Wow.  That didn’t last too long!  The Diamondbacks saw Joe Kennedy 3 times and Byung-Hyun Kim twice and they saw enough of them to know that they didn’t want either of them around any more.  Kennedy pitched in 3 games for the Diamondbacks and he was 0-0 with a 20.25 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP.  He worked 2.2 innings for the D-Backs and he allowed 4 hits, hit 4 batters, walked 2 and whiffed 1.  Byung-Hyun Kim started 2 games and he was 0-1 with a 23.62 ERA and a 4.87 WHIP.  He only lasted 2.2 innings in his starts and he allowed a whopping 11 hits, 9 runs (7 earned), walked 2 batters and whiffed 3.  These moves are addition by subtraction for the D-Backs.

Doug Davis, Livan Hernandez and Edgar Gonzalez have not pitched up to their ability and the D-Backs need that to change in the 2nd half if they are to make a playoff run.  Lefty starter Doug Davis has really been awful this season.  He is 5-10 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP so far this season.  He has allowed 126 hits and walked 59 batters in only 105.2 innings and that is quite incredible.  If he pitches that bad in the second half his ERA will likely rise to over 5.00 for the season.  Livan Hernandez is only 5-5 with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP so far this year.  He has allowed 135 hits and walked 49 batters in only 115 innings.  His ERA also will likely rise if he continues to give up that many baserunners.  Edgar Gonzalez started the season as the #5 starter but he lost his job to Micah Owings and it’s because of how he pitched.  Gonzalez is 3-2 this season with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

Brandon Medders is off to a horrible start this season for the D-Backs.  In 20 games, Medders is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP so far this season.  In 18.2 innings, he has allowed 20 hits, 8 homers and has walked 9 batters.  If Medders doesn’t pitch better soon he will wind up back in AAA ball.

The Diamondbacks have been looking for a quality left-handed reliever for a long time and that search might have finally resulted in finding a good one.  Doug Slaten has been excellent so far this season as he’s 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 17 games.  In 11.1 innings this year, Slaten has allowed 10 hits, walked 3 batters and has whiffed 12.  Look for Slaten to continue to be successful because he has great stuff.

Randy Johnson has looked a little rusty in his first three starts of the season.  Johnson is 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP this season.  Johnson has allowed 22 hits and 5 homers in just 18 innings this season, but, he does have 19 strikeouts.  Look for Johnson to be much better in his next few starts as he gets more comfortable on the mound.