Lefty Wade Miley tries to continue his incredible start to the season this evening when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game series at Chase Field.
A Louisiana native, Miley was a supplemental pick of the Diamondbacks in the 2008 draft - going 43rd overall - before beginning his pro career at Single-A Yakima and splitting two decisions in seven starts.
He spent all of 2009 in Single-A before moving to Double-A the following season and ultimately to Triple-A in 2011, where he was 4-1 with a 3.64 earned run average in eight starts at Reno of the Pacific Coast League.
Miley appeared in eight games with the Diamondbacks and won four of six decisions at the end of last season and began 2012 with three stints out of the bullpen before defeating Philadelphia with six innings of scoreless, two- hit ball in a start on April 23.
He's won four of six decisions since, including three straight between May 15 and 26, a streak that ended with a 7-1 loss at San Diego in his most recent outing on June 1.
Miley allowed four runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.
He pitched three scoreless innings against Colorado on April 14 at Coors Field and is 2-0 in three meetings with the Rockies with a 2.25 earned run average in 16 innings of work.
The Rockies will reply with lefty Josh Outman, who starts for the second time after beginning the season with eight relief outings.
The 27-year-old native of St. Louis had 25 starts in 33 big-league appearances with Oakland before coming to Colorado in a three-player trade in February.
Outman had a 9.64 ERA and had allowed five runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings out of the bullpen before his initial start of 2012, a 3 1/3-inning outing on June 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five in Colorado's 13-3 win and trimmed his ERA to 5.62 in the process.
Outman allowed a run on one hit in one inning against Arizona on May 17, a game the Rockies lost, 9-7.
He's 1-1 in three career meetings with Colorado.
On Tuesday, Jason Kubel and Aaron Hill each finished a double short of the cycle as Arizona won, 10-0. Kubel hit a two-run home run and finished 3-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored while Hill also went 3-for-5 with a two- run home run for the Diamondbacks, who have won four of six.
Ian Kennedy (5-5) gave up just five hits with a walk and tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts over six innings.
"[Kennedy] threw great, obviously we swung the bats well tonight and that makes it for a fun game," Kubel said.
Jeremy Guthrie (3-4) was torched for seven runs on 11 hits over just 3 1/3 innings for the Rockies, who had won seven of eight coming in.
Marco Scutaro had two hits in the loss.
"I haven't thrown the ball well. I've been really working on it in between starts but I understand that if there is not improvement there will be changes," Guthrie said.
The Rockies have won four of seven over the Diamondbacks so far this season. The D-Backs won seven of nine at home over the Rockies in 2011.
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