--RHP Max Scherzer was promoted to the starting rotation Wednesday morning, less than a day after he retired all 13 batters he faced, striking out seven, in his major league debut in relief. Scherzer will replace RHP Edgar Gonzalez (1-2, 6.55 ERA) in the rotation and is scheduled to start against Philadelphia on Monday. "This is the start of what we believe will be big things for him," manager Bob Melvin said.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to go out and get wins for my team. I like pitching the best. Whatever role, I'll do," Scherzer, whose first game was more special because his parents, best friend and girlfriend were in attendance. "It was a good night." --RHP Micah Owings hit a two-out, two-run, pinch home run in the sixth inning Wednesday to tie a game the Diamondbacks won 8-7. It was the first pinch homer by a major league pitcher since Milwaukee's Brooks Kieschnick homered off D-backs RHP Matt Mantei on April 22, 2004. Owings has hits in each of his last four plate appearances and is batting .421. "Babe Ruth comes to mind," 1B Conor Jackson said. Owings, the 2007 NL Silver Slugger award winner after hitting .333 with four homers and 15 RBIs, has been used four times as a pinch hitter this season after being called on six times all of last year.
--3B Mark Reynolds was given a day off Wednesday, his first non-injury day off in the season. Reynolds, hitting .245 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, had three hits in his last 29 at-bats, with 17 strikeouts. He is sixth in the NL in RBIs and is tied for the league lead with 38 strikeouts.
--OF Eric Byrnes returned to the starting lineup Wednesday after missing three of the previous six starts, saying his right hamstring is "a lot better. We have the best training staff in baseball. They don't get enough credit." Byrnes cited trainer Ken Crenshaw, assistant trainer Dave Edwards, strength and conditioning coach Nate Shaw and manual therapist Neil Rampe.
--The D-backs extended their best start in franchise history, and they finished with 20 victories in March/April, winning their first game May 31 in Cincinnati. The D-backs have had two 20-win months in team history -- 20-6 in June 2003, and 20-8 in August 1999. They have won 19 games in a month three times.
--1B Conor Jackson hit his second home run in as many games Wednesday and also made another acrobatic defensive play, this time reversing his field on a spinning grounder by Carlos Lee to barehand the ball while on his back and flipping to RHP Chad Qualls at first for the out.
BY THE NUMBERS: 17-5 -- Diamondbacks' record in a 22-game stretch against the NL West that concluded April 27.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Every game counts. We'll take it. It's a 22-game block, more than a quarter of our games in the division. To do well is important. But some teams that were off to great starts last year didn't get to October, so we are not overestimating what happens. But it is good to win games in your division." -- General manager Josh Byrnes, on the D-backs' 17-5 record against the NL West.
