SB Nation User Blog: unnamedDBacksfan

Qualls in as new closer

unnamedDBacksfan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:47:53 -0000

Qualls in as new closer

Manager Bob Melvin announced a role change for the ninth inning, saying that right-hander Chad Qualls has been elevated to the closer’s role in place of the struggling Brandon Lyon.

The change might not go into effect until Sunday because of Qualls’ workload, in which case Tony Pena would serve as closer for tonight’s game.

Lyon had a 2.43 ERA and 19 saves in 23 chances at the All-Star break but has not pitched well since. In the second half, he has an 11.57 ERA (21 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings).

Despite Lyon’s struggles, Melvin said it wasn’t an easy move to make, in part because of how Lyon is viewed by his teammates and his role in the clubhouse.

"There’s also a personal side to it, too, and Brandon is a star down in that bullpen," Melvin said. "He’s a leader down there. He’s about as accountable of a guy as I’ve ever had in the bullpen. He totally understood when I talked to him today and all he wants to do is help his team win. In that respect, he took it like a pro."

Qualls came in to bail out Lyon on Friday night, getting the final out of a 3-2 win over the Reds by striking out Jerry Hairston Jr. He has been the bullpen’s best pitcher for the past several weeks.

Qualls has not been scored upon in 17 of his past 18 appearances and has a 1.02 ERA since Aug. 6. He has a 3.11 ERA on the season, but has eight blown saves working in a setup role. He also has eight losses.

But Melvin said that since Qualls has pitched in four of the past six games -- and warmed up in one of those games in which he did not pitch -- he probably won't be available to close tonight. In that event, Juan Cruz would likely pitch the eighth inning with Pena closing.

Melvin said he would like to give Lyon tonight off before inserting him into a setup role.

KTAR is reporting Diamondbacks acquire Adam Dunn

unnamedDBacksfan — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:57:23 -0000

hat the Diamondbacks have just acquired Adam Dunn in exchange for Dallas Buck and two players to be named later.

Got this as a text alert, no link or confirmation as of yet.

Here it is:

Diamondbacks acquire Adam Dunn from Reds

August 11th, 2008 @ 10:57am

by Tyler Bassett/Sports 620 KTAR, John Gambadoro/Sports 620 KTAR

Sports 620 KTAR's John Gambadoro reports the Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds.

The Diamondbacks are giving up three prospects in the deal, minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two other players to be named later.

Dunn has 32 home runs in 2008 with 74 RBI. His average this season is .233.

D-Backs close to Clark deal

unnamedDBacksfan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:44:26 -0000

D-Backs close to Clark deal

Why?? How will he be used?

this ship has long set sail, why bring it back to port? Can't we actually build from within and for the future instead of trotting out these reruns?

Update, with the basics from the piece

"The Diamondbacks appear to be closing in on a trade with the San Diego Padres that will bring first baseman Tony Clark back to Arizona. After significant discussions in recent days, a deal could be final as soon as today, according to a major league source, who said the Diamondbacks will give up a minor league prospect in the trade.

It appears Clark has agreed to waive his assignment bonus, the $500,000 clause that otherwise would have kicked in when he was traded. The bonus, which served as a form of no-trade protection, was expected to be a hurdle in the negotiations. The Diamondbacks will be responsible for the remainder of Clark's $900,000 salary."

Details and discussion to follow...

Salazar designated for assignment, Robertson sent down

unnamedDBacksfan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:29:22 -0000

Salazar designated for assignment, Robertson sent down

Roster moves today before the game.

Suggestions to make interleague play better - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

unnamedDBacksfan — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:46:13 -0000

Suggestions to make interleague play better - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Jeff Passan's an idiot. Horrid ideas one and all. Deciding home field for the World Series is a joke now, how is going from one joke to a worse one better?
I do not EVER want to see the DH in a National League Park.
We already open up the regular season in neutral sites, how many more ways can we screw the fans that support these clubs?
The interleague draft..... oy vey!

ESPN.com - E-ticket: Dice-K 2.0

unnamedDBacksfan — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:14:34 -0000

ESPN.com - E-ticket: Dice-K 2.0

Let's be real. There are only two teams that might spend 75 million JUST to talk with Yu.

I just saw this piece on ESPN and found the whole take on Japanese baseball to be fascinating.
There is also a piece about the future of baseball in Japan with the big names coming over here, would it survive? I found this quote to be most telling: "In Little League, Japanese players are taught a respect for the game that isn't seen in many other countries."
These kids can teach a few of our players a thing or two:::cough::Manny Rameriz:::cough::::::

Overall, interesting read.

Teen running out of innings, but game isn't over

unnamedDBacksfan — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:50:13 -0000

Teen running out of innings, but game isn't over

The story speaks for itself. I thought I'd share it.

Davis vastly exceeding recovery time

unnamedDBacksfan — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:52:09 -0000

Davis vastly exceeding recovery time

From the DBacks main site.

Sounds like things are going a lot better than anyone could have hoped for, especially on the health front.

First Month Hero - Conor Jackson

unnamedDBacksfan — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:58:32 -0000

Found a link thanks to Levski on DBBP on the best offensive players for the month of April. Since one of our own is on this list, I thought I'd share it.

Actual link is:http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/first-month-heroes/

First Month Heroes

by Dave Cameron - May 4, 2008 · Filed under Daily Graphings

Most teams have played about 30 games so far, so through the first baseball month of the season, let’s take a look at the guys who have performed the best at the plate. We’ll do it all-star team style, with one player representing each position. I’m using WPA/LI as the determinant for offensive production.

Catcher: Geovany Soto - 0.64
First Base: Conor Jackson - 1.49
Second Base: Chase Utley - 1.78
Shortstop: Rafael Furcal - 1.33
Third Base: Chipper Jones - 1.49
Left Field: Pat Burrell - 1.77
Center Field: Nate McLouth - 0.91
Right Field: Ryan Church - 0.75
Designated Hitter Hideki Matsui - 0.73

The thing that jumps out to me is that all eight position players represent the National League. Lots of NL hitters going nuts in April, but none more so than Chase Utley, who was clearly the best player on the planet for the first month of the season. Furcal, Chipper, and Burrell had special months as well, especially if you give Burrell credit for the fact that he leads the league in clutch hitting.