Diamondbacks 12, Braves 0: Glad Max - Beyond Relief...
by Jim McLennan on May 17, 2009 12:20 AM EDT
in Diamondbacks Game Reports
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PrintRecord: 14-23. Pace: 61-101. Change on last season: -9. Change on 2004: 0
Finally. That's probably the word that best sums up tonight's victory, the offense and pitching finally aligning to give Max Scherzer his first win in the major-leagues. After fourteen starts, 93.2 innings and 99 strikeouts, he finally gets to see the letter "W" by his name. It also marks the first time the Diamondbacks have won by such a wide margin since September 8. Oh, by the way - that's September 2006: 382 regular-season games ago.
Truth be told, it was not quite as easy as the final score might suggest. Arizona was only ahead by three runs after six innings: it took a late surge, capped by Chris Snyder's grand-slam, part of a six-run ninth inning, to reach the final margin. The team was also helped by nine walks from the Atlanta pitchers, including four in one inning, which put Mark Reynolds on, and then moved him all the way around the bases to score. But you can't ignore seven extra-base hits: as well as Snyder's homer, we got triples from Justin Upton and Gerardo Parra, and four doubles.
Parra was perhaps the offensive star of the game - at least up until Snyder's second long-ball of the season. He swatted three hits and drove in three runs, making him 5-for-13 with five RBI in three games since being called up from Double-A. At this rate, it might be quite some time before Chris Young (who popped out on the infield as a pinch-hitter) sees another start. Felipe Lopez also had two hits, Reynolds a hit and two walks, Upton two hits and a walk, Eric Byrnes two hits, Snyder two walks in addition to his salami and even the hitless Chad Tracy got a couple of free passes.
It was a very welcome change from the recent failings on offense. To put it into some kind of perspective, we scored more runs in one inning, that six-run ninth, than we had done in fourteen of the past fifteen games - and also in all but two of Max's thirteen career starts. This level of run support for Scherzer was well overdue, and you could also see AJ Hinch in the dugout, looking satisfied, probably for the first time since taking over the position. The potential in this team was very readily apparent today, and I hope to see a good deal more of it going forward. [Random note, mentioned in the GDT comments, but worth repeating: when Bobby Cox took charge in 1978 for his first game as the Braves manager, AJ Hinch was three...]
Max Scherzer wasn't as dominating as he has been - only four strikeouts in six innings - but when you pitch shutout baseball, you're not going to lose very many games. He was helped by some impetuous, shall we say, base-running early on the Braves. After they put men on the corners with one out, the old "fake to third, throw to first" move actually worked - and not only got the runner picked off first, but also managed to nail the runner on third, who seemed to have dozed off as things unfolded on the other side of the diamond. He also got Atlanta to hit into two double-plays, which helped keep his pitch-count manageable: he ended the night at 97 pitches, having allowed four hits and three walks. He did get a visit from the medical staff in the sixth, for a leg issue, but seemed to shrug it off: hopefully, it is as trivial as it seemed.
The bullpen did what it had too, throwing three scoreless innings, though not without a hiccup in the seventh. Scott Schoeneweis came in allowed a couple of hits, and Hinch ended up having to go to Gutierrez for the third out. Having thrown only two pitches, the aim was to send him out there in the eighth, but the Braves' wildness brought his spot up with the bases loaded and the game not quite out of reach at 5-0. So Hinch went to Montero, who walked in a run: Esmerling Vazquez pitched a scoreless eighth and, even though it wasn't quite a save situation (by the odd nine runs or so), went with Chad Qualls in the ninth. He took nine pitches to retire Atlanta in order, and it was probably wise to get him in, since Qualls hadn't seen the mound since last Sunday.
All told, it's the kind of emphatic victory that has been few and far between this season. The only comparable one is probably the 10-0 victory over the Cubs, and any positive impact from that didn't seem to last long, as we didn't score more than five runs again for almost two weeks thereafter. Still, after a week of almost unrestrained depression, this was a very welcome change, and I hope we see more Fangraphs mimicking the shape below on the rest of the road-trip.
[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Max Scherzer, +28.3%
Honorable mention: Gerardo Parra, +11.2%
God-emperor of suck: Stephen Drew, -5.6%
Definitely a much-more upbeat Gameday Thread, and the mood only got better as the game wore on and the runs arrived at an ever-increasing rate. Here's to that continuing tomorrow. Almost 500 comments: kishi reached three figures, while hotclaws took second again - kudos to newcomer Smoggie, who reached fourth-place on his SnakePit debut. Also present: unnamedDBacksfan, snakecharmer, TwinnerA, 4 Corners Fan, soco, mrssoco, sayheyupton, damdrs1717, Muu, Wimb, TheDBackFan, emilylovesthedbacks, Fiona, venomfan and J Up.
Looks like Doug Davis has patched things up with AJ Hinch, after yesterday's spat, both players saying it was simply confusion over whether the pitcher would be hitting for himself or not. Said Davis, "He had told me that I was going to be up there no matter what. He meant up on deck. I thought he meant at bat. That was it. That was the whole discussion. It's buried and done with." DD was rather less-conciliatory towards commentator Matt Williams, however, and had a curious comment when asked if he's spoken to Williams: "I don't need to talk to him about it. Just another front-office executive decision." I have to say, I suspect I will not be surprised if Davis fails to reach free-agency as a Diamondback.
Ok, I'm gonna get the Gameday Thread written now, since I doubt I'll be up at the ungodly hour required to post anything tomorrow. For the first time in quite some time, I will sleep well, and unconcerned by the Diamondbacks. May this be the start of things to come.
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Parra gon ? supposing he's a good clubhouse guy
Parra dox ? in case he does things like hitting a clutch double vs a top pitcher, only to get caught slleping at second…
Or maybe Parra mount – if he keeps doing an espetacular job
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
espetacular
I mean spectacular
messing around with portuguese =[
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
Cuz?
See, i come up with the lame ones, I don’t defend myself. But doesn’t Para mean “Because” in spanish? ;)
"I refuse to let you use my own words in context against me!" -Daily Show
The worst part of this?
My stepmother is from Mexico City and has spoken to me in Spanish since I was 8.
D’oh. Okay. Never mind. I fail at Spanish. Thank you. :)
"I refuse to let you use my own words in context against me!" -Daily Show
I gotta rave about this again
Beeyooteefull at-bat by Reynolds in the 9th inning. He laid off the balls, fouled off a couple of tough pitches and earned a very important walk. It looked very much like he’d been practicing his pitch recognition and discipline. He doesn’t have to do it every time, but I would love to see him add that approach to his regular arsenal.
Keep it up Mark!
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
That seems to the MO for Reynolds
When there is no pressure on him, like saw we are down by 10 or up by 10, is when he is awesome. Whenever you get him at the dish with 2 down, the base’s chucked and 2 outs, is when he chases that slider down and away (or if there was only one out, he will hit into a 6-4-3).
Reynolds is a great hitter when he doesn’t have to be, and an aweful one when he does. He just isn’t clutch, at all.
by parrotheadkrm on May 19, 2009 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Nooooo
NOT DOUGIE. DON’T SAY THOSE THINGS. NOT ON, JIM, NOT ON.
"I refuse to let you use my own words in context against me!" -Daily Show
So. Let me get this straight.
You all go see Star Trek and have a much better time there than watching a crappy game with no offense and/or a struggling defense.
I go see Star Trek and I miss 9 MORE RUNS AND A CELEBRATION OF MAX’S FIRST WIN?
There is no justice. There is no decency.
Errr
meant “struggling bullpen”… damn no edit function…
by snakecharmer on May 17, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions
The no edit function is Jko xevhd . Um, I meant to say jbufrh!
Mark Davis
EIC
Surprising Comics
by sayheyupton on May 17, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
There's only one thing left to do
Get a ticket to see it again during tomorrow’s game.
"A Dodgers game without Manny would be like an owl without a graduation cap- heartbreaking."
Heh, no. But, amusingly enough
some friends who didn’t come with us tonight are seeing the 10am IMAX show tomorrow morning.
by snakecharmer on May 17, 2009 2:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Davis probably deserves
some criticism, but sometimes the problem is more how it’s delivered – and by whom. Matt Williams is a PED loser on his third or fourth bimbo wife, who cant shut up about “playing the right way” or offering empty, meandering critiques of other players’ professionalism and behavior. On regional television.
Given Doug’s reputation as a professional and teammate, as well as the graceful and classy way he handled the club’s media-driven exploitation of his cancer, I’m inclined to give him a mulligan on this. He made a mistake and let’s move on.
Is this a veteran looking to be traded? A rat looking to abandon a sinking ship? I dont know. What I believe is this isnt the kind of visible stunt you pull when you have confidence in your manager. I mean professionally, not personally. And I think it’s unlikely you’d pull it unless some of your teammates felt the same way.
Doesnt mean they’re right. Maybe they underestimate Hinch. But currently, Hinch doesnt appear to inspire much confidence with the people who matter.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
I took over a a supervisory position
in a restaurant with bad staff problems, took six weeks getting it running sweetly and I didn’t have to train the staff how to hold plates correctly.Cut the guy some slack, he’s not a miracle worker, just a young guy dropped right in it, to sink or swim., I personally think the team look like they are playing with more purpose and fire for him.
"Tramps like us,baby we were born to run"
Could be
They’re also playing with more Drew and Parra recently too :-) I’m not trying to bury Hinch. I’m trying to understand his hiring against more conventional options and that assessment will definitely evolve. One part is watching the team play. Another part is picking up cues from players inside the clubhouse.
Bryan Price (courtesy of snakebitten fanshot):
A.J. has worked hard to get his credibility in the business in that [player-development] side of the game, but he doesn’t have any credibility between the lines as a manager.
That’s all I’m trying to say, really. Not that Hinch wont improve or cant win games, necessarily, but that JB traded a manger who had credibility with players for one with next to none. Maybe credibility’s overrated. With a team projected to win around 85-90 games (before Webb’s injury), we’re all going to find out.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 17, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I understand your attempt at rationalizing this... I don't think you can
I’ve heard pretty positive things on this hire from a lot of people. The major gripe that I’m hearing is the perplexing three year deal. That’s what I’m struggling to cope with. I think this is just JB going outside the box like his former coworkers Theo Epstein and Mark Shapiro. This is going to be an interesting year, should be fun from here on out.
Go DBacks!
What I *haven't* heard
Is how long Hinch’s contract was in his previous position? If it was also through 2012, then this move, giving him the same contract, just in a different position, would make sense.
How much ‘credibility’ did Bob Brenly have as a manager? That would be none, because his appointment with us was the first time he had managed. I’m not sure why appointing, say, a third-base coach with no managerial experience – whose in-game duties appear largely of waving his arms – is much different from appointing a player-development guy with no managerial experience. Hinch already has an existing relationship with most of the players and knows their strengths and weaknesses, probably much better than most people.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 17, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
A.J. hasn't had
any coaching experience either, though. I think that’s why most people are confused. He’s not just a new manager, he’s not just a new Major League manager or coach, it’s that he has no coaching or managing at any level.
That said, I agree with you, I think that his involvement with these very same players in the minors as a development manager is a very good attribute that he has. It’s just not the same as coaching in a game, even in a lower-level system.
by snakecharmer on May 17, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
In-game management
No doubt, not his strong suit. However, one wonders – if the manager is doing the coaching, what are the pitching coach, etc. doing?
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 17, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve heard pretty positive things on this hire from a lot of people.
Really? I heard Billy Beane praise the hire, but his penchant for planting big wet illusions on other GMs is, by now, famously documented. Honestly, I’ve heard about 90/10 negative. Well, 80/20 not incl wakeuparizonamorons ;-)
JB went out of the box once to hire a coach with no MLB coaching experience. Kevin Seitzer. The problem isnt going out of the box, per se. In JB’s case, the problem is results. He’s very analytical and owes much of his baseball success to looking beyond conventional wisdom, but based on Seitzer and some of the early interplay with AJ, I sense in JB a certain tone deafness in terms of interpersonal (ie clubhouse) dynamics and perhaps what professional athletes best respond to. I think we saw a taste of that in the press conference, frankly.
Before anyone jumps me for jumping on Hinch prematurely, I’m not jumping on Hinch. I’m jumping on Byrnes for looking across the vast horizon and plunking a 35 year old Stanford psychology major with all the presence of Opie Taylor in charge of a major league dugout.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 18, 2009 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions
No, I hear you
Knowing JB to be a numbers guy, I’ve always been worried he’s going to ignore the human aspects of the game. I personally am an old school guy who occasionally likes to look at the numbers (only when they favor my argument of course).
But addressing the where I’ve heard positive things well….. ESPN guys for one. I know I know its ESPN but I have a lot of respect for Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney and Jayson Stark, all who have said good things about this odd decision. The criticism comes from the contract. Some of the old retired players have said good things as well. Maybe the difference in analysis is coming from regional differences. I don’t hear much from everyday fans, who all seem to see this negatively, and hear and read mostly from professional beat writers a la ESPN and SI.
Go DBacks!
I personally am an old school guy who occasionally likes to look at the numbers (only when they favor my argument of course).
Ha! You’ll fit in perfect here :-)
I have a lot of respect for Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney and Jayson Stark
Me too. I dont always agree with em, and sometimes feel they’re too cozied up to MLB interests, but they’re terrific writers and I’m sorry I missed what they had to say.
I dont question the contract, in that it reinforces Hinch’s (or any manager’s) authority with employees. Right now, it rubs folks the wrong way, but I imagine later in the year, an interim status might make AJ’s clubhouse standing even more tenuous.
The underlying “authority” issues are pretty intriguing. In terms of lineups and playing time, it’s sounding like Melvin may’ve had less authority than was often assumed, with the likes of Chris Young, Jon Rauch, etc. – not compromised because of managerial or interpersonal shortcomings, but because he fundamentally disagreed with the GM.
And that didnt happen right away, like a personality clash. By all accounts, the two enjoyed an excellent working relationship for years. At the heart of this ‘deteriorating relationship’ was a growing substantitive rift over whether Josh Byrnes’ players were any good.
The promotions of Parra and Whitesell suggest Bob may’ve finally won the argument – and lost his job because of it, for practical and/or political reasons.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 18, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
At the heart of this ‘deteriorating relationship’ was a growing substantitive rift over whether Josh Byrnes’ players were any good. The promotions of Parra and Whitesell suggest Bob may’ve finally won the argument – and lost his job because of it, for practical and/or political reasons.
Curious to hear the evidence for this.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 18, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions
What could any GM and MGR disagree on?
1) Game strategy?
2 ) Player prep, handling, motivation?
3 ) Personnel?
Byrnes confirmed the relationship deteriorated recently, and the problem with the first two is Josh and Bob have been together since 2006. If they were fundamentally at odds on game strategies or managerial expectations, it would’ve boiled over earlier, imo. Besides, these are fairly mundane operational issues you periodically discuss, go back n forth on, and update, as part of any healthy collaborative effort.
A manager cant really go back n forth on, and/or update, personnel, in the same way as the first two. He can certainly make his feelings known to the GM. He can work with personnel, he can train personnel and try different approaches(see #2 above), but if he’s done all that (or thinks he has) without much success, managers are apt to lose faith in players, ordinarily quicker than GMs. Because a manager’s “investment” in a player is fairly one-dimensional: get the player to help the team win. A GM’s investment is two-fold: get the player to help the team win, but also justify the financial side. Sometimes that makes it harder for a GM to “let go”.
Wasnt that Byrnes’ implicit stance at the press conference? Hinting that Bob lost faith in the personnel, not giving off the right “vibe”, etc.
The idea of “winning” the argument is based on that assumption, and the fact JB/AJ appear to have lost at least short term faith in some of these guys (CY, the first basemen) with the recent callups and batting orders. If a GM feels the manager is the sole problem, then the sole solution is to replace him. You dont keep replacing personnel, unless you believe they’re part of the problem too.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 19, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
90/10 negative
How much of that was outside the Nattering Nabobs of Negativity on azcentral.com?
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 18, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
You know the origin
of nattering nabobs, right? VP Agnew dismissing the skewed, irresponsible, liberal press….that uncovered, well for starters, the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, then tax evasion and money laundering in connection with bribes Spiro took as Gov of Maryland. So, yeah, they were real negative ;-)
The Republic polled more than 8000 people, and 3% said AJ was the right man for the job. Melvin tallied 58% – and, let’s face it, he’s never been all that popular
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 19, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Nobody
KNOWS who AJ Hinch is, so of COURSE they think he’s the wrong guy. How many people knew who Barack Obama was just 2 years ago?
Jim Zorn, 55. Sean Miller, 40. AJ Hinch, 34. Notice a pattern here?
Been busy all weekend with my sister’s graduation so checking in to see good news is most definitely welcome.
We are naming our kid Emmetalie if we ever get one. The middle name is going to be Baseball. Does that work for you, hon? --Growing Up Cullen
I know the feeling
I’ve just been absolutely incapable of actually catching a game over the last week. So I’m banking on Jim and our recappers to tell me how I feel about this team. Its the 2008 election all over again. The media tells me how to feel and then I wear trendy shirts.
Go DBacks!
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