SB Nation User Blog: snakecharmer

Diamondbacks Pick Up 2010 Option on Brandon Webb

snakecharmer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:47:45 -0000

Webb will return to the mound at Chase Field in 2010 as a Diamondback.

As predicted by 5 out of 5 Snake Pit moderators, the Diamondbacks have indeed picked up Brandon Webb's option for the 2010 season! This comes via the FoxSportsArizona twitter feed, and should be confirmed by an actual story soon. [Update: Now confirmed on the AP wire, which adds, "General manager Josh Byrnes says Webb has recovered well from an Aug. 4 arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder."]

Brandon Webb missed nearly all of the 2009 season due to shoulder injury and surgery, making this decision a tough one for the front office. He is due to make $8.5 million next season, the final year of his contract. The Diamondbacks could have bought him out for $2 million, and had until 5 days after the World Series to decide.

Welcome back, Webb!!

Just a quick note or two to add - I'll talk more about it in tomorrow's weekly recap. I liked Nick Piecoro's way of describing it: "The worst-case scenario of exercising it was way better than the worst-case scenario of declining it. Same with the best-case scenario. They might not feel 100 percent confident that he’ll return to form, but it’s a risk that’s worth taking." And speaking of risk, here's a quote from Josh Byrnes that expands a bit on the team's reasoning

There's risk in everything. With the last three months I think some of the risk has been reduced because the surgery went well and Webby's really responded well. I think there's a lot of reward. I mean, you're talking about one of the best pitchers in baseball, so as we made that decision, in our mind, the reward was greater than the risk

The Good, The Bad, and The Hopeful - A 2009 Retrospective, Part 2

snakecharmer — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:48:10 -0000

I was very fortunate last week in San Francisco to get a chance to talk with Fox Sports and Diamondbacks television broadcaster Daron Sutton. I emailed some of the same questions to KTAR radio broadcaster Greg Schulte and MLB.com beat writer Steve Gilbert. This is Part 2 of my review of the season from the eyes of these members of the press. Part 1 of my 2009 retrospective with Daron Sutton and Greg Schulte began in Spring Training. The Diamondbacks got off to a difficult start to the season and would never fully turn their season around. Brandon Webb's injury, Chris Young's season-long slump, and 120 8th-inning runs allowed were some of the many disappointments. Daron Sutton discussed the great communication gap between new manager A.J. Hinch and the players, and Steve Gilbert pointed out that many of the players were less thrilled with the replacement, which got in the way of their performance.

But the Diamondbacks’ 2009 season was not all for naught. 2009 saw the emergence of a lot of rookies, guys who were further down on the depth charts to start the year, yet have shown they are here to stay. "I remember Matt Williams approaching me in Spring Training," Daron Sutton retold, "saying, boy, this guy could be and should be some day a center fielder every day for the Diamondbacks. Matt turned out to be really prophetic. To be in the top two or three all year long in RBI when you get here in May, I think he’s the one guy that jumps out to me." Greg Schulte agrees. "[Parra’s] rookie numbers were impressive, among the best in the National League. He should receive Rookie of the Year votes. And Ryan Roberts made the club out of Spring Training and put together a good rookie year."

Schulte also praises the bullpen’s potential for next year. "Rookie relievers Juan Gutierrez and Esmerling Vasquez both had bright moments in their first seasons in the majors. Both were starters in the minors and made nice transitions as relievers. Rookie lefties Clay Zavada and Daniel Schlereth both had their moments. Schlereth showed a glimmer of what he can become with a particular September outing against the Rockies (two innings, 16 pitches, 14 strikes). There are some good young arms in the pen." Gilbert added that Zavada was a real pleasure to watch. “It was great to see the joy that Clay Zavada brought to the ballpark each and every day. He’s a guy that is grateful for every day he’s in the big leagues and he pitches with no fear.”

Some "veterans" had good seasons this year too, Schulte pointed out. "Catcher Miguel Montero excelled offensively when given a chance to play every day and provided offensive firepower as a middle-of-the-order guy. Justin Upton hit over .300 much of the season. Dan Haren was a 14-game winner, but would have won more with a little more run support, and Chad Qualls handled the closer role well." Gilbert echoed the praises of Miguel Montero. "How can you not like Miguel Montero? He is always smiling and to see him finally break through at the big league level was pretty cool."

Sutton said one of the more positive big-picture things for him this season was the power of Mark Reynolds. He chased Albert Pujols for the home run title through the dog days of summer, and he did it off the aces of the league. "From kicking Zach Greinke’s tail to Felix Hernandez, your 1-and-2 American League Cy Young candidates, he took them out of the yard." According to Hit Tracker Online, Reynolds also had some of the longest home runs of the year, and had the longest average distance of any player. Sutton also mentioned some specific games. "My favorite game was the 18-inning game in San Diego. I loved who they were about, I loved that a lot of the "bullpen scrubs" were given the opportunity and pitched 9 no-hit innings, I loved what that game was all about. I liked Dan Haren’s start heading into the All-Star Game when he was trying to determine if he was going to be the starter. He threw a complete game shutout, something that he rarely does. So those are two that really jump out at me as special victories."

As special as those victories were, they were few and far between. The Diamondbacks ended the 2009 campaign with 70 victories, last in the NL West and third-last in the National League as a whole. There is a lot of work to be done this off-season. The three needs that everyone mentioned are the starting rotation, the bullpen, and the offense. "If Brandon Webb is healthy, if they know enough, they have to pick up his option. That’s #1," says Sutton. "If they can get from May to the end of the season out of him, that’s #1." Gilbert agrees that the rotation is a priority. "They need to add another starter that can fill the No. 3 or 4 spot in the rotation. If you've got Buckner, Mulvey, Augenstein, Valdez, Petit, etc. competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation next spring, I think you’re in good shape. But if you’ve got those guys competing for two spots, then it gets a little dicey." The bullpen also needs a lot of work. Says Sutton, "They really need a veteran relief presence down there. I look and I see San Francisco, who hung in it longer than many thought, and a big part of it to me is Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt. Those guys down there – and it costs money, now I’m spending my team’s money – but those guys and the presence they provided, I think a guy or two like that is just so important for the bullpen to shore everything up. And then this club needs to figure out who their second baseman is. Is it Ryan Roberts? Are they going to go make a bold and dramatic trade? Maybe go get a JJ Hardy from Milwaukee? I’m not sitting here saying it shouldn’t be Ryan Roberts, but I don’t know that yet. If there’s a better option, then they need to find what that is."

Sutton, Schulte and Gilbert all point out the other major performance gaffe that needs to improve – defense. "There were way too many errors during 2009, especially in the outfield," said Schulte. "The Diamondbacks gave up way too many unearned runs." Diamondbacks pitchers officially allowed 66 unearned runs, but that doesn’t account for runs and base runners due to overall poor play. “Whether it’s an actual error, or throwing to the wrong base or a mental mistake, there were just too many of them and it really cost them this year,” said Gilbert. Sutton added, "I think just execution of everything is a big part of it. I need to see defensively, Justin more accountable, and Miguel Montero, I need more out of him defensively. Those are two guys that could really help you."

At the end of the season, yes, everybody is disappointed with the outcome of 2009. The Diamondbacks players have a lot they need to work on, and the front office has quite a few holes to fill and decisions to make. But many times this year, there were glimpses of their true capabilities and glimmers of what the future might hold for Diamondbacks fans. If this team can look in the mirror and play up to its potential, the sky’s the limit.

Many thanks for those who helped make this article possible. Thank you to Daron Sutton for sitting down for a second interview with the Snakepit. My MityMic worked out perfectly for recording our chat. It was a pleasure talking baseball with you, sir! Thank you to Greg Schulte and Steve Gilbert for answering my questions via email. Many thanks to my contact who arranged the sit-down with Daron. He very kindly went out of his job description to do so! And of course thanks to Jim for letting me seek these interviews on behalf of the Snakepit.

The Good, The Bad, and The Hopeful - A 2009 Retrospective, Part 1

snakecharmer — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:34:32 -0000

As fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2009 was – overall – a miserable year. After a disappointing end to 2008, we all had hopes going into Opening Day that this year’s team would do better – it had to do better. The core of the team had returned, the new additions looked promising, and we could only hope that the young players would improve in their second or third years. Unfortunately, it became clear early on that this year’s Arizona Diamondbacks were in for a long and arduous season. The Diamondbacks didn’t win their 10th game until May 1st, and they would never climb out of the hole they had dug for themselves.

In the grand scheme of things, we fans are very lucky. We’re not out on that field struggling, we’re not spending our money trying to improve the team, and we can turn off the television or radio if we so choose. But the press corps that covers the Diamondbacks day in and day out has no such sanctuary. Daron Sutton and Greg Schulte are there for every minute of every game, describing every play, good or bad, for their viewers. Steve Gilbert and Nick Piecoro not only write about every win or loss, but they also go down to the trenches and talk to reluctant players, trying to squeeze out something new and interesting to pass along to the rest of us. They see everything, more than they’re ever able to tell. How do they really feel about the Diamondbacks’ performance this season?

I was very fortunate last week in San Francisco to get a chance to talk with Fox Sports and Diamondbacks television broadcaster Daron Sutton. I emailed some of the same questions to KTAR radio broadcaster Greg Schulte and Arizona Republic beat writer Nick Piecoro for their thoughts as well. (Note: as of this publication, I had not heard back from Piecoro; I hope he will respond in time for Part 2 tomorrow.) What follows is a review of the season from the eyes of these members of the press. This is Part 1 of 2, so be sure to check back tomorrow the remaining half of this story.

Every story has a beginning, and this one starts back in Spring Training. Coming off the 2008 season that saw Arizona lead the NL West for 136 game days – that last of those on September 5th – the Diamondbacks had work to do in Spring. Gone were Gold Glove second basemen Orlando Hudson, soon-to-be-300-game-winner Randy Johnson, closer Brandon Lyon, and bullpen stalwarts Juan Cruz and Brandon Medders. Jon Rauch, Tony Peña and Chad Qualls were expected to play more important roles in the bullpen, helped along by super-veterans Scott Schoeneweis and Tom Gordon. Felipe Lopez was signed to replace Hudson at second, and the combination of free agent Jon Garland and home-grown rookie Max Scherzer rounded out the starting rotation. It was the hope that the return of Eric Byrnes from injury and the continued development of Arizona’s young core would bring the offense back to life.

But even in Spring Training, the bullpen remained a concern. "I think what we all said collectively we were most concerned about heading into the regular season, was the fact that the bullpen wasn’t as shored up as it should be," said Diamondbacks television broadcaster Daron Sutton. Radio broadcaster Greg Schulte pointed out that the bullpen roles were well known. "Chad Qualls moved into the closer’s role, with Tony Pena becoming the setup man, and Jon Rauch moving into the 7th inning role." Even discounting the struggles of Scott Schoeneweiss and the complete non-factor of Tom Gordon, "There was enough experience in the pen to make it solid," Schulte said.

But it never materialized. Brandon Webb’s injury on Opening Day threw an immediate wrench into the pitching staff. Yusmeiro Petit became Webb’s replacement, but Webb’s departure deprived the team of "anywhere from 16 to 24 wins for the season," Sutton pointed out. Tom Gordon’s injuries and Schoeneweis’s off-field tragedy led to the call-ups of rookies such as Clay Zavada and Esmerling Vasquez. Jon Rauch amassed an ERA over 7 over the first two months of the season, and Tony Peña struggled in June and was gone by the All-Star break.

The other piece of the puzzle that was missing early on in the season, and also never really materialized, was the offense. Said Schulte: "After a strong April in '08, the offense fell off considerably, and the Diamondbacks were looking to rebound with the growth of their young hitters." Justin Upton started off the year in one of the most horrendous slumps imaginable. It took eight games to get his first hit, and 18 games until his batting average raised to over .200. Everyone was screaming for his return to the minor leagues, but once he reached that .300 plateau on May 10th, he never looked back. Chris Young, however, was not so fortunate. After falling below .200 on April 30th, he hardly looked up. Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, and Eric Byrnes all hovered around the .200 line until at least June, but at least Jackson’s problems were (eventually) blamed on Valley Fever.

When asked about underperforming players, Sutton specifically mentioned Drew and Young. "The guy that I expected more from this year was Stephen Drew. I think he spoiled us last year – or did he? If I say he spoiled us, then this is the kind of player he’s supposed to be, this year. I hope he’s better than that." The same goes for Chris Young. "He’s had what he would say was a horrible season. Let’s hope that he is not that player because that’s not good enough. Hitting .230 in the big leagues every day, that’s not good enough. The days of the Gary Pettises in the outfield are long gone. You have to be able to contribute offensively."

On May 7th, the Diamondbacks lost a 1-run game in the 10th inning to San Diego. They came home from a 3-5 road trip sitting 8 ½ games out of first place with a new manager, a new hitting coach and a new pitching coach. Daron Sutton described the hard times. "I learned that when a manager gets fired, it’s really tough on everyone. I’ve never seen a distance, a communication gap, like I saw with the new manager and the current players. It was uncomfortable. The few days of struggles, I understand. We all have people that – they take care of us, now they’re gone, what’s going to happen? What followed for a few weeks after lays at the feet of those players, and only those players." It was a bold and dramatic move, one that the front office had hoped would spark some improvement. Three weeks later, the NL West rival Colorado Rockies did the same thing – and they turned it around. The Rockies were 14 games back when Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle, and Tracy nearly led them to the division title. When asked about the comparison, Sutton said, "Jim Tracy had better and healthier players, and there’s just no doubt about it that they’re having better seasons. Simply put, Troy Tulowitzki this year is much better than Stephen Drew, and their outfield combination of Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez is better than Eric Byrnes/Conor Jackson/Chris Young."

With the Dodgers off to a scalding hot start – they ran an 8- and 7-game winning streak against NL West opponents in April and May – and with the Diamondbacks’ early struggles, it was clear that the team wasn’t going to be contending for the division title. But was there any point at which the team knew that this wasn’t going to be their year? A point at which all post-season hopes went out the window and they just start playing for next year? "I don’t know if there is ever a time when a roster collectively has a meeting and says, all right, we give up," says Sutton, and it would never appear publicly that any team would actually do that. But to him, it seemed like the team reached that point in early June. "The team was almost embarrassing at times in May and June. The worst game of the year for me was the Angels game (on June 28th). It was the worst inning in the worst game of the year. That inning with those errors (5 runs on 3 hits and 3 Diamondback errors in the Angels’ 5th inning) and the dropped balls... that day certainly looked like they had [given up]."

Tune in tomorrow for the second half of this story - the "hopeful" half!

Gameday Thread #160 - 10/2 vs Cubs

snakecharmer — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:32:09 -0000

Billy Buckner
RHP, 3-6, 6.58

Tom Gorzelanny
LHP, 7-2, 4.70

Games till the end of the season: 3

Surprise! Good morning, everybody, and guess what, there's a day game, and the Diamondbacks managed to score 3 runs while nobody noticed.

This is the beginning of the end for these 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks, as they end the season on the road against Chicago. As mentioned yesterday, they have to take 2 of 3 to get to 70 wins this season. Not much to say at this point - let's just hope the team ends the season on a high note.

Superheros, Animals, and Strange Things With Legs - AKA Rookie Hazing Photos!

snakecharmer — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:53:01 -0000

There were a few things I was very fortunate to be able to do at the three Diamondbacks/Giants games this week. (Aside from find really great seats at not-horribly-marked-up prices!) One of those fun things was, I found out from a Diamondback player that Rookie Hazing was going to be on Thursday!!! When this was confirmed by two other sources, I made plans to come to Thursday's game. Aside from the pitching match-up and the nice seats I saw available, which was tempting enough originally, this sealed it for me.

Details and photos behind the jump.

Before today's game, I checked with someone in the organization that they would indeed be putting the costumes on here, and not on the plane, which they did. This person said I could take photos. I mentioned it to someone else - I originally just wanted the photos for me, because I'd never seen any of the rookie hazings in person and I really wanted to - and asked this other person what they thought about my posting them online. They said I should go for it, and I agree, since the purpose of dressing them up like this (and dropping them off 3 blocks from the Chicago hotel and making them walk!) is public humiliation! :)

Some of them didn't want photos at all, some players kept walking too fast for my camera, and three people were kind enough to pose for me. Those are the only 3 I'm going to post here, mainly because those were the 3 that came out the clearest. :) But in case anyone's curious, I did have permission to take the photos. I hope some people in Chicago (or even outside the bus in San Fran) were able to get some photos too!

Ryan Roberts as a biker... dude? Chick? Not much of a stretch for him! ;) He was supposed to also have a mustache, he claimed it kept falling off! I was surprised to see Roberts dressed up, I guess he hadn't accrued enough time his during previous big-league stints to not be a rookie any more.

Gerardo Parra as a giant taco. I'm sure this would've terrified Mark Grace had he been around, but he wasn't. Parra was the one who voluntarily stopped and posed for me. Behind him is Max Scherzer as Wolverine.

Trent Oeltjen as a highway patrolman with super-short short-shorts!! That must've made for one uncomfortable flight! ;)

Other costumes I saw were a superhero with a cape (Romero), a giant baby (Ryal, I think), a giant toy duck, Zavada was something I really can't tell even from the photo (a giant red jumpsuit), Schlereth was a... well, "foul" shaped item, and others were Batman, a Spartan, a sailor (Gutierrez), a typical drag woman (Vasquez perhaps), and a prisoner (Allen, I think). There were a few others but I don't remember.

Sorry, boys! You know I love you all so very much but the purpose of costumes is humiliation. I appreciate my contacts for letting me take the photos and I hope I didn't violate anybody's trust and friendship. The photos are usually posted eventually, often by real newspaper outlets (like 2007) - this time it just happens to be by me. And I think they're quite funny. ;) Good job to you who picked them out!! P.S. The Giants rookies underwent the same humiliation today as they headed to San Diego. I wonder if the instigators went shopping together?

Diamondbacks 3, Giants 7 - Lincecum Overmatches Diamondbacks For Giants Sweep

snakecharmer — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:29:06 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Miguel Montero tells Andres Torres, "Hey kid, my home run went into the cove, so scat!"

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Record: 68-91. Pace: 69-93. Change on last season: -11

"If this series was a sick pet, it would have been euthanized already." Thus spoke piratedan7 in the Gameday Thread this afternoon, and it's hard to argue with that assessment - the Fox Sports Arizona decision not to televise this must've felt more like an act of charitable relief than any kind of punishment. Since I was probably one of the few SnakePitters who could see the game - since I was, well, at the game - I emailed Jim and offered to recap this one. (Thanks for starting it!) Of course, I think I offered in the 3rd or 4th inning, when the score was still somewhat decent!

Dan Haren finished the season on a down note, as he was tagged with five runs for his third consecutive start. Meanwhile Tim Lincecum took a one-hitter into the eighth inning, and only a late flurry by Arizona against the Giants bullpen made the score semi-respectable. However, they couldn't prevent the sweep and the Diamondbacks head to Chicago needing to take two of there three to reach the 70-win plateau.

Discussion of poor defense, few base runners, and missed opportunities to follow. Or, business as usual for your 2009 Diamondbacks. (Now with photos from the game.)

The last marquee matchup of the season did not live up to its billing. Well, not by Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren. Haren kept the Giants scoreless through the first three innings, but was quite rattled in the 4th. Two singles and a throwing error by Justin Upton led to the first run of the inning. Pablo Sandoval should have had just a double to right, but the 'JUpzooka' canon arm in right field threw over the head of Mark Reynolds at 3rd base and the ball went into the dugout, allowing Andres Torres to score. Bengie Molina then doubled to score Sandoval, and Rich Aurilia's ground ball to second was too slow to turn the double play, scoring Molina for run number 3 of the inning.

In between some of these scores, there was the minor issue of both our pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and manager A.J. Hinch getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Haren was incredibly frustrated with the strike zone all day (he had previously 'discussed' it with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in his own at-bat) and had just about had it during Aurilia's at-bat. He gestured in the direction of the Giants' dugout - seemingly saying "That was a strike for them" - and Stottlemyre came out to help calm Haren down. Stottlemyre argued enough about the zone to get tossed, and Hinch followed suit a few minutes later.

The infielders come in to settle down Haren

Stottlemyer was ejected

So was Hinch

Haren stayed in the game and pitched 6 full innings, but he gave up two more runs in the next two innings. Andres Torres's home run to right looked like it was high off the foul pole (fair pole!), and some small ball drove in the fifth run for the Giants (Randy Winn) in the 6th inning. Honestly, Haren wasn't that bad, he just also wasn't that good. There were a lot of breaks that went the Giants' way. Ground balls were just out of the reach of diving infielders, fly balls fell in just in front of the outfielders, and line drives were just barely fair. Haren's line for the day: 6 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks. I know Haren's very disappointed in how he ended his season, and he seems like he's a little closer to solving his second-half-slump issues. It's always fun to see Haren pitch.

Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum was dealing today. Yes, he seemed to get the benefit of a few calls, but I couldn't really tell much about the strikezone from my seats. He kept the hitters off-balance all afternoon, allowing only 1 hit (to Chad Tracy) through his first 7 innings. Lincecum had broken up his perfect game on his own in the 5th, hitting Chris Young in the head with a breaking ball that didn't break (Young was checked out and stayed in the game) and walking Miguel Montero. But Mark Reynolds struck out (twice on the day - 215 for the year now) and the Diamondbacks wouldn't get another base runner until the 8th.

Tim Lincecum started the 8th inning, but it was clear he was gassed. He allowed a single to Gerardo Parra, then his 100th pitch was Ball 4 to Chad Tracy. Augie Ojeda singled off of reliever Bob Howry to load the bases with no outs - what could possibly go wrong?? Well, Eric Byrnes pinch hit for Leo Rosales, so what do you think happened?? If you guessed "Popped out to catcher," you would be 100% correct. (But it wasn't very hard to guess, so it's not like you get props for that one.)

Eric Byrnes, up with the bases loaded

He pops out to catcher, per usual

I was a little worried when Dan Runzler came in, because this kid is a flamethrower, but Stephen Drew smacked a single to left and Justin Upton followed with one up the middle to score the 3 original base runners.

The three runs would have made the score a respectable 5 to 3 except San Francisco had scored 2 more runs in the 7th off of Leo Rosales. The Diamondbacks went down pretty quietly against Randy Johnson in the 9th, and just like that, the game was over, and the Giants won 7 to 3. The Giants took the season series 13-5 over the Diamondbacks, and won 7 of those here at AT&T Park, 5 of which I was present for. I think they like to torture me.

Master of his Domain: Nobody had anything positive over 1%
God-Emperor of Suck: Dan Haren (pitching) -16.5%, Augie Ojeda -5.5%

No TV made for a very quiet gameday thread (which stayed relatively on-topic until somebody brought up football). Jim lead the way with 47 comments, 'Skins in second with 41. All present were: piratedan7, Jim McLennan, Azreous, txzona, victor frankenstein, SaveUsY2J, older fart, Wailord, DbacksSkins, jazzbo13, katers, Sprankton, and kishi.

More photos from today's game on flickr

Keep an eye out for some extra special photos later on!

Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 1 - Aces Wild, Jacks Go Long

snakecharmer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:57:22 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts nearly collided on a simple pop-up at second base. It was that kind of day.

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While many of the local SnakePitters gathered at Chez Soco for the Second Annual Socofest, the rest of us... had to watch the Diamondbacks lose. Again. At least they all got to hang out with each other, the rest of us just had to suffer on our own.

The game featured a pair of aces, Dan Haren against Ubaldo Jimenez, and both lived up to their hype through the first 6 innings. Jimenez's fastball was wildly effective, and Haren was working the slider for 7 strikeouts. But Haren couldn't hold a tenuous 1-0 lead, and the Rockies came from behind to win the game and the weekend series. (And no, there's nobody named Jack on either team, but I wanted the card theme, so Jason Giambi's nickname is now Jack.)

More details after the jump.

After winning with free tacos on Friday and failing in spectacular fashion last night, the Diamondbacks sent ace Dan Haren to the mound for the rubber match. Haren was solid, retiring the first 12 Rockies he faced and facing the minimum through 5 innings (courtesy of a double-play ball induced by Joe Garagiola Sr. talking about double plays in the booth). He struck out the side in the 2nd inning on his way to 7 Ks on the night. It was looking like vintage Dan Haren!

Unfortunately, it was also looking like vintage lack-of-offense from the Diamondbacks. They had opportunities to score early - two men on in the 1st and 2nd - but the only run was driven in by Dan Haren, scoring Gerardo Parra who had lead off the inning with a single. That was it for any sort of interesting game action for the next hour or so, as Jimenez settled down and both teams pretty much went down in order.

The action picked up again in the Colorado half of the 7th inning, right after NASCARburnet said: "This is a great game today." On cue, Stephen Drew booted a ball (that may have been a single anyway) and rushed to Brandon Allen who couldn't come up with the throw, and Toolo ended up at second base to start the inning. It looked like we might catch a break when the Toolo stopped at third later on, in deference to Parra's strong arm in left. This kept the double play intact, but Yorvit Torrealba tied the game with a single. Colorado took the lead on another single by Ian Stewart and a third run scored on a suicide squeeze by Clint Barmes (who was eventually thrown out at first, after he just stood at home plate for like 2 minutes). The Rockies would add two more runs in the 8th off of a Jason Giambi monster home run to right. Haren's final line - 8 innings, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.

The Diamondbacks "threatened" in the bottom half of the 7th with runners on the corners and two out, but Drew's little flare to right was caught. Mercifully, Daniel Cabrera pitched a scoreless inning (though allowed two hits) and the team went down in order in the 8th and 9th innings. Thus endeth the game and the season series with the Colorado Rockies.

Everybody is their own Emperor of Suck today. Prepare for the rebellion.
Dan Haren (batting) was the only player above 1%.
Yes, really.

When Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton both go 0 for 4, you know it isn't going to be a high scoring game. Chris Young and Miguel Montero both went 0 for 3 as well. In fact, the only hit from the top half of the lineup was a Stephen Drew single in the 1st inning.

Pretty quiet gameday thread today, with fewer than 400 comments. Most people's focus seemed to be elsewhere. (The partygoers - each other. Me - my code.) NASCAR led the way with 64 posts, and kishi and 'Skins both topping 50. All present: soco, edbigghead, snakecharmer, Jim McLennan, AJforAZ, NASCARbernet, katers, kishi, piratedan7, DbacksSkins, 4 Corners Fan, hotclaws, Giannaros, mrssoco, emilylovesthedbacks, victor frankenstein, Wailord, and jazzbo13. We should also probably add Azreous, luckycc, mrskishi, Mrs. SnakePit, and Mr. edbigghead since they were all present at SocoFest.

Only 12 more games till the end of the season, 6 home and 6 away. Rockies fans now become Diamondbacks fans as the San Francisco Giants come to town for 3 games, and then the Padres. Let's see if we can't dash San Francisco's playoff hopes this week!

Fake Umpires Tour MLB Ballparks

snakecharmer — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:14:10 -0000

Fake Umpires Tour MLB Ballparks

I hadn't heard about these guys before my friend pointed out they were in Oakland tonight! I wasn't watching but I saw them on the post-game show. It's really funny!

These two Canadians are popping around various MLB ballparks, sitting in the seats behind home plate and mimicking the exact calls of the home plate umpire. They're enjoyed by fans AND the other umpires, and are garnering all sorts of attention. They got Yankees tickets for free from the YES network!

I hope they do this next year and make a stop in Arizona.

Reynolds' Reaction to K is a Whiff of Fresh Air

snakecharmer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:02:50 -0000

Reynolds' Reaction to K is a Whiff of Fresh Air

Interesting story from Yahoo's Tim Brown on Mark Reynolds, his strikeouts, and how he handles it. (Related to another Yahoo MLB story about the increase in Ks overall.)

Diamondbacks 9, Astros 0 - SnakePitFest Rocks the House

snakecharmer — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:46:31 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

The face of the franchise. Gonzalez gets a ceremonial key to Chase Field from president Derek Hall and owner Ken Kendrick, as his children look on prior to the game.

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Record: 58-72. Pace: 72-90. Change on last season: -10.

On Gonzo Appreciation Night, on the game of the 2nd Annual SnakepitFestPaloozaThon, the Arizona Diamondbacks won in resounding fashion. The Diamondbacks' offense, which was absent the entire road trip, broke out again today for 9 runs - more free tacos tomorrow! - for the second straight night against the Houston Astros. Only 9 runs, guys? You couldn't even hit double digits?? Pbbt.

Big nights from a lot of the usual big players - Justin Upton was 3 for 4, Mark Reynolds hit home run # 40, and Miguel Montero had a big 3-run double to break the game open. Oh yeah and Jon Garland pitched 7 scoreless innings! More details to come in the recap by Jim when he gets home, after surely celebrating a big win. (Think he brought the techno music in the car?)

Well, that kicked ass in more ways than can possibly be listed. And you thought SnakePitFest 1 was good, with the Petit Unit leading us to a 7-1 win over the Marlins? This time, Jon Garland, Clay Zavada (with help from the massed forces of the Zavada Brigade) and Blaine Boyer combined for a seven-hit shutout, Mark Reynolds smashed his fortieth homer of the season, and Arizona rolled to another easy win. That's now 34 runs since Thursday - only once in franchise history has that total been bettered over three games [Sept. 27-29, 2002, when we totalled 36].

However, let's start at the beginning, with the gathering at Sliders, where tickets were handed out to those who arrived. I got there about 3:45, having gone through the park on my way from work, and collected my Gonzo T-shirt on the way. There, we met with friends old and new - finally getting to put a face to edbighead, sporting a cool D-backs tattoo - and handed out the flair provided by Mrs. SnakePit, each attendee getting a fan, packet of Big League Chew and a stylish Clay Zavada-inspired 'tache.

Next time, we will fax Mrs. Soco's sign to the D-backs in advance,
ensuring it is not derailed by roster moves.

In what can only be described as a miracle, everyone who had to collect tickets had shown up with about thirty minutes to spare, so we made a dash for the blessed coolness of Chase Field. We were in time to see the video tribute to Luis Gonzalez, which included clips from his press conference, where the emotion on view definitely brought a lump to my throat, and highlights from his career. No matter how often I see the ninth inning of Game Seven, I am still convinced we are going to lose...

After a scoreless first inning, Arizona got on the board in the second, courtesy of what can only be described as a gift-wrapped run. With men on second and third, the Astros starter opted to walk Brandon Allen intentionally, to reach the pitcher's spot. However, ball one sailed to the backstop, allowing Miguel Montero to scamper home from third. The margin became a great deal more comfortable in the next inning, the Diamondbacks scoring four times. Ryan Roberts tripled, scoring Stephen Drew, who'd walked; a Justin Upton single scored Roberts; and then Mark uncorked #40, a towering bomb just fair down the left-field line into the second deck, estimated at 439 feet. He's one behind Pujols again for the major-league lead.

Mrs. SnakePit illustrates the three stages of Grace

That made the score 5-0 to Arizona, but why stop there? Tacos arrived shortly afterwards, Upton delivering them with his 21st home-run, and Miguel Montero drove in three more with a bases-clearing double in the seventh. That gives him 50 RBI for the season, third on the all-time list for Arizona catchers, behind Chris Snyder last year (64) and Johnny Estrada's 71 in 2006. It'd have been nice to get double-figures again, but Montero was stranded at third, so we fell 90 feet short. Despite the nine runs, we only had eight hits; Upton got three of those, while Roberts had two, and Drew + Montero each had a hit and a walk.

Meanwhile, Jon Garland was running like a well-oiled machine - he allowed only five hits and one walk in his seven innings, while the Astros didn't get a man past second-base for the entire game. It was a little hard to tell from our seats exactly how he was doing it, but you couln't argue with the results at all, and it's good to see his record now making its way to 8-11. Clay Zavada came in for the eighth, and there were some nervous moments as he allowed two hits [as you'll see below, we had pinned our colors to his mast!], but escaped the eighth, and Blaine Boyer retired the Astros 1-2-3 in the ninth to seal another excellent victory.

Meanwhile, in the stands...

Not that there's anything wrong with that, katers would like to stress...

We were certainly The Loud Section: there's nothing quite like watching the game with others who are just as passionate about the team, and have no problem showing it. The Zavadataches were a big hit, though it has to be said, their adhesive properties left a little to be desired [with hindsight, I should probably have shaved my stubble too, as that didn't help!]. High-fives were exchanged as the game progressed and the Diamondbacks continued to add to their tally, and I even felt secure enough in the lead to go get Mrs. SnakePit an ice-cream.

What? We were on TV? Who, us? I must actually admit that 21st technology was involved, the D-backs booth tweet telling us to get ready was picked up by kishi, who alerted me and the word was quickly spread. Mustaches were attached and the arrival of our favorite reliever was greeted with a roar of approval from our section. Unfortunately, both myself and Mrs. SnakePit forgot to Tivo the event, so we'll be awaiting screen-grabs from 'charmer, and a chance to review the event at SocoFest in three weeks. I'm sure we looked like total idiots!

We were also honored by a visit from team president Derrick Hall, who swung by to say hello to the Loud Section. He swiftly promised mrssoco that Trent Oeltjen would be returning to the team before long - he'd obviously heard the tales of her wrath, television sets getting hurled across the room, etc. - and discussed possible configurations for the Racing Gracies - let's say, it might not just be Grace... But pity poor FourCornersFan, who left us in the middle of the eighth, having bemoaned the absense of favorite Augie Ojeda, and so missed his pinch-hit appearance in the bottom of the inning!

Still, it was a marvellous time, and many thanks to everyone who turned up and helped make it so - especial thanks to Mrs. SnakePit for providing the swag, and holding the fort at Sliders until I got there. But it was definitely the kind of day that re-affirmed my fandom - the team stepped up and did its part, with a performance that sealed it as the most enjoyable game of the year. We didn't have our camera, but I'm sure other people did, so please feel free to post your pics in the comments.

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Jon Garland, +23.4%
Honorable mention: Ryan Roberts, +11.2%
God-emperor of suck: Gerardo Parra, -2.8%

Needless to say, with most of the usual suspects actually present at the game, it was a somewhat quiet Gameday Thread, though there was still some rather interesting conversations. It gave some new faces a change to shine, and so wailord came out on top, with pygalgia in second, and muu + 'charmer shared third place. Also present: IHateSouthBend, soco, unnamedDBacksfan, mrssoco, Diamondhacks, Azreous, hotclaws, katers, Fiona, eel, GuruB, kishi, ZonaBacks10 and 4 Corners Fan.

Audio clippage of manager AJ Hinch discussing sending Chris Snyder to the DL, whether today's outfield might be the standard one in 2010, and we've also got the Gonzo press conference, emotion and all. For more on Luis, there's a good article by Scott Bordow in the Tribune: Valley welcomes Gonzo back. I also liked Reynolds' post-game comments: "I'm humbled to be in the situation I'm in. Gonzo did a lot of great things for this organization, for this team, and I can only hope to follow in his footsteps and bring a World Series here and do all the great things he did... I just go out there every day and sharpen my cleats and I'm just able to hit a home run every now and then."

Audio courtesy of KTAR 620

I am now off to bed, pausing only for a shower - it seemed quite sticky in the park today for some reason, and I feel rather grungy. There will then be sleep and a long lie-in tomorrow. Fortunately, 'Skins is on the recap!

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