Arizona @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 27, 2010 ) Arizona 1, Colorado 12

When Kris Benson and Greg Smith take the mound against each other on Wednesday, neither pitcher will take the ball in their hand for granted. Both hurlers missed significant time recently because of injury - and wouldn’t be in the rotation on Wednesday if not for ailments to other pitchers. Benson has been solid in his two starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, going six innings in each outing en route to posting a 1-1 record and a 3.00 ERA. The 35-year-old right-hander had pitched just 22 1/3 innings in the big leagues – all last season with Texas – after undergoing rotator cuff surgery in 2006 before winning the fifth-spot in Arizona’s rotation. He didn’t sign until mid-March when the Diamondbacks started to realize that injured starter Brandon Webb wouldn’t be ready in time to start the season. Benson fared well in most of his spring starts and his one Triple-A outing before making his Diamondbacks debut by allowing two earned runs in six innings against the San Diego Padres. He followed it up with the same numbers – two earned in six innings – against the Philadelphia Phillies. What the Diamondbacks have discovered is that Benson is unflappable. He is comfortable pitching with runners on base and digging his way out of trouble. Wednesday’s start will be his 200th of his major-league career, so he has plenty of experience to bank on. The 26-year-old Smith has far less history to keep him steady in rough times, considering he was a rookie in 2008 before missing all of 2009 with shoulder problems. He had a great performance in spring training - 1.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings - to bolster the franchise’s confidence in the young left-hander. It was enough to earn a spot in the rotation after it was evident Jeff Francis was going to have to start the season on the disabled list. Smith, who went 7-16 with a 4.17 ERA in 32 starts in 2008, is 1-2 with a 5.24 ERA in four starts totaling 22 1/3 innings thus far. The offenses won’t care the least bit about their paths back to the majors and will attempt to knock them out of the game - but both these guys know all too well what it takes to fight through adversity.