Sept. 12, 2009

MLB.com Preview: Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks

Former Villanova pitcher Kevin Mulvey is slated to make his first major league start for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. The game begins at 8:10 p.m. EST from Chase Field in Arizona. Mulvey has made four relief appearances in the major leagues this season, including two with the Minnesota Twins and two since being acquired by the Diamondbacks.

Mulvey pitched three seasons for the Wildcats from 2004-06 and was a second round draft selection of the New York Mets in 2006. He is in his third full year in the pros and was recalled to the major leagues this summer for the first time after going 5-8 with a 3.93 ERA for Triple-A Rochester in the Twins system.

The last appearance for Mulvey prior to Saturday's start was last Sunday at Colorado, when he allowed one run on one hit in a two-inning relief outing. He walked three and struck out two while surrendering a solo home run that accounted for the lone score against him.

In his three years at Villanova, Mulvey pitched the eighth no-hitter in school history and logged 244.0 innings pitched with 222 strikeouts. The innings rank eighth in the Wildcat record books, while the strikeout total is the most in a three-year period in the history of the program. Mulvey is also tied for 11th place at Villanova with 14 career victories.

The Wildcats have had 55 former players reach the major leagues, with Mulvey and right-handed pitcher Brian Slocum the most recent. Slocum appeared in a total of 10 games and made two starts for the Cleveland Indians in 2006 and 2008.