Arizona Diamondbacks' Season Preview, Part One: The Rotation

In sports, there are few things more devastating than an effective one-two punch.

In boxing, it may be following up a left jab with a right upper cut, or in hockey, following a huge hit on one end with a breakaway goal on the other.

In baseball, there isn't much that can compare with a fantastic one-two punch at the front end of a rotation. Having to face one ace pitcher is bad enough, but if you have the misfortune of facing two of them on back-to-back days, then you really are in trouble.

A team that's put into a quick 2-0 hole in any series, regular season or postseason, home, or away, is a team that's going to start really doubting itself, and its play will be affected adversely by the stress.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a team fortunate enough to have one of the best one-two punches in baseball. Brandon Webb has won multiple Cy Youngs and is perennially considered one of the best pitchers in the game.

Dan Haren has been a solid pitcher his entire career, and there were quite a few teams interested in his services before he found his way to the desert via trade before last season. He pitched well for the D'Backs, and is looking to continue the trend this season.

No. 3 Starter: Doug Davis

On the flip side of the coin, there is always a danger to focusing all of your resources at finding and harnessing the power that the one-two punch of ace pitchers can provide. You can end up being dangerously short-handed throughout the rest of the rotation.

For instance, if you pitch your two aces in the last two games of a series, you will not get to use them in the next series. Your three, four, and five pitchers will be expected to carry the load, and they may fold under the stress.

Fortunately, the Diamondbacks third pitcher knows all about stress. Doug Davis may not have had the best stats last year (a 6-8 record, a 4.32 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP), but his greatest achievement wasn't reached on the diamond.

Davis battled cancer at the beginning of last year, and so if you want a guy who can be a huge character guy, its him. It's hard to equate battling cancer with battling an opponent on the field, but if anyone isn't going to let the pressures of his job get to him, it's Davis.

Even with his struggles with his health, he struck out 112 batters in those 146 innings, and averaged an earned run given up every two innings. 

Davis is going to have a rebound year, as he (hopefully) doesn't have to worry about cancer treatment midseason, and he could perhaps have a comeback story similar that to Jon Lester, who came back from Hodgkin's Disease to throw a no-hitter.

Realistically, if the Diamondbacks can get between 10-14 wins from Davis, then they could consider that a successful season.

No. 4 Starter: Jon Garland

Their fourth starter is a new face, who had a decent record last season and is a decent guy to have as a fourth starter in any rotation.

Jon Garland sported a 14-8 record, but his ERA of almost five and his WHIP of 1.66 scared away a lot of teams this off-season. His past performance of clutch pitching with the White Sox, and his penchant for being an innings eater, gave the Diamondbacks all the incentive they needed to go after him.

I think that like Davis, if they can get around 10 wins from Garland, the D'Backs will consider it a success.

Probable No. 5 Starter: Max Scherzer

You take a young player who's shooting up the minor league ranks, and you throw him into the mix during a lost season, and occasionally, you end up striking it rich in the end.

The Diamondbacks are hoping that this is the case with young Max Scherzer. After lighting up triple-A Tucson last year, he was called up midseason by the D'Backs to inject some life into the pitching staff. He did just that, racking up some stats that took some by surprise but only inspired more hope in the Valley.

Last year, he had a WHIP of 1.22, an ERA of 3.05, and gave up only 48 hits in 56 innings pitched. He also struck out 66 batters in those 56 innings. He only pitched 16 games and ended up with an 0-4 record, but he also made seven starts for the team in the process.

He seems to be on tap for a good season, so realistically, 8-12 wins would be a realistic expectation for the young man, considering it will be his first year starting.

The next article in this three part series will be focused on the Diamondbacks bullpen. The third article will be about the team's line-up.