Doug Davis sat at a table in the D-backs' locker room on Thursday afternoon with a notebook open where he scribbled notes while looking up scouting information on his computer.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was just preparing for a normal start.

And while Davis might want you to believe that, the fact is his start on Friday against the Braves at Turner Field will be noteworthy because it will be his first since undergoing cancer surgery on April 10.

"I feel like it's just going to be another start," Davis said. "I'm just going to do what I normally do before a start, I'm going to come up with a plan and then try to execute it, that's it."

In late March, Davis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, an extremely cureable form of the disease. Still, the news stunned him and his teammates. The veteran left-hander talked the D-backs into letting him make his first two starts of the year while he awaited surgery.

When he took the mound April 8 against the Dodgers, just two days before his surgery, the emotion at Chase Field was palpable. For Davis, that start was far more emotional than he expects Friday's to be.

"Because there was no timetable for me to come back," Davis said. "I mean, I had my own timetable, but there was no certain timetable for me coming back so it was a little tough to keep my emotions under control."

Davis has made two Minor League rehab starts and has not shown the signs of fatigue that doctors warned he could experience after having the cancerous thyroid removed.

"I've had two rehab starts, I know it wasn't in front of 50,000 fans, but still," Davis said, explaining why Friday's game won't be that big of a deal to him. "It's just going to be another start."

Davis' mere presence in the clubhouse since the surgery has been a lift to his teammates, D-backs manager Bob Melvin said.

Davis surely doesn't mind being a positive influence in the clubhouse, but he'd rather the focus be on his performance on the mound and not what he's been through over the past month and a half.

"I just want things to be back to where they were last year," he said. "Where I'm just Doug Davis making a start."

That may happen, but not on Friday.

Pitching matchup
ARI: LHP Doug Davis (1-1, 3.72 ERA)
Davis allowed two runs on six hits over six innings in his start against the Dodgers on April 8. He was able to continue to play catch after his surgery and said he never went more than three days without throwing during his recovery.

ATL: LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (2-1, 4.12 ERA)
In his last start against the A's, Reyes allowed two runs on eight hits over five innings. His one career start against the D-backs did not go well as he allowed seven runs in four innings.

Tidbits
The D-backs have played well at home this year, winning 19 of their 27 games at Chase Field, but the road has not been as friendly. It's something that Melvin finds perplexing. "The one I'm having trouble with is the home and road one," he said. ... Registration is now being accepted for nearly 80 Arizona Diamondbacks Training Centers summer baseball and fast-pitch softball camps. The summer schedule will feature camps in 40 cities statewide, 18 fast-pitch softball camps and five advanced camps, three of which will be located at Major League Spring Training facilities.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
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On television
• FSN

On radio
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Up next
• Saturday: Diamondbacks (Randy Johnson, 4-1, 4.42) at Braves (Jorge Campillo, 1-0, 0.99), 12:55 p.m. MST
• Sunday: Diamondbacks (Micah Owings, 5-2, 3.81) at Braves (Tom Glavine, 2-1, 3.98), 10:30 a.m. MST
• Monday: Diamondbacks (Brandon Webb, 9-1, 2.69) at Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 5-3, 2.64), 10:00 a.m. MST