Take that, spell check.

Well, after a good start to the series, we just couldn't finish off the Brewers.  Missed opportunities abound for the team, but it felt like a closer game than you'd think it would have, after giving up six runs in the first two innings.

Recaps:

• [dbacks.com] Timely hits elude scrappy D-backs in finale - Wait, we're scrappy now? Aw, no!

• [azcentral.com] Arizona Diamondbacks can't get 4-game sweep of Milwaukee Brewers - "I ran out of gas pretty early." I think we could all tell that.  But he did settle in and give the bullpen a bit more rest than we thought they'd see, I'm sure.

• [foxsportsarizona.com] McGehee, Brewers overpower Diamondbacks - Well, yeah, but only because Webb and Gutierrez were injured.

After the jump, we'll let some black cats cross our path as we walk under a ladder.  Or maybe we'll look ahead to the Washington series, we'll see.

Couldn't find the cat on short notice, sorry.

Previews:

• [mlb.com] Lefties to battle in D-backs-Nats opener - Joe Saunders takes on the Nats for the second time- last time, he went nine innings and gave up one run.  I'd take that.

• [cbssports.com] Diamondbacks-Nationals Preview - He is looking to recover from his bad outing against the Padres, though.  The key, he says?  Throwing strike one.

• [miamiherald.com] Arizona Diamondbacks (46-70) at Washington Nationals (49-66) - On the other hand, John Lannan is looking for his first home win of the season in eight attempts.  He's pretty much had our number, allowing only 1 run in 19 innings.

DBacks News:

• [fangraphs.com] A New Split For Adam LaRoche - Everyone knows Adam LaRoche's main split- he's on fire after the All Star Break.  But this season, he's got a new one, as he dominates left-handed pitching.

• [azcentral.com] Arizona Diamondbacks' Daniel Hudson catching on fast - A look at one of the latest additions to our rotation.

• [SBNation Arizona] First Trade Impressions: Salary Dump To Over The Hump - Jess Root- aka happilytrappedfan- looks at how our trade deadline deals have done in the first few weeks.

• [The D-blog] Minor League Report - A look at some minor league performances over the past few days.

• [beyondtheboxscore.com] Gamel, Allen, Nelson Killing Triple-A, Blocked in Majors - BtB looks at players who are tearing it up in the minors, but blocked from moving up to the bigs. Brandon Allen, hitting .300/.446/.628 since the beginning of June, is mentioned.

Around Baseball:

• [nytimes.com] Bob Uecker Back in Booth for Brewers After Heart Surgery - While yesterday's game wasn't much fun to watch, I did like getting to hear Uecker in the booth for Milwaukee.  Good to have him back.

• [dodgers.com] Broxton's struggles waste Kemp's efforts - "Struggles" doesn't even cover it. It was an epic collapse, four runs without getting an out.  It was fun to watch.

• [yahoo.com] Which big-market fans should feel the most depressed? - With that in mind...  Sure, things may be bad for us. But we can look at the Cubs and Dodgers and get some enjoyment out of their problems, at least.

• [si.com] Chipper Jones' injury could end Atlanta Braves' playoff chances
  - Injuries have certainly played a big part in the NL East race this far, but it'd be rough to see the Braves fall behind because of this.  Jones isn't planning to retire, though.  He'll have surgery on his knee tomorrow, and try to rehab for next season.

And that's your stories for today.  Go Dbacks!