Carlos Quentin, who suffered a small labrum tear in his left
shoulder on March 19, was activated off the disabled list and got the start in
right during a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers at Chase Field on Monday.
Hitting in the No. 5 spot, he went 2 for 4 with two doubles off Brad Penny.
"I feel good going out there and swinging and letting it loose,"
Quentin said. "I kind of threw caution to the wind as far as, 'Is it going
to re-occur?' The muscles are strong, it's stabilized in there, and I'm
going to keep doing maintenance to keep it stabilized."
Meanwhile, Randy Johnson, who has been rehabbing to return from
October back surgery, will make one more minor league start -- Thursday for
Class AAA Tucson -- before being activated from the disabled list. That
should happen Friday, and his first start for the Diamondbacks could be
April 24 at Chase Field against San Diego.
"I'm feeling good about everything, and I want to have one more
productive start and know that it's my last start," Johnson said.
DODGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 1: Right-hander Edgar Gonzalez allowed five
runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings in a game marking the return of
outfielder Carlos Quentin from the disabled list and Luis Gonzalez's first
visit back to Chase Field since the former longtime Diamondback left to
sign with the Dodgers as a free agent.
Gonzalez went hitless in four at-bats, but another former
Diamondback, Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny, was brilliant in holding Arizona to five
hits over seven innings in improving to 3-0.
"He was hitting his spots, moving up and down," shortstop Stephen Drew said. "When you got a guy throwing 96 (mph) and a curveball coming
in there at 80, your eye level changes. That was one of the keys for
him, to try to keep you off balance."
NOTES, QUOTES
--CF Chris Young is hitting just .143 after his first 35 at-bats.
--RHP Brandon Webb has been throwing fewer curveballs. His main
pitch has always a sinking fastball.
"I haven't felt real comfortable to where I could throw (the curve)
for a strike and get ahead," said Webb, who allowed five earned runs in
his last start, against Colorado. "I haven't been getting ahead (with
any of his pitches). It's tough to pitch 1-0, 2-0."
--RF Carlos Quentin (sore left shoulder) was activated from the
disabled list Monday and utility man Brian Barden was optioned to Triple-A
Tucson.
--1B Conor Jackson is hitting .200 with one extra-base hit, but
manager Bob Melvin said he won't be tempted to start veteran Tony Clark at
first on a regular basis.
"Conor's going to be our guy, and is our guy," Melvin said. "We'll
use Tony in tougher matchups and matchups where he has some history, but
we're not going to give up on Conor Jackson."
--SS Stephen Drew is batting .196 with just one extra-base hit.
"Stephen's at-bats haven't been too bad, he just doesn't have
anything to show for it right now," manager Bob Melvin said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 33 -- Total number of walks issued by Arizona's top
three starting pitchers -- Brandon Webb, Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis
-- during their first three starts this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The bigger the game, the better that kid was. His
junior year, he had no home runs through our 26-game regular season. We
played 12 games in the playoffs and he hit 10 or 11 home runs. He's a
clutch player." -- Danny Redshaw, Stephen Drew's prep coach at Lowndes
High School in Georgia.
MEDICAL WATCH:
CF Chris Young (groin) was held out of the lineup April 9-11 as a
precaution. He was back in the starting lineup April 13.
LHP Randy Johnson (back surgery in October to repair a herniated
disk) made a rehab start for Class AAA Tucson on April 13. The team is
hoping he'll be back in the big-league rotation on April 24 after one
final rehab start on April 19.
OF Jeff DaVanon (left ankle, right shoulder surgery) was expected to
get a cortisone shot in mid-April to help him hit from the left side of
the plate. He started the season on the disabled list.
RF Carlos Quentin (slight labrum tear in his left, non-throwing
shoulder) was activated from the disabled list April 16.