SnakeBytes, 7/8: Fishing Edition

Yeah.  So.  What do you do about a game like yesterday?  Just...  Face it and move on, I guess.

Recaps:

• [azcentral.com] Arizona Diamondbacks swept by Chicago Cubs - "The Diamondbacks' threshold for pain has to be off the charts." If you're still following the team at this point in the season, the same probably applies to you.

• [tsn.ca] Cubs finish sweep of Diamondbacks in Arizona - "I felt like I made good pitches, they just found a way to find holes." It seems like they always do.

• [AP] Chicago beats Arizona 8-3 for first sweep at Chase - By striking out 10 or more times for the fifth straight game, we matched a team record from... Well, from May.

The worst part of playing the Marlins in Phoenix is that we don't get to see Chewbacca.  The bright side is that someone at least show up to see the games.

Previews:

• [miamiherald.com] Florida Marlins (40-44) at Arizona Diamondbacks (32-53) - We faced off with the Marlins about a month and a half ago- I'm sure we all remember Hanley Ramirez's sulk- and both of us have replaced managers since that time.

• [sun-sentinel.com] Thursday: Florida Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks - The Marlins have a 15-28 record at Chase Field, but the last time they lost a series here was 2004.

• [cbssports.com] Marlins-Diamondbacks Preview - Florida is 4-4 since they announced they'd stick with Edwin Rodriguez as manager for the rest of the year. Obviously, Kirk Gibson has had less success so far.

• [mlb.com] D-backs look to get on track vs. Marlins - "So far out of every game there's disappointment." Truth, Kirk. Truth. Now let's make it less true.

The other advantage is games don't start at 3 in the afternoon, so we can see the DBacks play.  On the other hand, this isn't always an advantage...

• [rotoworld.com] Nightengale: D'Backs will keep Haren unless 'blown away' - Short, I know, but I loved the commentary: "Well, duh."

• [Fox Sports Arizona] Daron Sutton talks about Sparky Anderon's influence on Kirk Gibson (video) - Kirk talking about how his manager had an effect on him.  If he can pass that along to our players, that'd be great, though I don't expect him to be running routes for anyone on our team.
  

• [fanhouse.com] Twelve Thoughts: Hart's Homers, Professor Maddux, Dirt on D'backs - Some notes about the DBacks here- mainly the firings. They point out that Hinch wasn't the only person put into a position he had no previous experience at.

• [foxsportsarizona.com] Jackson finishes a strong first half - 5-2 with a 3.30 ERA in his last 10 starts. Not bad.

• [perpetualpost.com] Josh Byrnes in Review - A look at Byrnes's time as GM. The reviewer is less than impressed, though I'd wonder how many of the problems he sees were really Byrnes's fault- is it's the GM job to get "the best from the bumper crop of prospects he inherited"? Wouldn't that be on the coaches?

Around Sports:

• [mlb.com] Gammons: What to watch for in second half - A look at some of the stories we'll see take place across baseball in the next month or two.

• [npr.org] How To Fill The Other 59 Minutes And 45 Seconds Of The LeBron James Special - Is it an hour for a 15 second announcement? NPR offers some suggestions on how to take up the rest of the time.

• [yahoo.com] Should Johnson or Jimenez get the NL's All-Star start? - Who should start for the NL in the All Star game- Josh Johnson or Ubaldo Jimenez?

• [espn.com] Jake Peavy's back injury, which could keep him out for the rest of the season, will put increased pressure on the surging Chicago White Sox - Jake Peavy, our old nemesis, faces new health problems and is out for the year.

That's plenty for today.  A new series means new hope, for at least a few fleeting moments.  Maybe our boys can live up to it for once.  Go DBacks.