John Clay’s Sidelines

The headline on the espn.com game recap said: “Webb returns to All-Star form.”

But Brandon Webb wasn’t so sure.

“It was a struggle once again,” the ex-UK pitcher told the Arizona Republic on Saturday night after his Arizona Diamondbacks beat Florida 6-2. “It seemed like I had to battle every inning.”

Still, after recent subpar outings, leading to worries about a dead arm, Webb did climb back on the winning track Saturday, allowing just two earned runs in six innings as Arizona beat the host Marlins to run Webb’s record to 12-4.

The line:

IP     H    R  ER  BB  K   HR  PC-St    ERA
6.0    5    2    2    3    8    0    110-67    3.21

Best part of the line: The eight strike outs. Giving up just five hits in six innings is good stuff. But the 8 Ks shows that Webb’s trusty sinker was back to working again. It was his highest strikeout total since May 31.

It was his first win since June 6, after three straight winless starts.

“It’s good to get that one out of the way,” Webb told the Arizona Republic, which described the outing an “uneven” performance. “It’s been a while.”

Webb is now 2-2 in June with a 4.76 ERA. He was 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA in May.