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Johnson faces Moyer again in battle of aging lefties

May 30, 2007 - 3:48 PM Arizona (31-23) at Philadelphia (26-26) 7:05 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- When Randy Johnson takes the mound these days, rare is it that he can be opposed by someone with more experience. For the second time this month, however, he will be doing just that.

Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks will go for the three-game series sweep on Wednesday as they meet the Philadelphia Phillies and fellow veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer.

With 41 combined years of pitching excellence between them, Johnson and Moyer are still looking good after all these years. The pair met up on May 9 in a game that marked a league record for the oldest matchup of lefthanders, a Phillies' 9-3 triumph.

Johnson (2-2, 4.54 ERA) has made two starts since then - both wins - but missed his last scheduled outing with forearm tendinitis. He has struck out at least nine hitters in each of his last three outings, starting with his first meeting against Moyer, a former teammate in Seattle.

The 10-time All-Star has made 17 lifetime starts against the Phillies, going 8-3 with a 2.57 ERA. He struck out a season-high 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings in his last start on May 20 against Pittsburgh, allowing two hits and seven runs in a 5-2 victory.

Moyer (5-3, 4.18) has alternated wins and losses over his last five decisions for Philadelphia, which is looking to snap a two-game slide and avoid getting swept for the first time since their season-opening series against Atlanta.

The 44-year-old yielded three runs - two earned - and five hits over seven innings in the Phillies' 8-3 win over the Braves on Friday. The lefthander is 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two career meetings against Arizona.