Canadian-born veteran Ryan Dempster can finish his 13th
major-league season in style today when the Chicago Cubs close out the 2009
schedule in the finale of a three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks
at Wrigley Field
A third-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 1995, Dempster broke into the big
leagues with the Florida Marlins in 1998 at age 21. He finishes this season as
a 32-year-old and has won three consecutive decisions since dropping a 5-0
performance to the crosstown Chicago White Sox on September 3.
In his last outing on Tuesday against Pittsburgh, Dempster tossed a complete
game shutout, limiting the Pirates to just five hits in a 6-0 victory.
He's struggled mightily against the Diamondbacks, however, winning just once
in six decisions and racking up one save while posting a 5.89 earned run
average in 15 appearances.
At Wrigley this season, Dempster is 7-3 in 13 starts with a 3.68 ERA.
For Arizona, veteran southpaw Doug Davis makes the 289th appearance of a big-
league career that began in 1999 with Texas.
Since, Davis has pitched for the Rangers, Milwaukee, Toronto and the
Diamondbacks while making 268 starts and pitching exclusively as a starter
since 2003 with the Blue Jays.
He won a career-best 13 games with the Diamondbacks in 2007 before slumping to
just six wins in an injury-plagued 2008.
This season, Davis has won just twice in his last 10 starts, including an 8-4
defeat at San Francisco on September 29.
He last won September 22 against the Giants, allowing 10 hits and five runs in
7 1/3 innings of a 10-8 triumph.
Lifetime against the Cubs, he is 8-6 in 15 starts.
On the road in 2009, he is 3-7 in 17 starts.
On Saturday, Randy Wells made his best case for NL Rookie of the Year, firing
seven shutout innings while fanning a career-high 10 in the Cubs' 5-0 blanking
of the Diamondbacks.
Wells (12-10) has been a surprise bright spot in a disappointing Cubs season
and allowed just three hits and a walk to finish his first full season with a
3.05 earned run average.
Geovany Soto added two hits, two walks and two runs batted in for Chicago,
which snapped a three-game losing streak. Reed Johnson had a two-run triple in
the win.
Daniel Cabrera (0-6) made his first start for the Diamondbacks and allowed
three runs on four hits and three walks in five frames. Arizona has lost four
of its last five.
Arizona took two of three meetings from the Cubs in Phoenix back in April and
has won five of the last eight overall matchups between the teams.
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