Joe Saunders was pounded for seven runs -- six earned -- in 3 1/3 innings by the Cardinals on Monday. Saunders gave up three homers and nine hits overall, so it could have been even worse. Things balanced out tonight after a fluky first month that had seen him surrender just one homer in 36 1/3 innings. He gave up 29 homers in 212 innings last year.

Joe Saunders pitched brilliantly on Friday, shutting out the Marlins on just three base hits. Saunders struck out four and walked two in the impressive performance. He needed 116 pitches to get through the game, but was in control from the very beginning. Saunders was so dominant in this effort that no Marlin even reached second base. With the win, he improves to 2-1 on the season and sports a microscopic 0.90 ERA. While he's not likely to continue this level of dominance, you'd be wise to have him in your lineups next week when he take on the Nationals in Washington.

Joe Saunders pitched seven innings of one-run ball Monday in a victory over the Pirates. Saunders has something to prove after getting non-tendered and failing to land a multiyear deal over the winter. His peripherals are never very good, but he's starting this season with a 0.64 ERA. Of course, he's faced the game's two coldest offenses in San Diego and Pittsburgh.

Joe Saunders suffered a hard-luck no-decision Wednesday, as he tossed seven shutout innings on just four hits and two walks in a loss to the Padres. Saunders exited the game with a 1-0 lead, but setup man David Hernandez promptly served up a go-ahead homer to Chris Denorfia. The nice season debut for the left-hander is yet another example for why we don't need to put too much weight in spring stats, as Saunders was awful in Cactus League action. That said, regression from last year should certainly be expected. He'll face the Pirates next.

Joe Saunders lost again Friday after giving up four runs in four innings against the White Sox. Saunders' spring ERA dipped to 9.31 with the performance, which shows just how poorly he's pitched to date. Of course, Saunders ended last spring with a 12.46 ERA in six starts and still went on to have a solid season, so it's probably not something to be overly concerned about.

Joe Saunders yielded eight hits Saturday in a three-inning spring outing against the Rangers. The good news is Saunders' leg held up fine. The 30-year-old southpaw was struck on the left shin by a comebacker during his previous Cactus League start.

X-rays on Joe Saunders' left leg came back negative. Saunders left Monday's game after being hit in the left shin by a comebacker in the first inning. The southpaw was diagnosed with a deep bone bruise, but expects to make his next scheduled start.

Joe Saunders will be sent for precautionary X-rays after taking a line drive off his lower left leg during Monday's start against the Indians. Saunders was forced to leave his start Monday after facing just three batters. It doesn't appear to be a major injury, but the Diamondbacks are erring on the side of caution.

Diamondbacks signed LHP Joe Saunders to a one-year, $6 million contract. Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports first reported news of the agreement while Jon Heyman of CBS Sports passed along the contract information. Saunders reportedly turned down a two-year deal before being non-tendered in December, so this looks like a pretty bad miscalculation on his agent's part. The 30-year-old left-hander posted a 3.69 ERA with the NL West-winning Diamondbacks last season, but his batting average on balls in play and stand rate both indicate that he was the beneficiary of some good fortunate. Don't expect a repeat performance during his second full season in the desert.

According to Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports, the Diamondbacks and Joe Saunders have agreed to a one-year contract. Terms aren't yet available. Saunders was non-tendered by the D-Backs in December due to his $8-9 million projected salary via the arbitration process, but the club remained interested in bringing him back at a lesser salary. It sounds like they got their wish. The 30-year-old southpaw posted a 3.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 31 starts in 2011.