MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies run of success may be surprising to most baseball observers, but Craig Counsell isnt among that group.He showed us this last year, the Milwaukee Brewers manager said about Davies. Hes certainly shown that hes had this in him. What you love to see is just the consistency, a guy who you know youve got a good shot to win when hes taking the mound for you. Thats what hes becoming.Davies takes the mound Thursday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks in search of his team-leading eighth victory of the season. He has been marvelous for Milwaukee in 2016, going 7-4 with a 3.64 ERA.Those numbers would be even more impressive were it not for rough start. The 23-year-old right-hander took losses in each of his first three outings of the year, allowing 13 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings.Ever since then, he has been fantastic, going 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA while holding opponents to a .217 batting average.I think I know what Im capable of, Davies said. I know that if Im doing the right things and executing my pitches, good things are going to happen.Over his past three starts, he has allowed just three earned runs in 20 innings. He threw seven scoreless innings against the Reds in Cincinnati on July 17, then held the Chicago Cubs to one run in 6 1/3 innings on Saturday.His first (three) starts since the break have been absolutely outstanding, Counsell said. Hes been really good. Again, its off of four pitches. Him and (catcher Jonathan Lucroy) are really in sync, and theyve really kind of got hitters on the defense and not knowing what to look for. Hes doing a nice job making pitches.Davies will go up against a Diamondbacks offense has sputtered all season yet broke out Wednesday night, riding two home runs from Yasmany Tomas to an 8-1 victory over the Brewers.Left-hander Robbie Ray will get the start for Arizona. He is 1-4 with a 4.72 ERA in his past six starts. While he did strike out a career-best 10 batters his last time out, he allowed three unearned runs in the first inning and a three-run home run to Jay Bruce in the third as Arizona went on to lose 6-1 at Cincinnati on Saturday.It was just my fastball command, Ray said afterward. Its something thats always been really good for me. I worked both sides of the plate with it tonight. I was able to keep them off balance with my curveball and my slider.Counsell wouldnt say whether or not Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar would be back in the starting lineup Thursday. Villar is enjoying a great season at the plate, batting .297 on the year, but while he is tied for the major league lead with 36 stolen bases, he also has made some horribly-timed mistakes on the base paths. On Wednesday, he was caught trying to swipe third after a leadoff double.That gaffe, along with a pair of first-inning errors, led Counsell to pull Villar midgame.I think weve given him freedom, Counsell said. 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Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Revis Island has become a popular destination.Ignoring Richard Sherman, Josh Norman, Patrick Peterson and Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. is a thing of the past.Opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators no longer are sacrificing the portion of the field patrolled by star cornerbacks. And were not only talking about teams with outstanding receivers such as the Falcons (Julio Jones), Bengals (A.J. Green) and Giants (Odell Beckham Jr.).Just about everyone is willing to attack the shutdown guys these days, though in a limited capacity.There are only certain routes you are going to throw against these guys, says former standout defensive back Herm Edwards, who also was a successful coach before heading to the ESPN studios. Sometimes you get the matchup of the best receivers on a guy you cant stay away from, the No 1 guy. You cant ignore that side (of the field) all day long.The rules of the game really have given the offense an advantage, especially with pass interference. Now, with the back-shoulder throw that has become a staple of the passing game, you have something to use against them. If they play a lot of bump-and-run coverage, and you go at these guys, you can attack them in a technique they might be vulnerable at.But you have to find certain situations and plays where there are opportunities. Youre not going to make a steady diet of it.Although the rock-star CBs certainly want you to come their way.I welcome it. I welcome every challenge, says Norman, 2015 All-Pro who has struggled with penalties and has been kept plenty busy this season, his first with Washington. If you throw the ball (at me) youre only feeding the beast. I enjoy those challenges because I get excited. Im playing the game. Sitting over there and not playing the game is boring. I dont like it. ... Not throwing the ball, Ive got to find something else to do.No boredom this year. According to Football Outsiders, which tracks how often defenders are targeted -- although the numbers cant fully account for zone defenses or for passes behind the line of scrimmage -- Norman has been targeted 42 times in eight games. Revis, once the measuring stick for cornerbacks but clearly on the decline now, has been thrown at 33 times in eight games. For Sherman, its 39, and for the Denver pair: 39 for Harris, 36 for Talib.Tennessee CB Jason McCourty has been challenged the most, 50 times.Against the Broncos, its pretty much impossible to avoid testing Harris or Talib, unless teams want to simply throw to the backs and ttight ends all day.dddddddddddd Does anyone think the Raiders this Sunday will shut down Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree in their aerial games so they can avoid Harris and Talib?One strategy, relatively but not entirely new in the NFL that teams employ to throw off cornerbacks is the back-shoulder throw. Edwards says that has become a dynamic weapon when performed accurately.It used to be that the hardest thing to cover was underthrown balls, Edwards explains. Then coaches began to think, So why not start throwing back-shoulder fades? When the quarterback and the receiver have that chemistry going, this is that option cant be stopped.Edwards notes that the best cornerbacks also can move inside to cover a slot receiver, which is especially useful when Beckham or Larry Fitzgerald lines up in that spot. So an offense cant necessarily get away from a Sherman or Harris by moving around a Green or a Jones.But its a different world inside, even for the top coverage guys.In Tampa, we had Ronde Barber, says Edwards, an assistant with the Bucs under Tony Dungy. I told him, Were going to train you as a nickel guy, which is the most difficult position for a guy used to being outside to play. Youve got to be a really good tackler; you become a linebacker in a sense in the run game. You not only play man to man but also play zone and have to be able to blitz. If all you ever play with a cornerback in there is man to man, it is a disadvantage.Remember, a receiver can motion wherever, run wherever he wants to on the field, you cant get your hands on the guy and there is a lot of room. When you are a corner, you are playing to the boundary, which is your friend.Edwards points to Charles Woodson and Ronnie Lott as two greats who made the transition from cornerback to safety, something he could see 10-year veteran Revis doing at some point.For now, Revis, who has allowed 12.4 yards per completion, second-highest in the NFL behind Buffalos Stephon Gilmores 12.5, is staying put. So are Sherman, Norman, et al.Talib would have it no other way.Ive been in the league for nine years, he says. Its nothing new, Ive been getting interceptions and I still get balls thrown at me. Thats just the NFL.---AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Josh Dubow and Stephen Whyno contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '