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Zavada trounces adversity to fit in 'pen

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By Steve Gartner / MLB.com

07/02/09 12:20 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- Left-handed reliever Clay Zavada has garnered plenty of national attention this season for his unique mustache. His facial hair, which is comparable to the mustache Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers once sported, thrust him into the spotlight when he was recalled from Double-A Mobile on May 12.

But with the way he has pitched, that focus will soon be turning to his pitching.

In 19 games, Zavada is 1-1 and hasn't allowed an earned run. But don't tell him he's been flawless.

"I haven't been perfect at all," Zavada said. "I've messed up things. I haven't been [anywhere] near close to perfect."

Zavada has not been completely flawless, but he's come close. Opponents are hitting just .203 against him in his first season in the Major Leagues.

"One thing about Clay that is unique is that he has weapons against righties," D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said. "He brings a lot of energy to the mound when he pitches."

Zavada has overcome many obstacles in his young career. His father passed away in December of 2006 from a heart attack. Although he had been drafted by the D-backs in June of that year, he opted to leave baseball to attend Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

He received his degree in 2007 and signed with the independent Frontier League. After a season with the Southern Illinois Miners, Zavada returned to the D-backs in Class A South Bend.

After succeeding with a 3-1 record and a 0.51 ERA, Zavada was promoted to Double-A Mobile this season.

And less than a year later, the southpaw made it.

"My goal was to go back to baseball and have fun," Zavada said. "I didn't say, 'Oh, I'll be pitching in the Major Leagues in a year.' Literally, I just wanted to play ball."

D-backs closer Chad Qualls said Zavada has been able to succeed so quickly because he doesn't complicate things when he's on the mound.

"He had a lot taken from him early in his life, so he just relishes the fact that he's in the big leagues," Qualls said. "He doesn't take it for granted, and I think he has a great attitude."

Although Zavada was a starter in college, he has made a seamless transition to becoming a reliever. His primary pitch is a changeup, which he didn't add to his repertoire until he separated his shoulder and couldn't throw as hard.

But like many things in his life, he didn't let an injured shoulder stop him, and he persevered.

"He's seized every opportunity provided to him," Hinch said. "It makes it easy to call his name from a manager's perspective, because I know what I'm going to get out of him."

Pitching matchup
ARI: LHP Doug Davis (3-8, 3.28 ERA)
With Monday's off-day, the D-backs had the luxury of skipping the fifth starter's spot, and that's a good thing since they optioned their fifth starter -- Billy Buckner -- to Triple-A Reno. Davis has pitched better than his record indicates. His last two times out are prime examples of that. The lefty allowed just one run over seven innings, but walked away with a no-decision on June 21 against the Mariners. In his last start Saturday, Davis gave up one unearned run over seven innings but once again took a no-decision as the D-backs lost, 2-1. Davis' name has come up in trade rumors because he is in the final year of his contract.

CIN: RHP Aaron Harang (5-8, 3.95 ERA)
Harang is usually one of the Reds' most reliable starters. But he was shelled in a 9-2 loss to Cleveland on Friday. The right-hander allowed five earned runs on 10 hits,walking one and striking out three batters in just 4 2/3 innings. Harang will look to get back on track Thursday against the D-backs. He is 2-4 with a 1.66 ERA in eight starts against Arizona in his career.

Tidbits
In his first start since returning from the 15-day disabled list, Chad Tracy was 0-for-1 with a walk. ... Jon Garland threw just 71 pitches in his start Wednesday against the Reds. He extended his losing streak to six games. Over the eight-game stretch, since his last win on May 19, Garland is 0-6 with a 4.81 ERA.

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Up next
• Friday: Diamondbacks (Max Scherzer, 5-5, 3.67) at Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa, 4-7, 5.64), 5:10 p.m. MST
• Saturday: Diamondbacks (Yusmeiro Petit, 0-3, 8.03) at Rockies (Aaron Cook, 8-3, 3.77), 5:10 p.m. MST
• Sunday: Diamondbacks (Dan Haren, 7-5, 2.19) at Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez, 6-7, 3.75), 12:10 p.m. MST

Steve Gartner is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.