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.

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.

Ian Kennedy (photo courtesy: Mwinog2777)

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 6/162. The team finally scored with runners in scoring position (but were still only 2-for-10), but still struck out 8 times and left 14 men on base as a team. However, they did enough to support the stellar efforts of Ian Kennedy.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – Extended his hitting streak to 12 games. And, was erased when he was thrown out by a mile trying to steal second on the first pitch of the next at-bat.

2. Jason Kubel  (LF) – Moved into the 2-hole for the first time as a Diamondback. It seems to be a very unlikely assignment, but apparently Kirk Gibson had plans for him in that spot. He collected his first extra-base hit as a Diamondback, scoring Willie Bloomquist (the game’s second run) after he’d reached on an error. The 2-hole has been productive this season and it seemed to be good luck for Jason Kubel tonight.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – 0-for-3 with a walk and a couple of nice catches in the outfield.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts. But, he called a great game and made a number of good defensive plays behind the dish.

5. Chris Young (CF) – 1-for-3 with 2 strikeouts until the 8th inning. Where he hit a 97mph fastball over the left-field fence at approximately a billion miles per second. The solo HR was his 3rd of the season. He’s locked in (and, on fire).

6. Lyle Overbay (1B) – He’s had a fantastic start to his season and he’s been locked in. 1-for-2 with 2 walks. He just seems unflappable this season. It’s a pleasure to watch.

7. Geoff Blum (LF) – He’s got such a calm presence on the field. Had an okay night at the plate (0-for-3 with a walk) but had a good night on the field, making some fine defensive plays. His familiarity with the field at Petco was evident. And, helpful.

8. Aaron Hill (2B) – Aaron Hill was 0-for-15 until the top of the 5th when he singled up the middle, scoring Lyle Overbay and breaking an 0-for-17 skid with runners in scoring position. AND, breaking a 12-inning scoreless streak. He also doubled later in the game – but, was left stranded.

9. Ian Kennedy (P) – This didn’t start off as his best start, giving up a run in the first inning and had runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out before striking out the next three batters, but the damage was done. He settled down nicely and gave up another 2 hits over the following 5 innings while collecting one walk and 9 strike outs. According to Jack Magruder (twitter link), that was the 10th time in his career he’d struck out 9. Four times against the Padres, three of those times occurring at Petco. At the plate, he didn’t have his best performance, bunting into a double play and then striking out during an attempted bunt attempt in the 7th inning. But, it didn’t really matter. His team (finally) picked him up offensively and this game was a gem. 6IP, 1BB, 9K, 1R.

9b. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Came in to pitch the 7th inning and had a miscommunication with Lyle Overbay and ended up flinging himself into the path of the oncoming Orlando Hudson to apply the tag. He generally looked sharper than in his previous outing, but still ended up walking his second batter, but got a K and a groundout to end with a clean inning.

9c. Bryan Shaw (RP) – Since David Hernandez wasn’t available for the 8th inning after last night’s game, the 8th belonged to Bryan Shaw. Bryan Shaw has been nothing short of spectacular.

9d. Ryan Roberts (PH) – Came in to pinch hit for the pitcher in the 9th. He’d warmed up to hit for Kennedy in the 7th, but Kennedy was sent out to lay down a bunt (ultimately unsuccessfully). He flew out to LF – but at least he didn’t join in the strikeout parade.

9e. JJ Putz (RP) – Nailed down the Padres 1-2-3 in the 9th inning with his 4th save of the year.

Score: 3-1, Diamondbacks win; Record 5-1 and no one was hit by a pitch!

Conclusion: As far as episodes of the Ian Kennedy show go, this one was a sparkler. 

Your Dbacks’ game recap. Brought to you by the starting nine. And friends. Game 3/162.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – Keyed the offense in the first inning with a single and a stolen base and was left stranded on third when none of his teammates could put the ball in play. He also doubled in the 3rd and was stranded again. And, in the 8th, he got Overbay caught in a rundown on a safety squeeze after mixing up his signs. Error count = 1.

2. Aaron Hill (2B) Clearly, no one expected him to have a repeat of yesterday. He did alright on the day, though. 0-for-the day with a very important walk and a run scored. Also, a slick double play in the 8th. Wasn’t able to come through with 2 out in the 8th. Error count = 1.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – 0-for-3 with a walk and 2K.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – 0-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored. Error count = 1.

5. Chris Young (CF) – 1-for-4 on the day with a run scored.

6. Ryan Roberts (3B) – He made a stunning heads- up play in the top of the 6th inning and then in the bottom of the 6th, he cranked a 2-run homerun to make the score a little closer (6-4). Error count = 1.

7. Lyle Overbay (1B) – As part of the offensive explosion in the 6th, he went back to back with Ryan Roberts, bringing the score to 6-5. He also drove in 2 runs with a double earlier in the game.

8. Gerrardo Parra (LF) Had a pretty uneventful day until he dropped down a decent bunt in the 8th. Error count =1.

9. Josh Collmenter (SP) – In his first start of the season, following a spring training full of questions, he never really settled in and was pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the third. 6R(5ER),5H,1BB,4K,1HR. Following his exit, the Dbacks were down 6-0 after 3 innings.

9b. Geoff Blum (PH) – Pinch hitter.

9c. Wade Miley (RP) Coming in for mop-up duty in the 4th inning, down 6-0, threw 4 innings of shutout (no hit) ball with 4 errors behind him. If baseball gave out stars for the game, he would get the first one. Not a bad day for a kid expecting to be proving himself in the minors this season.

9d. Jason Kubel (PH) – He collected his first hit as a Dback as a pinch hitter, but was unfortunately erased when Willie Bloomquist hit into a force out.

9e. Paul Goldschmidt (PH) – K in the 8th against Sergio Romo.

9f. Craig Breslow (RP) – With David Hernandez having pitched 2 days in a row, the 8th inning was his – his first in a Dbacks jersey. His first pitch sailed over Montero’s head and his second buried into the dirt, but he then calmed down and pitched a solid 8th.

9g. Bryan Shaw (CL – today) – Recorded his first save of his major league career. It wasn’t pretty, there was a groundout, a flyout, a broken bat single, a hit by pitch to Sandoval, but he got Buster Posey to go down swinging in a very dramatic fashion.

Not to harp on it, but the HBP is probably going to stir up even more drama, considering that Sandoval and Bloomquist had exchanged words while Bloomquist was standing on 2nd, allegedly about watching signs. I’m personally feeling like a young, nervous first-time closer isn’t wanting to put the go-ahead run on base with Buster Posey coming to bat, but this is definitely fuel to the fire.

It wasn’t Buster’s best day, joining in on the error parade when he didn’t get his foot onto home plate for a force out at home.

In the end, the Dbacks were able to come back from a 6-0 deficit and win a sloppy contest with more errors than highlights. But, a.win is a win and today Wade Miley earned his win.

Conclusion: Miley’s 4 no-hit innings provided the opportunity for the Dbacks to take center stage in this comedy of errors. And, fittingly, he got the win.

Score: 7-6; Diamondbacks win; Record 3-0. HBP counter is at 3 (2-Dbacks, 1-Giants)

In celebration of today’s opening day of Diamondbacks’ baseball, let’s take a look back at opening day in the recent past.

• Since 2000: 5 Diamondbacks opening days have taken place on the road and 8 (including 2012) have happened at home.
• Catchers: 9 different people have started at catcher for the Diamondbacks since 2000. Damian Miller and Chris Snyder have each started 3 different opening days. This year, Miguel Montero (who started in 2010 and 2011), will join them.
• 1B: Since 2000, 8 different people have started at first base. Notably, Mark Grace (@dbacksbooth) started twice (2001, 2002), Conor Jackson started three times (2006-2008) and Lyle Overbay – who will be waiting to get into the game from the Diamondbacks’ bench – started for the Diamondbacks in 2003.
• 2B: 7 different people have started at second base in the last 12 years. Orlando Hudson started 3 years in a row (2006-2008) and is the leader. In 2010 and 2011, the starting second baseman was Kelly Johnson. Starting in 2012 will be Aaron Hill - who was traded to the Dbacks from the Blue Jays in 2011 for… Kelly Johnson.
• 3B: Mark Reynolds and Chad Tracy shared starting 3B duties on and off from 2006-2010. Last year’s starting 3B is also no longer on the roster – Melvin Mora.
• SS: Stephen Drew was the opening day SS from 2006-2010. Last year’s starting SS was Willie Bloomquist, who was filling in for Stephen Drew while he was suffering from abdominal pain. This year’s starting SS will be Willie Bloomquist, who wll be filling in for Stephen Drew, who is (as we all know) still recovering from a 2011 ankle injury.
• LF: Luis Gonzalez started every year from 2000-2006, Conor Jackson moved from first base to start LF in 2009-2010. 2012′s starting LF will be Jason Kubel. 2011′s starting left fielder, Gerardo Parra, will likely be sitting on the bench. Waiting. For his role to be determined.
• CF: CF has belonged to Chris Young since 2007. It is one of the most consistent positions on the roster, having belonged to Steve Finley for 6 seasons, starting in 1999.
• RF: RF has also been relatively consistent, with Danny Bautista from 2001-2004, and Justin Upton taking the reins in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
• Pitcher: From 1999-2004, Randy Johnson took the hill on opening day. And, from 2006-2009, opening day belonged to Brandon Webb. Dan Haren started in 2010 (to be traded mid-season) and Ian Kennedy took the hill in 2011 and will be taking it again in 2012. Let’s hope this is the start of another long tenure.

Alright. Let the count down to first pitch begin!