) in exchange for OFAdam Dunn. Dunn, who was tied for the major league lead with 32 home runs, was expected to provide a significant boost to an offense that has struggled to score runs for most of the season. Dunn seemed quite positive about being traded to a ballclub in first place in its division in August.[2] The move was seen by some fans as a belated attempt by the D-backs to counter the trade by their division rival, theLos Angeles Dodgers, forBoston Red Sox power-hitting OFManny Ramirez on July 31; and also to compensate for the injuries to Hudson and Byrnes, generally considered two of the more "power-hitting" Diamondbacks on a team which has relied heavily on pitching and defense in recent years.
Owings, once considered an excellent pitching prospect for the Diamondbacks, has struggled in the 2008 campaign with a 7.09 ERA since April 21.[3] Owings must clear waivers before being able to join the Reds, otherwise he will remain a member of the Diamondbacks through the remainder of the season.
On August 31, the Diamondbacks acquired former World Series MVPDavid Eckstein to fill the hole at secondbase which was opened after Orlando Hudson was placed on the disabled list. Eckstein was traded from theToronto Blue Jays for Minor League pitcher Chad Beck.[4]
As of September 25, the D-Backs fell out of playoff contention with a 12-3 loss to theSt. Louis Cardinals.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 84 | 78 | .519 | — | 48–33 | 36–45 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 82 | 80 | .506 | 2 | 48–33 | 34–47 |
| Colorado Rockies | 74 | 88 | .457 | 10 | 43–38 | 31–50 |
| San Francisco Giants | 72 | 90 | .444 | 12 | 37–44 | 35–46 |
| San Diego Padres | 63 | 99 | .389 | 21 | 35–46 | 28–53 |
Source:MLB Standings Grid – 2008 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WAS | AL |
| Arizona | – | 3–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 15–3 | 2–7 | 4–2 | 8–10 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 6–9 |
| Atlanta | 5–3 | – | 0–6 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 10–8 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–6 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 6–12 | 8–7 |
| Chicago | 4–2 | 6–0 | – | 8–7 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 8–9 | 5–2 | 9–7 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 14–4 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 9–6 | 3–3 | 6–9 |
| Cincinnati | 4–2 | 3–3 | 7–8 | – | 1–5 | 6–2 | 3–12 | 1–7 | 10–8 | 3–4 | 3–5 | 6–9 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 5–10 | 4–3 | 9–6 |
| Colorado | 3–15 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 5–1 | – | 5–3 | 3–3 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 3–6 | 0–5 | 5–2 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 7–8 |
| Florida | 7–2 | 8–10 | 3–4 | 2–6 | 3–5 | – | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 14–3 | 5–10 |
| Houston | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 12–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | – | 4–3 | 7–8 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 8–8 | 3–3 | 7–1 | 7–8 | 4–2 | 7–11 |
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 7–1 | 10–8 | 4–3 | 3–4 | – | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–10 |
| Milwaukee | 5–2 | 6–3 | 7–9 | 8–10 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 8–7 | 2–4 | – | 2–4 | 1–5 | 14–1 | 4–3 | 6–0 | 10–5 | 6–2 | 7–8 |
| New York | 3–3 | 7–11 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 10–8 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 4–2 | – | 11–7 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 12–6 | 9–6 |
| Philadelphia | 4–3 | 14–4 | 4–3 | 5–3 | 5–0 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 4–4 | 5–1 | 7–11 | – | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–4 | 12–6 | 4–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–4 | 5–2 | 4–14 | 9–6 | 2–5 | 2–3 | 8–8 | 2–5 | 1–14 | 3–4 | 2–4 | – | 3–4 | 4–2 | 10–7 | 3–4 | 6–9 |
| San Diego | 8–10 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 9–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–11 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 4–3 | – | 5–13 | 1–6 | 5–1 | 3–15 |
| San Francisco | 7–11 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 7–11 | 3–3 | 1–7 | 9–9 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 13–5 | – | 4–3 | 7–0 | 6–12 |
| St. Louis | 4–3 | 5–2 | 6–9 | 10–5 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 8–7 | 4–2 | 5–10 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 7–10 | 6–1 | 3–4 | – | 5–1 | 7–8 |
| Washington | 2–4 | 12–6 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 3–14 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–6 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 0–7 | 1–5 | – | 8–10 |
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March/April (20-8)
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May (11-17)
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June (11-16)
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July (14-11)
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August (13-15)
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September (13-13)
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| 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | AVG | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emilio Bonifacio | 8 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 | 1 |
| Billy Buckner* | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Chris Burke | 86 | 165 | 20 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | .194 | 5 |
| Eric Byrnes | 52 | 206 | 28 | 43 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 23 | .209 | 4 |
| Tony Clark | 38 | 63 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .206 | 0 |
| Jamie D'Antona | 18 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .176 | 0 |
| Doug Davis* | 25 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .095 | 0 |
| Stephen Drew | 152 | 611 | 91 | 178 | 44 | 11 | 21 | 67 | .291 | 3 |
| Adam Dunn | 44 | 144 | 21 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 26 | .243 | 1 |
| David Eckstein | 18 | 64 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .219 | 0 |
| Édgar González* | 17 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .100 | 0 |
| Robby Hammock | 18 | 42 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .190 | 0 |
| Dan Haren* | 33 | 76 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .211 | 0 |
| Orlando Hudson | 107 | 407 | 54 | 124 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 41 | .305 | 4 |
| Conor Jackson | 144 | 540 | 87 | 162 | 31 | 6 | 12 | 75 | .300 | 10 |
| Randy Johnson* | 28 | 50 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .140 | 0 |
| Miguel Montero | 70 | 184 | 24 | 47 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 18 | .255 | 0 |
| Augie Ojeda | 105 | 231 | 27 | 56 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 17 | .242 | 0 |
| Micah Owings* | 35 | 52 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .288 | 0 |
| Yusmeiro Petit* | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Chad Qualls* | 75 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Mark Reynolds | 152 | 539 | 87 | 129 | 28 | 3 | 28 | 97 | .239 | 11 |
| Alex Romero | 78 | 135 | 13 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 12 | .230 | 4 |
| Jeff Salazar | 90 | 128 | 17 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | .211 | 0 |
| Max Scherzer* | 17 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Chris Snyder | 115 | 334 | 47 | 79 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 64 | .237 | 0 |
| Chad Tracy | 88 | 273 | 25 | 73 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 39 | .267 | 0 |
| Justin Upton | 108 | 356 | 52 | 89 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 42 | .250 | 1 |
| Brandon Webb* | 33 | 67 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .149 | 0 |
| Josh Whitesell | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .286 | 0 |
| Chris Young | 160 | 625 | 85 | 155 | 42 | 7 | 22 | 85 | .248 | 14 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5409 | 720 | 1355 | 318 | 47 | 159 | 683 | .251 | 58 |
*Note: Only pitchers noted with an asterisk who officially batted during the season are included above.
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Buckner | 1 | 0 | 3.21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| Juan Cruz | 4 | 0 | 2.61 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 51.2 | 17 | 15 | 31 | 71 |
| Doug Davis | 6 | 8 | 4.32 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 146.0 | 76 | 70 | 64 | 112 |
| Édgar González | 1 | 3 | 6.00 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 48.0 | 34 | 32 | 21 | 32 |
| Dan Haren | 16 | 8 | 3.33 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 216.0 | 86 | 80 | 40 | 206 |
| Randy Johnson | 11 | 10 | 3.91 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 184.0 | 92 | 80 | 44 | 173 |
| Wilfredo Ledezma | 0 | 2 | 4.17 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 58.1 | 29 | 27 | 41 | 53 |
| Brandon Lyon | 3 | 5 | 4.70 | 61 | 0 | 26 | 59.1 | 34 | 31 | 13 | 44 |
| Brandon Medders | 1 | 0 | 4.58 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 19.2 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
| Micah Owings | 6 | 9 | 5.93 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 104.2 | 73 | 69 | 41 | 87 |
| Jailen Peguero | 0 | 0 | 4.82 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Tony Peña | 3 | 2 | 4.33 | 72 | 0 | 3 | 72.2 | 38 | 35 | 17 | 52 |
| Yusmeiro Petit | 3 | 5 | 4.31 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 56.1 | 29 | 27 | 14 | 42 |
| Chad Qualls | 4 | 8 | 2.81 | 77 | 0 | 9 | 73.2 | 29 | 23 | 18 | 71 |
| Jon Rauch | 4 | 8 | 4.14 | 74 | 0 | 1 | 71.2 | 36 | 33 | 16 | 66 |
| Connor Robertson | 0 | 1 | 5.14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Leo Rosales | 1 | 1 | 4.20 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 18 |
| Max Scherzer | 0 | 4 | 3.05 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 56.0 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 66 |
| Doug Slaten | 0 | 3 | 4.73 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 32.1 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 20 |
| Brandon Webb | 22 | 7 | 3.30 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 226.2 | 95 | 83 | 65 | 183 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 80 | 3.98 | 162 | 162 | 39 | 1434.2 | 706 | 635 | 451 | 1229 |
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| World Series championships (1) | |||||||||||
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| NL West division titles (5) | |||||||||||
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