Take out one horrible outing which killed his ERA, and Backe has been quite good this year:
25.1 IP / 24 H / 11 ER / 5 BB / 25 K
That includes what he's done tonight: 7-6-3-1-8
A lot of people will see a 5.64 ERA and get scared, but Backe has been a lot better than that, and the Ks are a plus.