image by CEBImagery.com (flickr.com/photos/cedwardbrice/5563388108/)

Game 26/156 – I really don’t like pitcher’s duels. Especially when the team I’m pulling for comes out on the losing end. Pitching duels and 14+ inning games. It seems like, most of the time, the winner and loser of each game comes down to luck – and which team had the bad luck last.

But, because I had decided that – even in losses – we’re going to focus on the positives more than the negatives, here we go:

1. 3 or less negative things. And, I won’t even harp on them, because this loss was disappointing, but it was one of those losses that just comes with facing a good pitcher in the course of a long 162 game season.

• 4 of the 8 position players who started this game did not reach base once.
• Only one player (Aaron Hill) reached base twice today.
• And, the team went 0-for-4 with RISP today.

2. 5 positive thing to say:

• There were only 3 hits in the game, but –  with hits so hard to come by – it was nice to see some patience at the plate. The team drew 3 walks, to increase their on base presence.
• There was some wackiness when rookie-phenom Bryce Harper sorta-kinda forgot to touch first when he was rounding second. He’d raced to first on a comebacker to Ian Kennedy and, when he throw sailed wide, he’d run to second. He was then out on appeal. So, that was fun.
• In a pitchers’ duel, both pitchers have to be having a good day. This was very true of Mr. Ian Kennedy. 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 K and a walk. A quality quality start from the ace of the staff. It was just unfortunate that he had to come out on the losing end.
• Jason Kubel‘s outs were loud outs tonight. If you’re going to make an out, a long fly ball isn’t a bad way to go about it. Those’ll start going out of the park on another day with more wind or cooler air or with just a little bit of luck.
• The bullpen has taken a bit of a beating over the last few games. But, a solid frame from Bryan Shaw can’t be overlooked. A solid outing is always worth a pat on the back.

Score: 2-1, Diamondbacks lose; Record back to .500! You win some, you use some.

Conclusion: Sometimes, you just get beat. A balk in the second inning that put the Nationals’ first run of the game on third so it could score via a groundout (instead leaving him on second, where he would not have scored) might have been the difference in a very close game. 

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!

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.

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.

And, it keeps raining in Colorado...

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 8/162.

This game snapped a 2 game losing streak and the Dbacks were able to make their early lead hold up – in spite of more of mother nature’s best efforts. The 2 competing stories of this day are Trevor Cahill’s great performance on the mound and Chris Young continuing to tear the cover off the ball.

1. Ryan Roberts (3B) – 2-for-5 on the afternoon.

2 Gerardo Parra (LF) – After a very strong showing last night, Parra got the start again in left, going 1-for-5 (with a force-out).  He scored 2 runs and collected two stolen bases on the afternoon.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – He seems to be braving a sore thumb well, going 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored.

4. Chris Young (CF) – More of the same with Chris Young. 2-for-4 with a walk, including a home run and 3 RBIs. So far, on the season, Chris Young is raking in a major way:  .364 / .475 / .818  / 1.293

5. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Went 1-for-4 on the day with a double. But, impressively, he seems to be more and more comfortable over at 1B every time we see him.

6. Aaron Hill (2B) – So, yeah, Aaron Hill went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2RBIs. That was great and all, but he also did this [click to watch the video]. He made a great running catch and then fired to first for an unconventional double play, taking advantage of a Colorado baserunning blunder.

7. John McDonald (SS) – Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate his fantastic offensive game from yesterday, but as the cold rain continued to fall throughout much of this game, his sure hands in the infield with Trevor Cahill on the mound was of great value.

8. Henry Blanco (C) – He got his first start of the season (thanks to the day-game-after-the-night-game schedule). He called a solid game behind his starter today and did something he probably doesn’t do very often – reached base on an infield single.

9. Trevor Cahill (SP) – He had a much more relaxed start this time around – 7.1IP, 4H, 1R, 2BB, 6K. The only Rockie really able to figure him out was Jonathan Herrera, but nobody got further than second base. He got 12 ground ball outs and 6 strikeouts and generally was quite dazzling. Definitely the pitcher that Arizona thought they were getting – and who fit very nicely into a start at Coors Field. After he was pulled with a one-out double (to Jonathan Herrera) in the 8th (while it continued to rain/sleet/snow/etc), it was the start of the bullpen hoedown.

9b. Joe Paterson (RP) – Came in with one out in the 8th and induced a walk, a single and a force out, allowing his one runner inherited from Trevor Cahill to score.

9c. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Came in  with two outs in the 8th inning and Troy Tulowitzski promptly singled and drove in another run, sending Kirk Gibson back to his bullpen.

9d. Craig Breslow (RP) – Came in with two outs in the 8th inning and lost a 9 pitch at-bat to Jason Giambi, who took a walk.

9e. Bryan Shaw (RP) – Came in with two outs in the 8th inning, with the bases loaded and got the pinch-hitter Ramon Hernandez to end the inning with a ground ball. In reward for finally ending the 8th inning (and for being possibly the best rested member of the bullpen), he got to come out and collect the save in the 9th inning. He pitched a perfect 9th (fly out, ground out and swinging strikeout) in the elements.

Score: 5-2, Diamondbacks win (and avoid being swept by Colorado); Record 6-3. The weather – and the 8th inning – made this a lot closer than it should have been, but a win is a win and now the boys get to pack up and go back to the sun and warmth of Chase Field – or, at the very least, a roof over their heads.

Conclusion: It was wet and cold and miserable again. But the boys held on and kept this one from slipping away. 

image from flickr user: paul hadsall (flickr.com/photos/paulhadsall/4854585169/)

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 7/162. Unfortunately, this game turned into the bullpen olympics, which is not something you want for the first game of the series. There was a lot of hitting in this game, but in what has becoming a recurring theme, the timely hitting wasn’t there.

In the 4th inning, the boys ended up with runners on second and third and nobody out and they couldn’t get any of the runs across.

The team went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base as a team. Individually, the hitters left 17 men on base and, unfortunately, they fell just shy of being able to keep step with the Rockies.

It was a cold night, the team is tired from their late getaway day and hopefully things look better in the morning.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – Snapped his hitting streak by going 0-for-5 on the night.

2. Jason Kubel (LF) – 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – 2-for-4 with a walk. Notably, he bunted for a base hit. With his hand still hurting, this was a stroke of brilliance. When you run like him and no one is expecting it, it works. Also, there was a misplay of a flyball in the 3rd inning which led

4. Miguel Montero (C) – 2-for-4 with a walk. Hit a long homerun and hopefully this will be able to get him into the groove for the season.

5. Chris Young (CF) – 0-for-3 with 2 walks.

6. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – 2-for-5 with one strikeout. Unfortunately, he made a catching error on an attempted pickoff move which allowed Tulowitzski to move from 1st to 3rd and score the unearned run that was the difference in this game.

7. Geoff Blum (3B) – 0-for-3 with one strikeout.

8. Ryan Roberts (2B) – 1-for-3 with a walk.

9. Daniel Hudson (P) – In probably the story of the night, this is not a performance that Daniel Hudson is going to be replaying again. 3.2 IP, 10H, 6R, 3BB, 3K, 2HR. His command was all over the place and he just never seemed to settle in.

9b. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Came in and pitched an inning and a third and, taking one for the team actually had to bat for himself and didn’t do too badly for a relief pitcher from the american league in – to the best that I can discover – his first plate appearance in his MLB career.

9c. Craig Breslow (RP) – Came in and pitched 2 innings of 1-hit, 2-walk ball and kept the Rockies at bay.

9d. Aaron Hill (PH) – Pinch hitter for Craig Breslow and went 1-for-1 on the day.

9e. Bryan Shaw (RP) – Took the loss in this battle for pitching the 8th inning. His record falls to 0-1 on the year, with an ERA of 0.00. Unfortunately, following a one-out single by Carlos Gonzalez, an attempted pick-off ended up with CarGo ending up on third and he scored on a ground-rule double. A hard luck loss on an unearned run.

Score: 7-6, Diamondbacks lose; Record 5-2

Conclusion: After struggling to produce runs in San Diego, the runs were plentiful – but for both teams. So far this season, each game has been decided by 2 runs or less. When the margin for error is so tiny, you’re really living on the edge.

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. 

Willie Bloomquist (photo credit: Mark Winograd)

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 5/162. Where the only offense was no offense at all. Tonight, the team was 0-for8 with runners in scoring position and collected 10 strikeouts on the night. The bats were bound to go silent at some point, and a pitcher’s park is probably the place for it to happen. Unfortunately, Joe Saunders had to suffer a heartbreaking loss.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – Willie extended his hitting streak to 11 games this evening. And, in the process of doing so, he single-handedly provided enough ammunition to convince everyone watching that expanding the use of instant replay would be a bad idea. At the top of the 2nd inning, Willie hit a LOOOOOONG triple that bounced off the top of the wall and required at least 5 minutes of video review before the umpiring crew decided (correctly) that it was not a home run. 2-for-4 with 1BB and 1K.

2. Aaron Hill (2B) – Part of the offensive drought: 0-for-5.

3. Justin Upton (RF) - Part of the offensive drought: 0-for-3 with 2BB.

4. Miguel Montero (C) - Part of the offensive drought: 0-for-4 with 3K.

5. Chris Young (CF) - Part of the offensive drought: 1-for-2 with 2BB. Only a partial culprit. His personal highlight came in the 8th inning when he lost his glove over the wall, trying to rob the game-winning home run (video: here)

6. Jason Kubel (LF) – He worked a bases-loaded walk in the first inning to collect an RBI (in name only). He then followed that up with one of his better offensive performances in a Diamondbacks’ uniform. 2-for-3 with a walk and 0K.

7b. Gerardo Parra (LF) – Defensive replacement in the bottom of the 8th inning.

7. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) - Part of the offensive drought: 0-for-4 with 2K.

8. Ryan Roberts (3B) - Part of the offensive drought: 0-for-3, 1BB, 1K.

9. Joe Saunders (P) – Continued to own the Padres, as he did in 2011 when his ERA was 1.47. His final line on the night was 7.0IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 4K. Job well done. Unfortunately, it couldn’t stick.

9b. Geoff Blum (PH) – A strikeout in his only plate appearance.

9. David Hernandez (RP) – The usually-invincible 8th inning guy gave up a leadoff walk to Cameron Maybin and Chris Denorfia hammered a pitch over the centerfield wall and gave the Padres a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Score: 2-1, Diamondbacks lose. It had to happen sometime; Record 4-1.

Conclusion: The only offense of the night came on a bases-loaded walk by Jason Kubel. A win here would have been almost a miracle .