How good is Brandon Webb?
Good enough that the Arizona Diamondbacks haven’t even needed Randy Johnson.
The five-time Cy Young Award winner has been out since late June, undergoing back surgery that could end his Hall of Fame career. But as much as the D’backs would love to have a healthy Johnson, they weren’t counting on the 44-year-old to be their ace.
That’s because the unsung Webb evolved into arguably the National League’s most consistent pitcher after Johnson ended his first stint with Arizona, going to the Yankees in an ill-fated trade before the 2005 season.
His high-strung nature didn’t mesh with New York, which is why the Yankees sent him back to Arizona last winter.
Webb won the Cy Young in 2006 and has been almost as good in ’07, using his state-of-the-art sinker to go 18-10 with a 3.01 ERA while leading the National League in innings.
He’s not nearly as flamboyant as Carlos Zambrano, his opponent in the opener of the division series, but is everything a No. 1 pitcher should be.
Webb has worked at least 208 innings in each of the last four seasons, never allowing his ERA to climb above 3.59 and never allowing more than 21 home runs. He’s had nine complete games the last two years, including six shutouts.
If the Cubs can get to Webb in Game 1, they will be well on their way to knocking off the Diamondbacks. That won’t be an easy task, especially for a lineup that appears heavily reliant on its power. Webb gave up 12 homers this season, barely more than one every 20 innings.
For Arizona to win the series, it may need two victories from Webb.
