D-Backs notebook: Rotation set: Webb won’t pitch on 3 days’ rest

Brandon Webb has made none of his 165 career starts on three days’ rest, and the Diamondbacks are not about to start now, even in an extended NL championship series.

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Manager Bob Melvin announced his rotation for the first four games – Webb, Doug Davis, Livan Hernandez and Micah Owings, the same order as for the Cubs series, although Owings did not get to pitch because of the D-Backs’ sweep.

With an off day Saturday and another next Tuesday, Webb could have started Game 4 on three days’ rest and been available on normal rest in a possible Game 7, although he already has pitched 243 1/3 innings this season.

“Workload. Other guys that we have. (Webb) hasn’t done it before,” Melvin said of the reasons for a four-man rotation.

“We try to err on the side of caution. That’s the way we’ve been, and I just don’t see us bringing him back on three days’ rest. I don’t like doing it. We did it one time with ‘Livo’ (Hernandez), but there were a bunch of reasons for doing that.

“The deeper in the season you get, the harder it is to do it, especially with the amount of innings and amount of games Brandon has.”

Hernandez pitched seven shutout innings against Colorado on Aug. 31, when the D-Backs pitched him on short rest.

With the extra day off between Games 4 and 5 in this series, Davis would start on six days’ rest if the series goes to a sixth game. Hernandez would pitch on five days’ rest if the series went to a seventh.

ROCK AND ROLL

Colorado enters this series on an historic role, having won 17 of its past 18 games, including the final two games of the regular season against the D-Backs to force a wild-card playoff game against San Diego, which it also won.

“They have to cool off sometime. Hopefully it’s against us,” Mark Reynolds said.

Of the four-day break each team has had entering the series, “it’s good,” he added. “It’ll give the Rockies a little time to cool off.”

The New York Yankees also had a 17-1 run late in 1960, when they won the final 15 games of the regular season before winning two of the first three games of the World Series against Pittsburgh. The Pirates won the Series in seven games.

SHORT HOPS

Micah Owings threw about 70 pitches in five innings of an instructional league game against Colorado in Tucson on Tuesday. He did not give up a run in four innings before being scored on in the fifth. Owings will enter the NL championship series with 15 1/3 scoreless innings in his previous two starts. Colorado right-hander Aaron Cook is to throw 80 pitches in an instructional league game against the D-Backs today.

Of 10 baseball analysts listed on ESPN’s Web site, nine pick Colorado to win this series. Eight of 10 picked the Cubs to beat the D-Backs in the division series.

The off day between games 4 and 5, if necessary, was added to the playoff series this season, extending the series to 10 days. Previously the series had been broken only by travel days between Games 2-3 and Games 5-6.

“It’s just another off day. Would you rather play through? Probably. Both teams have to deal with it, so it’s not an issue,” Melvin said.

The D-Backs had about 8,000 tickets remaining for Games 1 and 2, a team spokesman said late Tuesday afternoon, although a sellout is expected for Game 2 Friday because of the 7:18 p.m. start time. Game 1 is to start at 5:37 p.m. Thursday.

D-Backs hitting coach Rick Schu was a finalist with Alan Cockrell to become the Rockies’ hitting coach this season.

“It was a good decision for them,” Schu said. “I think Alan has done a heck of a job for them. Just like me here, he knows all the kids there. He has (coached) them from the beginning” as the Rockies’ minor league hitting instructor previously. “It worked out well for both of us,” Schu added.