We’ve been keeping track of the times the Dbacks and their opponents have been hit-by-pitches this season. The 2012 HBP-0-Meter can be found [here].

It is has long been apparent that Justin Upton gets hit by more than your average number of pitches.

It has also been increasingly apparent that things have started getting personal between the Diamondbacks and the Giants.

So, when the game started off with Justin Upton getting plunked by Matt Cain, it seemed like more of the same. Unfortunately, he ended up stranded. And, in what would become a recurring theme, the team was unable to drive a run across the plate.

So, why all this talk about batters getting plunked?

Well, in the 6th inning, with the Giants ahead 2-1 and with  2-out and nobody on, Dbacks’ starter Trevor Cahill plunked both Emmanuel Burriss and Brandon Crawford – who then both came around to score when Matt Cain (yes, the opposing pitcher) ripped a double to right field.

This was a bit of sloppy game and a bit of an offensive mess.

Three (or less) negative things:

1. The team went 0-for-the-day with runners in scoring position. This was not a pretty game.
2. The Dbacks collected 11 strikeouts on the day, with Parra, Upton and Montero collecting 2, 2, and 3.
3. The Dbacks appear to have lost their ability to come back from behind to win ballgames this year. Let’s hope this is a trend that gets reversed in the near future.

Five positive things:

1. Craig Breslow did his job and stranded his inherited runners and pitching around an error.
2. John McDonald: Pinch hitter. No matter the outcome of that plate appearance (5-3 groundout), that will always make me smile.
3. Jason Kubel is still seeing the ball well, with a walk and a couple of hits and a run scored.
4. The Dbacks can still win the series tomorrow!
5. Cody Ransom is still hitting above .300! (Yeah, so he contributed from the bench today, but I had to stretch.)

And, a random youtube video. Because cats are funnier with accents.

Score: 5-2; Diamondbacks lose. The 9 game winning streak against the Giants came to an end. Like all good things.

Conclusion: Blech.

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!

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)

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

So, a couple of weeks ago, Daniel Hudson ran his mouth a little on the subject of Justin Upton leading the National League in being hit-by-pitches last season.

In an interview with Arizona Sports KTAR 620, Daniel Hudson had the following to say, when he was asked about the number of times Justin Upton was hit last season:

“If it’s a starting pitcher, remember, he’s got to hit. “They either have to hit their spots, or expect something in return.”

This was on a Monday.

On the Tuesday, Daniel Hudson spoke to MLB.com, where he clarified what he meant by his comments. But, wasn’t willing to take them back entirely:

“The scouting report may be to throw him inside, pound him inside, but it comes to a point where you either hit your spot or you don’t, and when it becomes a problem is when you do it more than once in a game, more than once in a series. Then it becomes a problem. I said what I said and I stand by it, but like I said, it got perceived a little bit different than I actually said it.”

And, that same day, Luis Gonzalez (who knows something about playing baseball in a Diamondbacks’ uniform) took to the air and voiced his opinion on the matter:

“You know what I do now, I go in the locker room and I pull him to the side and I say ‘shut your mouth, don’t say that, and you just do it on the field because you earn more respect. Because now, if that happens in a game and he doesn’t do it, you’ve got it on tape…and fans are listening to this and they’re going ‘well why the heck would he say that if he’s not going to back it up?’”

It was interesting to note that, nowhere in either session with the media, was anyone saying that the Diamondbacks would be against the concept of retaliation.

And, interestingly, in both Hudson and Gonzalez’s speeches to the media, they indicated that plunking an opponent in retaliation had to be timed appropriately, so that when a game was on the line, opponents weren’t getting a free pass to first base.

So, when today – in the first game of a double-header, Justin Upton found himself plunked for the second time in as many days in the fourth inning when the game was knotted at 0-0, immediate retaliation wasn’t practical – even in a meaningless spring training game – seeing as wins have been so hard for the Diamondbacks to come by. But, in the top of the 7th, with the Diamondbacks down 2-0 to the Padres, there were two outs, Will Venable found himself trotting to first base after being hit by a pitch delivered by David Hernandez, a RHP out of the Dbacks’ pen.

Following the incident, warnings were issued to both sides. And, hey, if Ozzie Guillen can get himself ejected during a spring training game, a little beanball might be hard to sneak past the umpires.

It looks like Luis Gonzalez didn’t have to worry that his pitchers wouldn’t back up their words.

After the game, Hernandez spoke to MLB.com:

“For me, in the spring, I’ve been trying to get the ball in to lefties. That’s been a weakness for me. I got the ball in to the first lefty I faced. That’s something I’ve got to work on.”

That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.

“As a pitcher, you definitely have to protect your guys, but I was trying to go in and it got away and it hit him.”

No, really, He’s sticking to it:

And, just in case he needed back-up, there is at least one other person who is singing the same song:

No, that’s not highly suspicious, guys. Not at all.

As was pointed out at the official site, the Diamondbacks play the Padres 18 times during the upcoming season.

And with the 2011 NL HBP Leader Justin Upton (19) playing for the Diamondbacks and 2011 MLB (and AL) HBP Leader Carlos Quentin (23) now playing for the Padres, everyone who is planning on coming to the plate during their match-ups should likely invest in some high-quality body armor.

And, if you’re thinking about making a drinking game out of this season’s plunkings…. you’re probably going to need a very large bottle.

Play (bean)ball!