Brandon Webb had a good laugh, a long one, when asked about the difference between him and Carlos Zambrano.
“He’s pretty flamboyant,” Webb finally said in his deliberate, son-of-the-South drawl.
Zambrano is the excitable, demonstrative Cubs ace from Venezuela.
Webb is the quiet, laid-back Diamondbacks ace from Ashland, Ky.
But besides the prolonged chuckle, Webb wasn’t biting on any other comparisons between starting pitchers for Game 1 of the NL Division Series Wednesday at Chase Field.
“He’s a great pitcher and he’s had a great year,” Webb said. “I expect it to be a good ballgame.”
It certainly should be, if up-and-down Zambrano upholds his end. In comparison, Webb is the steady, unfaltering type, leading the league in complete games, innings pitched and shutouts and placing second in earned-run average and victories.
“I definitely take pride in being tops in innings pitched,” Webb said. His total this year: 236 1/3 , which is 20 more than Zambrano. Last year he pitched 235 innings and went 16-8 on his way to the NL Cy Young Award.
But the Diamondbacks go much deeper than Webb. The winningest team in the National League didn’t get there by being the second-worst hitting team. Their strength is their pitching, from a good rotation to an ultra-strong bullpen.
“Our pitching has been strong all year,” Webb said. “In spring training, we had [four] guys who had all been starting pitchers on Opening Day for their teams.”
That would have been Webb, Randy Johnson, Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez.
Johnson since has been sidelined with extensive back problems, but the D’backs have pressed on.
“I don’t think anybody thought we would be here,” Webb said. “Having R.J. go down was the hugest part. He was the biggest acquisition of the off-season. We thought we would have the best pitching staff in the league. But we’ve had people fill in spots when we needed them.”
As it is, Arizona has the fourth-best pitching staff in the league, at least by ERA. By saves, they are first.
“Nobody [in the rotation] is scared to fire up the ball,” Webb said.
The keys to bullpen have been setup man Brandon Lyon, who leads the league in holds, Tony Pena, who has a 3.27 ERA, former Cub Juan Cruz, who ranks second in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings, and Jose Valverde, the eternally happy closer.
Valverde spent much of last season in the minor leagues but was an All-Star this year, saving 47 games and holding opponents to a .196 batting average.
“It’s been nice for me,” Valverde said. “Last year I was sent down to Triple-A and this year I made the All-Star game and the playoffs. This is the best.”
“We’ve had quite a few one-run games and that has a lot to do with our bullpen,” manager Bob Melvin said.
The Diamondbacks have been involved in an amazing 52 one-run games — and have won 32 of them.
In the playoffs, pitching is traditionally the key.
“No doubt,” Melvin said. “In the playoffs, unless you’re [an offensive] team like the Rockies or Phillies, the little things and the pitching are a little more prevalent.”
And, in a five-game series like this NLDS, that makes pitching very important, especially in the first game.
Webb vs. Zambrano: Steady vs. showy.
Webb certainly has the better overall numbers and has won his last four decisions. Zambrano has won four of his last five decisions after losing five in a row.
Here’s a scouting report, courtesy of Valverde:
“This is tough because both guys are good pitchers. Zambrano has good stuff, a lot of breaking balls and sinker.
And everybody knows Webb is the best pitcher in baseball right now. These two guys, I don’t know who’s best.”
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dvandyck@tribune.com
See today’s related story, “Opposing Forces / Zambrano: Low-key just not in cards for edgy ace.”
