Imaginary Diamond

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb won his ninth consecutive start on Thursday night, working into the eighth inning of Arizona’s 8-5 win over Colorado. Webb took a shutout into the late innings, but was roughed up in the seventh and eighth innings.

It hasn’t taken a top-notch effort every start, as a mix of run support, luck, and his own brilliance has Webb off to the best start by a pitcher since 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. His final line against the Rockies: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks.

After Webb’s eighth win, we mentioned his pace, whether he could reach 25 wins or not. He still has plenty of work to do, but with each consecutive victory, probability shifts into his favor. Win or lose, Webb consistently works deep enough into games that he factors into the decision much more than ordinary pitchers. In 2008, he’s pitching for a contender for the first time in his career, a fact that bodes well for exponentially more wins than losses.

In terms of fantasy value, other pitchers match or exceed Webb’s ratios (2.56 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) and strikeouts (49 in 63.1 IP), but no one can touch the win total. There are a slew of pitchers with six wins, only a few of which - Carlos Zambrano, Chien-Ming Wang, Tim Hudson and Daisuke Matsuzaka - were expected to be in the same neighborhood.

Among the surprises challenging Webb for early Fantasy Pitcher of the Year honors are: Cliff Lee (6-1, 0.67 ERA, 0.67 WHIP), Edinson Volquez (6-1, 1.12 ERA, 57 Ks) and Ervin Santana (6-0, 2.63 ERA, 0.97 WHIP).

More thoughts on Webb …
Vegas Watch does the math and figures 23 wins to be Webb’s most likely total.

D-backs Buzz hears the chants for 30 wins now.

Sports Yenta highlights Webb’s ongoing negotations for a contract extension.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.