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Diamondbacks hope to get by without Johnson

May 25, 2007 - 2:36 PM Houston (21-26) at Arizona (26-23) 9:40 pm EDT

PHOENIX (Ticker) - After getting a great start from one of their young stars, the Arizona Diamondbacks will have to go without Randy Johnson.

The Diamondbacks will look to overcome the absence of Johnson when they meet the Houston Astros in the second game of a four-games series on Friday.

In the series opener, rookie Micah Owings picked up his first career complete game and struck out a season-high eight batters as Arizona cruised to a 9-1 victory on Thursday.

Eric Byrnes had three hits and Stephen Drew drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks, who scored more than three runs for just the fifth time in 11 games.

Now Arizona will turn to Edgar Gonzalez (1-2, 4.81 ERA), who comes out of the bullpen to take the ball in place of the five-time Cy Young Award winner Johnson, who will sit out due to tendinitis in his forearm.

Gonzalez is 1-2 with a 4.45 ERA in five starts this season.

The Astros has dropped five straight games and seven of their last eight.

Houston hopes veteran Woody Williams (1-6, 5.52 ERA) can stop the bleeding. In his last outing, the righthander gave up five runs in four innings in a 14-1 setback to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Williams, who has a 7.36 ERA in his last two starts, is 8-7 through 21 starts against the Diamondbacks.