Willis pitched in and out of trouble all night, allowing five hits and four base on balls and walked one batter.  Bottom line is, he never allowed a runner to score and that is the most important part.  Reliever Chad Qualls pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save of the season.

Reliever Carlos Rosa almost blew the game for Willis in the seventh and Aaron Heilman wasn’t much better, but they averted the tying and go-ahead runs from scoring.  For a couple of minutes it seemed like deja vu all over again.  Not tonight though.

This was only the second win this season for the Dbacks when scoring four or fewer runs.  They are now 2-27 when that happens.

So far good with Willis.  Maybe a change of scenery will be good for him.  To be continued.

Tuesday afternoon the Arizona Diamondbacks traded pitcher Billy Buckner for Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Dontrelle Willis.  Willis, who was designated for assignment by the Tigers, was traded to Arizona for the struggling Buckner.   Struggling though is putting it mildly.  Buckner is a guy who really belongs on a major league roster about as much as I do.

Willis, who was 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA this season and 2-8 with a 6.86 ERA lifetime in his Tigers career, has also struggled to say the least.  Word is he was looking to come to Arizona even before the weekend rumors began as he and his wife were going to look to move their off-season home to Arizona or somewhere on the west coast.

I’m not sure how this makes the Dbacks any better, except I will say at least Willis has proven himself in the past at this level.  Billy Buckner couldn’t pitch little league at this point.  Detroit can have him.  I just wish another National League team would have taken him.

I’m not sure a change of scenery is going to do Willis any good, but I guess we’ll see.  Don’t be surprised if he isn’t in a Dbacks uniform by the end of summer.  At least Detroit is paying most of Willis’ $12 million contract.

Scott Allen