September 06, 2007
Important Win
The Diamondback defeated the Padres last night 9-6. Not only does this put Arizona in first place by a game, all the other wild card contenders lost as well. The well timed victory allowed them to pick up a game on everyone. In addition, Arizona takes the season series against San Diego 10-8, so as long as they stay ahead in the Wild Card race, they just need to tie San Diego to win the division. In essense, the win dropped their magic number by three.
There seemed to be a bit of motivation behind the win, also:
Last week, Peavy held the Diamondbacks to three hits in seven innings and suggested he come back on three days' rest to face Arizona.
Whether the short rest was the reason, Peavy did not look sharp, as the Diamondbacks scored eight times off him in four-plus innings. The motivation angle might have sharpened the Diamondbacks' focus.
"OK, he wants to pitch against us with three days off, you've got to make him pay, you know?" said catcher Miguel Montero, who hit one of his two solo home runs off Peavy. "We're in first place because we have played good no matter who is pitching. Tonight it was him."