Sedona Red Fireworks: Because winning is fun.

There are hits! And runs! Lots and lots of hits and runs!

Yes, the Dbacks had 16 hits. And, yes, they scored 9 runs. (Check out the Box Score: HERE)

But, the story of the night was  - without a doubt – Wade Miley.

1. Going into the game, the line-up looked highly similar to last night. But, when it is the line-up that stops a depressing losing streak, it isn’t a surprise that Kirk Gibson didn’t want to mess with it.

2. The offense showed up – big time. Jason Kubel and John McDonald (yes, that John McDonald) both went 3-for-4 on the day. Both Justin Upton and Jason Kubel hit solo-HRs. And, every one of the starters reached base by hit or walk tonight.

3. Speaking of Jason Kubel – Yes, he occasionally takes slightly less-than-efficient routes to balls hit to left field, but he’s shown a surprisingly a strong arm in the outfield. He recorded his 4th assist of the season, firing a one-hopper to home plate, to save a run. He’s tied for the NL lead in assists. Jason Kubel: More than just a bat standing in left field.

4. Not insignificantly, that play at the plate also illustrated that Miguel Montero is, in fact, an immoveable force. Wow.

5. Jonathan Albaladejo (called up from Reno in place of Daniel Hudson) made his Dbacks debut and was solid. 1 innings, 2 hits, no runs. As was Brad Ziegler: 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs. And, coming in for the final three outs of the ninth, so was Craig Breslow (who has pitched 8.1 innings in relief so far this season, tied with David Hernandez for the most number of innings pitched by a reliever who is not Wade Miley).

6. Joe Paterson. He’s had a very shaky 2012. He was solid as solid can be in 2011, but 2012 has been very, very rough (screencap from: here). He came in to start the 9th. He faced 5 batters: single, double, single, home run, home run. The numbers speak for themselves. This was a good game, and there has been so much negative lately, that we’re going to stick with focusing on the positives.

7. And, speaking of positives: Wade Miley. What else can you say about Wade Miley? He’s made a career acting as the stunt double for Josh Collmenter (c/o @dbacksbooth for the appropriate description) this season. He has saved the Dbacks on more than one occasion and tonight, when called upon to spot start because of Daniel Hudson going down…. The Dbacks are treated to this: 6.0 IP, 2H, 1BB, 7K. He was – again – sensational. This win is completely on him.

Score: 9-5, Diamondbacks win! Record 9-8. It’s (almost) all good in the hood.

Conclusion: This was a very fun 8 innings of baseball. For the second day in a row, it was a good day at Chase Field. 

Johnny Mac - Flashing the leather.

The losing streak has come to end, courtesy of a fine game by Mr. Ian Kennedy and a great performance from the rest of the team. Game 16/162. And, possibly in an attempt to shake up the offense, the game started with a shake-up in the line-up.

1. Gerardo Parra (CF) –  He was the offensive performance of the day. In the bottom of the second, trailing by a run with 2 outs, John McDonald was intentionally walked to pitch to Ian Kennedy with the bases loaded. Ian Kennedy walked on 4 straight pitches. Which brought Gerardo Parra to the plate. He deposited his second homer of the season into the pool (for the second time this season). Grand slam and a 5 run inning! 5-1 Dbacks. He also collected another hit and a stolen base on the day.

2. Aaron Hill (2B) – He was 1-for-4 on the day, but it was a well-timed hit. He doubled in the bottom of the 7th to drive home an insurance run. 6-3 Dbacks!

3. Justin Upton (RF) – Went 1-for-2 on the day with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, he was hit in his same, already-injured hand. He was the second hitter plunked on the day. (Check in with the HBP-o-Meter to see where the season stands!) And, then – in a fit of rage – he was promptly caught attempting to steal second to end the inning.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – Wasn’t his strongest offensive showing of the season, 0-for-the day.

5. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Had a less-than-stellar day at the plate (0-for-3 with a walk), but he was defensive gold in the field today. Solid outing from the youngster. 3-6-3 double play! Smart, smart baseball.

6. Jason Kubel (LF) – 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. And, most impressively, was the put-out he recorded from left field, to throw out Dan Uggla, trying to extend a single into a double. It was a laser-beam, perfectly placed strike and it beat Uggla to the bag by at least 5 feet.

7. Cody Ransom (3B) – He made the most of his start today. He looked immensely comfortable at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored and was a solid stopper at the hot corner.

8. John McDonald (SS) – John McDonald had great day. He was his usually defensive whiz (Exhibit A) and also stepped up at the plate. 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

9. Ian Kennedy (SP) – He had to battle all day, but he kept his head and kept his team in the game: 7.0 IP, 9H, 3R, 2BB, 5K. He also got an RBI by taking a 2-out, bases-loaded walk in the second inning. Exactly what you want from the ace of your staff.

9b. AJ Pollock (PH) -0-for-1 in his pinch-hit appearance.

9c. David Hernandez (RP) – 3-up, 3-down in his 8th inning appearance for his 4th hold of the year.

9d. Lyle Overbay (PH) – 0-for-1 in his pinch-hit appearance.

9e. JJ Putz (Cl) – He came in for the 9th inning with a 3 run lead.  A strike out, a solo HR (to Juan Francisco) and 2 fly ball outs en route to his 5th save of the season.

Score: 6-4, Diamondbacks win! Record 8-8. Back to .500 and it feels so good!

Conclusion: This is a solid team – from top to bottom – and, today, everyone chipped in to help get it done. A little shake up in the line-up and everyone came out swinging.

Update: The team announced after the game today that long man out of the pen, Wade Miley, is going to get the start tomorrow against the Phillies. Good luck, Mr. Miley!

I’ve decided on losing nights – especially in the middle of a 5 game losing streak – I’m going to do 3 things. Because, baseball is supposed to be fun, and dwelling on the negative doesn’t make baseball very much fun at all. So, here we go. On losing nights, I’m going to:

1. Limit the number of negative things I say to 3 or less.
• The team was 0-for4 with runners in scoring position.
• Team batting line: 2 runs on 5 hits; 1 walk and 13 strikeouts (including 6 consecutive to end the game)
• Essentially, the offense is still lacking an identity at the moment.
2. Come up with at least 5 positive things to say.
• Miguel Montero caught Michael Bourne stealing – raising his caught stealing percentage to 44% on the young season.
• Even though he got saddled with the loss today, Joe Saunders pitched a very solid game once he settled down. It was a quality start: 7.0 innings, 6H, 3R(2ER), 1BB and 5K. Four of his 6 hits and his only walk came in the first 2 innings. Unfortunately, the three runs that crossed the plate in the first three innings turned out to be an insurmountable challenge. He’s now 1-1 on the season with a 1.29 ERA on the season and  Diamondbacks fans should be very happy that he took a hometown discount to play for the Diamondbacks in 2012.
• David Hernandez: 3 batters face, 3 strikeouts. He was dazzling.
• Justin Upton was back in the lineup and he looked good. He went 1-for-4 and we hope that he still feels okay tomorrow morning.
• Jason Kubel has definitely started looking more comfortable at the plate. In the last 7 days, he’s hitting .313, with 3BB, 6H (a 2B and a HR), and 3RBI. Welcome to Arizona, Mr. Kubel.
3. Post a link to a randomly chosen youtube video. Tonight, we are going to listen to Jerry Seinfeld discuss SCUBA diving.

Score: 3-2, Diamondbacks lose (more one run games!); Record 7-8.

Conclusion: The rough patch continues. Hopefully the boys get off the skid soon. The season’s still very young and there’s a lot of time left, but baseball is more fun when there’s winning.

I am accepting any and all suggestions for future youtube videos to post during future loss posts. Hit me up here in the comments or via twitter (@mlbfangirl).

And, in case you missed it earlier, there’s a poll in the sidebar. Click HERE to read the post and cast your vote!

Time to break out the broken dog picture again: Daniel Hudson is on the 15-day DL with shoulder impingement.

The injury bug is sweeping through Diamondbacks nation and it is getting a very discouraging.

Between Geoff Blum and Chris Young (who are also on the DL) and Justin Upton (who probably should be) – this is becoming a bit of an epidemic.

In the corresponding roster move, the Dbacks have called up Jonathan Albaladejo from Reno – essentially using someone on the 40-man roster to add depth to the bullpen – likely for use in long relief or mop-up duty if the need arises.

Since it only makes sense that the Diamondbacks are going to have to replace a starting pitcher with another starting pitcher… At the moment, (according to Jack Magruder, via twitter) Wade Miley might be a candidate to take over the rotation spot. But, baseball is more fun with speculation.

So, this is the time to speculate as to which Dback pitching prospect is going to get the call.

Let’s have at it, folks.  Check out the poll on the sidebar and weigh in on who might be coming up to fill in Daniel Hudson’s spot.

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This was not a pretty game. I feel like this picture of the sad dog with the broken leg sums it up perfectly.

So, yes, the pitching staff has allowed 19 runs (16 earned) in the last 18 innings of baseball. Cahill’s line tonight was as follows: 5.2IP, 7R(4ER), 2BB, 2K, 1HR. However, as fellow Dback fan on twitter @Derek_L_FOSTER said tonight, “It doesn’t matter if the Dbacks can pitch or not. You can’t win a 0-0 game.”

Which brings us to the offense. The offense is very unassuming these days without Justin Upton and Chris Young. It seems a bit directionless and is overall just a lot less dynamic. Tonight, the line for the team read: 6-for-31; 1 run scored (RBI groundout by Paul Goldschmidt; 2BB, 6K. It was through a combination of a leadoff single, a walk and  some aggressive baserunning by Aaron Hill that they managed to manufacture a run in the bottom of the 9th.

With the last 4 games ending in losses, it can now be officially considered that the Diamondbacks are in a slump.

So, in an effort to soothe the wounds of being outscored 19-3 in the last 2 games, we’re going to focus on the positives:

1. Paul Goldschmidt had the best offensive performance of the night, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
2. Though he finished 1-for-3 with a walk, Jason Kubel also provided some offensive value, grinding out his at-bats and seeing a total of 31 pitches. This was 21.8% of all of the pitches seen by Diamondbacks hitters during this game. 
3. Craig Breslow continues to be solid out of the pen. He did allow his inherited runner to score, bringing the score to 7-0, and was hardly consequential. He then pitched a scoreless 2.1 innings.
4. Brad Ziegler came out in a tough spot in relief of Joe Paterson who loaded the bases (4 singles) and walked in a run without collecting an out. Ziegler struck out his first batter and ended the inning by inducing a double play.

If you want further details, here is the box score: [clickety!], otherwise, let’s just try to forget this one and move on tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to right the ship.

Score: 9-1, Diamondbacks lose; Record 7-7.

Conclusion: It’s a rough patch for the Diamondbacks. Let’s hope they’re just getting it all out of their system now.

So, there was a game last night.

Josh Collmenter pitched slightly better than he had in his first 2 starts (and probably earned himself at least one more).

The third time was not the charm for Mr. Wade Miley – who let in his first run this season in his role as “backup to Josh Collmenter”. And, then he let in a few more. It was broken bats and bloop singles and it was just generally a bit of a mess.

Here’s the box score: [clickety!]

It was a blow out.

That is all. Let’s do it again tomorrow!

ps: Get well soon, Justin Upton, Chris Young, and Geoff Blum.

Mid-week day games are hard to recap when I miss the beginning. Game 12/162.

1. The line-up is noticeably different without the presence of Chris Young (on the 15-day DL) and Justin Upton (possibly headed there soon). The “Chris Young and the Sunshine Band” offense doesn’t work without Chris Young.

2. Without pinch-hit man-off-the-bench Geoff Blum (also on the 15 day DL), the Diamondbacks managed to make it through this game without pinch-hitting for their pitcher.

3.  Daniel Hudson pitched a fantastic game and deserved a win today. Unfortunately, it was not in the cards.

4. There were two lead-off triples today. Willie Bloomquist tripled in the first and ultimately scored on a Jason Kubel single, but Aaron Hill‘s lead-off triple went to waste in the 6th. It should be a crime to waste a leadoff triple.

5.  AJ Pollock made his MLB debut today. He walked in the 7th inning, but was promptly thrown out attempting to steal second when he over-slid the bag. He has the speed to steal, that much is clear, and he’ll probably be dangerous when he harnesses his nerves. And, of course, in his first ever game, he came to the plate with 2 outs and Justin Upton standing on first base and represented the winning run. Welcome to the show.

6. Justin Upton did appear in the bottom of the 9th, pinch running for Miguel Montero – who runs like a catcher.

Score: 2-1, Diamondbacks lose (YET ANOTHER ONE RUN GAME); Record 7-5. The Pirates win their first series at Arizona since 2005. Losing winnable games hurts even more.

Conclusion: More than half of the Dbacks’ games this season have been decided by one run. It is starting to be that the fate of the 2012 Diamondbacks will rest on their ability to win the 1-run game. Losing winnable games is not going to help them where they want to be.

Tonight was game 11/162. And, it was equally as disappointing as the last time the Dbacks fell in extra innings.

And, in the spirit of disappointment, today’s recap will also be disappointing. Here are the highlights:

1. Justin Upton sat out the game and will reportedly have an MRI on his thumb tomorrow.

2. Chris Young slammed into the CF fence making a leaping catch and had to leave the game – likely with a shoulder contusion. He will also be having an MRI tomorrow.

3. And, in the post game, Nick Piecoro reported that Kirk Gibson announced that Geoff Blum pulled a muscle in batting practice and he will  be headed to the DL and AJ Pollock is coming up from Reno.

4. In terms of baseball stuff: Ian Kennedy was immensely hittable (though, everyone is allowed a bad day now and again, so I don’t begrudge him that).

5. When Chris Young left the game, Jason Kubel moved to RF, Willie Bloomquist moved to LF and Gerardo Parra moved to CF. That put John McDonald in at SS (and, third in the batting order). He showed off his usual quick hands and – in another uncharacteristic show of offense – he blasted a game-tying home run. Which, like his two-double game in Colorado, wasn’t quite enough of a cushion for the bullpen.

6. Bryan Shaw collected the loss, giving up a 2-out infield single by the slimmest of margins to the speedy Alex Pressley. That was followed by hits from McGhee and McCutcheon and the one run that scored was the difference in the game.

7. And, the remainder of the Blue Jays reunion tour infield had a pretty good night defensively (Aaron Hill had a great pick, Ryan Roberts had a diving catch and Lyle Overbay dug a whole pile of throws out of the dirt at first). But, overall, this game was a giant bummer.

The after-effects of tonight’s mess will probably be spilling over into tomorrow. When they get to do it all over again.

Hopefully wrapped in bubble wrap.

Score: 5-6, Diamondbacks lose (ANOTHER ONE RUN GAME); Record 7-4. This one hurt. Literally and figuratively.

Conclusion: Ow.

It’s Monday! That means its time for the news and notes from around the MiLB portions of the Diamondbacks organization.

• Reno Aces (AAA)
• The Reno Aces took on the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) and the Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) this week

• Mobile BayBears (AA)
• The BayBears finished up their series against the M-Braves (Atlanta) and played against the Blue Wahoos (Reds) and the Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)

• The BayBears have a stacked pitching rotation, but there were a number of BayBears getting it done with the bat this week: Rossmel Perez (C) ended the week batting 0.364; David Nick (2B) at 0.372 and Matt Davidson (3B) at 0.462.
• Adam Eaton had also collected 6 stolen bases by the end of the week.
• Trevor Bauer collected his 3rd win of the year, but finally allowed an earned run, raising his season ERA to 0.57 – he also walked 5 during that start. His season line to this point: 3 game, 3-0 record; 15.2 innings, 8H, 12BB, 20K, 0.154 batting average against.

• Visalia Rawhide (A Adv.)
• The Rawhide took on Modesto Nuts (Rockies)  and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers)

•  There were 2 dominant pitching performances this week. David Holmberg got the win on April 10 for 7.0 innings of 2H, 1R, 0BB, 9K. He brought his ERA to 1.38 and collected the win to draw him to 1-1 so far this season. The second outing was Andrew Chafin. He improved to 2-0 on the season with a 0.82 ERA after throwing 6.0 innings of 3H, 0R, 0BB, 9K baseball.
• The outstanding offensive performances of the week went to Jonathan Griffin (1B) and Raywilly Gomez (C) who finished the week with batting average of .350 and .379, respectively.

• South Bend Silver Hawks (A)
• The team took on the Fort Wayne Tincaps (Padres) and Dayton Dragons this week (Reds).

• Yakima Bears (SS)
• The Bears will begin the season on June 15.

• Missoula Osprey (R)
• The Osprey will begin the season on June 18.

Your game recap, game 10/162. Back to the desert where, thankfully, the Dbacks finally got to play a game where it wasn’t snowing. Or raining. Or sleeting.

Gerardo Parra's home run went for a swim in the RF pool

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – He’s played 7 games this season with 8 hits, at a pace of slightly more than a hit per game. None of those hits came today as he went 0-for-the day following his 2 days of rest while John McDonald manned shortstop.

2. Aaron Hill (2B) – Again, the 2-hole seems to be magical. Aaron Hill launched a home run in the bottom of the first to even the score at 1-1.  He’s 7-for-34 this season, but he’s managed to keep his quad slash line very respectable, with his combination of power and plate discipline. 0.206 / .325 / .500 / .825 He also made a fantastic diving play in the top of the 9th. In fact, it was so impressive that when MLB.com posted the video, they got a bit ahead of themselves and called it the game-winning play, even though it was they first out of the 9th.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – He still seems to be having trouble finding his swing. It’ll come.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – 1-for-4 with a hit and a run scored and threw out the speedy Alex Presley attempting to steal 2nd; raising his season total to 3/5 potential base thieves.

5. Chris Young (CF) – There is nothing more to say about the amazing run that Chris Young is on. 3-for-4 on the night with 2 singles and a HR that led to 2 RBI. And, without further comment, I will present his quadruple slash line: .405 / .500 / .892 / 1.392

6. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – He continues to show glimmers of plate discipline, going 1-for-3 with a walk. He’s still got a K/BB rate of 10/3, but its early and something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

7. Jason Kubel (LF) – Still having a bit of trouble getting his rhythm as a Dback, he went 0-for-1 and walked twice before he was replaced with Gerardo Parra.

7b. David Hernandez (RP) – Pitched a solid 8th, 2Ks and 0 hits. And, was clearly glad to be back in the sun.

7c. Geoff Blum (PH) – Collected his first PH hit of the season in the 8th inning when he hit for David Hernandez.

7d. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Pitched a scoreless 9th, given a 5-1 lead. He was a little wild, but had one K, 2 groundouts and a walk in his inning of work, sealing the deal.

8. Ryan Roberts (3B) – 1-for-4 with an RBI and had a great at-bat in the 8th, eventually losing a 7-pitch battle, but he put up a heck of a fight. He also made some noteworthy plays in the field.

9.  Joe Saunders (SP) – He was the story of the game. At first, he didn’t seem to have his control, but he settled in nicely and ended up with a final line of 7IP, 6H, 1R, 2BB, 5K. He lowered his season ERA to 0.64 and collected his second quality start of the season. And, looked very smooth doing it. So far, so good for Bazooka Joe.

9b. Gerardo Parra (PH – LF) – Pinch hit for Joe Saunders in the bottom of the 7th and homered a 91 mph first pitch fastball into the pool [video here]. He then replaced Jason Kubel in left field. The outfield situation continues to get muddy, with Justin Upton continuing to play with a sore thumb and Kubel’s slow start. Right now, Gerardo Parra is a huge luxury for Kirk Gibson.

And, in other news, Stephen Drew worked out with the team today [click to watch the video].

Score: 5-1, Diamondbacks win; Record 7-3. The sun was shining and the bats came alive in support of a stellar effort (again) by Joe Saunders.

Conclusion: There’s no place like home.