Arizona’s Win MeansLopez to Start Today

Arizona Manager Bob Brenly was flooded with questions before Friday night’s game as to whom he would send to the mound today in Game 4.

His answer: It depends.

If Arizona had lost Game 3 to fall behind, 2-1, in the series, Brenly would have sent Curt Schilling to the mound on three days’ rest. But with the Diamondbacks having stormed back to win, 5-3, Brenly will turn to right-hander Albie Lopez, whose combined record this season with Tampa Bay and Arizona is 9-19.

Lopez was erratic after the July 25 trade to the Diamondbacks but dominated the Dodgers and Brewers in his last two starts, giving up one earned run over 17 innings.

Schilling’s last start, a three-hit shutout in Game 1, was also outstanding. But by winning Game 3, the Diamondbacks can avoid a pitfall that has doomed so many clubs of late. Playoff starters going on short rest over the last three years are 1-5 with a 9.82 ERA.

“I hesitate to do that and change their between-starts routine,” Brenly said before the game. “But extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures.”

Schilling has made only one career start on fewer than four days’ rest, and that also came under extraordinary circumstances. He threw seven shutout innings July 21 three days after his start in San Diego was short-circuited after two innings because of stadium electrical problems.

Schilling needed only 101 pitches to beat the Cardinals Tuesday. Brenly said that helped convince him to use Schilling if necessary, but the veteran right-hander countered, saying: “This time of year, pitch counts are irrelevant.”

One thing is clear: Brenly wouldn’t mind seeing torrential rain today. Forecasters are calling for showers most of the day.

If the game can’t be played, Schilling would start Game 4 Sunday on four days’ rest.

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Neither Brenly nor Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa has much sympathy for fans who can’t watch playoff games that are being telecast on the Fox Family Channel.

“The reason that we’re playing is not to get on TV,” La Russa said. “We’re playing for the chance to win the big prize.”

Said Brenly, a former broadcaster for Fox: “That honestly doesn’t concern me.”