Diamondbacks 11, Astros 9: Nevuh Fuhget - The Pony Dome 08/09/11
by Marc Fournier on Aug 10, 2011 2:21 AM EDT
in Diamondbacks Game Reports
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Just kidding. It wasn't exactly ordinary.
Let me start by saying... WTF HOUSTON? The Astros hadn't scored 18 runs in their past five games combined but somehow managed to crank that amount in the last two games versus Arizona. Seriously, WTF HOUSTON? Daniel Hudson is supposed to be awesome all of the time and Jason Marquis dominated them earlier in the year. The Astros are a bunch of jerks.
Today's game didn't start out in the same fashion that it ended. Ponies were non-existent as Miguel Montero and Justin Upton helped to power the D-backs to their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first inning. The Astros answered right back in the top of the second, however, with a bunch of groundballs or something. I don't actually remember, it feels like so long ago. Plus, Jason Marquis was pitching, who I've tried to void any memory of since he's been a Diamondback.
Then things got pony crazy. Houston scored six runs in the third and fourth innings bringing their depressing lead to a grotesque 7-1. Willie Bloomquist committed an error that he wish he wouldn't have and Jason Marquis was still awful. Ring any bells? HELL'S BELLS? That's because at that point in the game, the D-backs had surrendered a tally of 16 runs to their meager 2 at that point in the series. To a team that has a winning percentage just over .300. Some of us were falling asleep, others were delivering F-bombs, but one special soul brought in the ponies. Thanks to these ponies something special happened.
As the pony dome started to surge, so did the D-backs. With Micah Owings in the game and buckling down on the mound, the offense splurged behind him to the tune of four runs. With the bases loaded, Justin Upton nailed a 1-2 pitch for a two-run double. A mirror image of earlier in the game, Montero followed up with his own success with a two-run single. Arizona erased a 6-run lead to within two.
Micah went back on the mound for the 6th inning and held the fort down once again. The D-backs weren't done pony splurging though and started the inning exactly where they had left off. Willie Bloomquist made up for his error earlier in the game with a two-run hit and Upton followed with one of those far home runs that he likes to hit. When all was said and done, eight runs crossed the plate in the fifth and sixth innings to overcome a 7-1 deficit, matching the largest rally in franchise history. The D-backs took a 9-7 lead into the 7th inning.
Owings allowed a home run to Jimmy Paredes, his first career homer, in the 7th inning and David Hernandez walked a pair of batters and made a laughably bad error but the D-backs still held onto the lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. With the Astros creeping closer, moving to within one run of tying, it was up to the 0-fer's for some insurance. Both Ryan Roberts and Kelly Johnson, who had been hit-less, drilled a pair of doubles to plate two much needed insurance runs. It's also noteworthy to mention that Gerardo Parra had himself his fourth career four-hit night. The production he's given us in the 8-spot has been amazing.
J.J. Putz came in for the save but clearly had issues with his command. His fastballs were listing away from where he wanted them and the rookie Astros weren't having any problems putting them into play. Though a run had scored, Putz got a flyout and a strikeout to bring the game within an out of completion. It was up to the "little guy" Jose Altuve. Altuve battled a bit before hitting a little dribbler that looked like it was about to get by Putz. THINK AGAIN. J.J. channeled his inner-ponyism and made a great play. Daron Sutton's brain exploded and the 'Pit erupted with more ponies. GAME. OVER.
On to the Fangraph...
[Click to access the actual fangraph which is truly an amazing thing]
Top Pony: Justin Upton, 34.7%
Junior Ponies.: Willie Bloomquist, 22.1%, Gerardo Parra, 21.7%, Miguel Montero, 21.5%, David Hernandez, 12.6%
The baseball equivalent of an evil pony: Jason Marquis, -37.8%
The GDT was insane in the membrane with nearly 1700 comments among a huge cast of 50+ members. The crew and breakdown are as follows:
| Name | # of Posts |
|---|---|
| justin1985 | 215 |
| snakecharmer | 168 |
| BulldogsNotZags | 121 |
| soco | 99 |
| txzona | 96 |
| Rockkstarr12 | 92 |
| blue bulldog | 84 |
| NASCARbernet | 75 |
| kishi | 68 |
| hotclaws | 62 |
| BattleMoses | 50 |
| Clefo | 44 |
| Sprankton | 42 |
| CaptainCanuck | 41 |
| Bcawz | 39 |
| Shums | 39 |
| dbacksfann | 38 |
| luckycc | 32 |
| 4 Corners Fan | 27 |
| JoeCB1991 | 25 |
| iTalk2Cornfields | 25 |
| TinySarabia | 21 |
| Brian MacKinney | 21 |
| DivineWolfwood | 20 |
| CardsForTheWin | 18 |
| Sabean's_Folly | 17 |
| porty99 | 13 |
| sonic barracuda | 11 |
| piratedan7 | 8 |
| TimLincecumIsGod | 8 |
| The so-called Beautiful | 7 |
| brian custer | 6 |
| Burls | 6 |
| njjohn | 5 |
| Dan Strittmatter | 5 |
| mbarnard11 | 4 |
| Skii | 4 |
| DeDxDbacKxJroK | 4 |
| Baseballdad | 4 |
| GuruB | 4 |
| Gibbysdad | 3 |
| Husk | 3 |
| Turambar | 3 |
| iheartdbacks | 2 |
| Backin'the'Backs | 2 |
| YoungCardsFanatic | 1 |
| blank_38 | 1 |
| PhoenixFly | 1 |
| Jdub220 | 1 |
| jaydubsped | 1 |
| Britback | 1 |
| AZDBACKR | 1 |
COTD was up for grabs a few times but ultimately went to a well-deserved CaptainCanuck:
And so it was told.
72 comments
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Comments
AND SO IT WAS TOLD
CAN I GET AN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN.
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
I'd apologize for that thread, Jim
But I ain’t sorry.
"Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence."
by kishi on Aug 10, 2011 2:40 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Me neither...
Nor all the Sports Night quotes. ;)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:48 AM EDT up reply actions
(But it’s a good thing we won, or else we’d probably apologize a lot a lot a lot.)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh man
If we’d lost, I’d be all for burning the thread and salting the earth it had grown on. Which would have been problematic.
But, hey, we won!
"Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence."
Delete the GDT,
hack into SBN to back-timestamp it, and post 200 fbomb-less comments. ;)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Oops, i missed a step
“post clean GDT, then hack into SBN……”
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:59 AM EDT up reply actions
And a retweet
From Gracie and Sutton solidifies this.
Don’t bet against the wrong pony…..
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Aug 10, 2011 2:53 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, thaaaaaaat's hilariously awesome :)
And then he quoted Seinfield.
Maybe we should warn the new people that we’re not always like this?
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
That almost made me spit water on my laptop.
"Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence."
I am almost positive Daron nearly spit up water
when he read the line about “Daron Sutton’s brain exploded.” ;)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 3:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Truth be told
I always enjoy hearing Sutton at the end of a win. Icing on the cake.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Aug 10, 2011 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh yeah, he was great tonight
Especially after a game like that. I love hearing him get excited.
And I’m sure he loved your line, it’s a pretty accurate description. :D
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 3:12 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
(Psst..... from Sutton)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 2:57 AM EDT up reply actions
(Gracie’s not on twitter as often as Sutton… it’s almost always “Sut here” with the links to stuff.)
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 3:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Ahhh.
That’d be the lack of twitterage from me to recognize that sort of thing.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Aug 10, 2011 3:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Dooooooooood
You need to be twittering more often then!
I stopped reading. Now I just write sarcastic, angry comments.. -- soco
They're not even cooking the ice! -- kishi
by snakecharmer on Aug 10, 2011 3:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm trying to like it
But it just hasn’t clicked. I’ve been using it moderately though.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Aug 10, 2011 3:14 AM EDT up reply actions
You will be.
Trust me. You will be…
Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."
by Jim McLennan on Aug 10, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
or perhaps a more apt description thus far would be
a rented mule, because he’s certainly been beaten like one thus far
I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused....
by piratedan7 on Aug 10, 2011 3:31 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And if Marquis keeps doing terrible...
Would he be labeled a horse’s butt?
"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth
by Rockkstarr12 on Aug 10, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Craziest game I've ever been to.
So glad I went tonight and last night. So much more fun.
My birthday was yesterday too, but I’m just going to tell myself that the DBacks were just late at giving me a present. :)
Happy Birthday Andrew ;)
"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth
by Rockkstarr12 on Aug 10, 2011 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Not to crash the party
But the D-backs rally was right about the time that my three types of cookies started coming out of the oven tonight… I’m not sayin’, but I’m just sayin’.
Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Aug 10, 2011 5:05 AM EDT reply actions
Don’t know if i love or hate rally back being down 6 to the Astros…but that JD Martinez kid is for real.
by Augdogs on Aug 10, 2011 5:37 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
a memory made
Took my 5 year old to the first game that she will probably remember and man what a show. Going to be hard to explain that all games aren’t like this.
Phenomenal game to attend
The first four innings were utterly horrific: bad pitching [Marquis looked terrible. Again], bad at-bats, poor defense and more OOBs [Montero making the first out at third, killing that really]. 7-1 down, it was over.
But then, the team located their talent, and looked unstoppable for the next four frames. Hit after hit, run after run, almost three shutout innings from Owings [if Collmenter falters, Micah deserves another crack at the rotation: 47 IP and a 2.68 ERA?] and we were back in front.
Those eighth and ninth innings though… I think my emotions looked like last night’s Fangraph during one single play – the bunt Hernandez threw away:
- Yay! They popped the bunt up!
- Boo! Hernandez dropped it!
- Yay! Oh, I get it – easy double play.
- Boo! ##$&!!!! #!&??@?!!!
Credit the crowd for really getting into it, long and loud, after he fought back to strike out the next two. Even after he walked the bases loaded, every strike was getting cheered – a stark contrast to the (well-deserved) boos received by Marquis earlier in the game [sorry, 19 hits in eight innings of work for AZ is a thoroughly boo-able rate]
The ninth wasn’t any less tense – thanks heavens for those insurance runs, or it’d have been a disaster. Still, we were one bloop single from bonus baseball with one out in the ninth, before Putz saved his own bacon with a throw from his knees [Hey, anyone note Chad Qualls took his sixth loss for the Padres last night, being charged with three runs, without retiring a batter? :-)]
Nice to meet Backin’the’Backs on the way out, putting a full-stop on the night’s proceedings. Definitely one for the memory. Now, can we have a couple of blow out victories for Arizona tonight and tomorrow?
Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."
At first I was all
Then I was all
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
by JoeCB1991 on Aug 10, 2011 11:06 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
I've spent
The last ten minutes trying to lip read that pony.
No avail
Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3
"I'm like if it fits in the oven, play ball." - soco
Promised Colin Cowgill fifteen sandwiches on 7/6/2011
It's not saying anything.
Just opening and closing its mouth. You can’t read cartoon characters lips.
Per Mare, Per Terras
Hashtag for me?
"First of all, Life Sucks. Alright? Period. Done deal. You got it? There's your lesson. Enjoy it."-Coach McGuirk, Home Movies.
by BulldogsNotZags on Aug 10, 2011 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I under-estimated the power of the internet.
(Never knew so many ponies existed; and I have a 4 year daughter.)
I got nothin'.
By the way,
I left the GDT (had a few things to get done, but the game wasnt helping at the time); who started the Pony Parade?
I got nothin'.
Marquis, Collmenter, and Miley
The leash on Collmenter may be short, but how much longer is the leash on Marquis? This is ridiculous. This Astros offense is putrid. There is no excuse. NONE. We brought Marquis over to help bolster our postseason chances and the collective response here was that he was worth 1-2 wins. Well, from where I’m sitting he should be 2 for 2 at costing us games. He’s got to step up or we’re going to sputter to the finish line. We don’t have 11 runs in us every Marquis start.
In my book, Collmenter has a shot today to stay in the rotation. If he fails, then it’s Miley time. If he succeeds, then Marquis’ neck ought to be on the line. One more shot for him. If he gives us another one of these performances, then I’d dall for him to be sent to the pen (or the DL’d for suckiness always works) in favor of Miley.
"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder
hence the "DL'd for suckiness..." comment.
"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder
Listened to KT on the radio this morning
And he made a solid point about Marquis – Owings, and even Collmenter, have had success in relief before. Marquis, OTOH, has been a starter for a very long time, so who knows how he’d adapt to relief? I think his leash will be linger than Collmenter’s for that reason, as it probably should be.
That said, Zach Duke had been a career starter before getting bumped, so we aren’t afraid to take a chance. If Marquis doesn’t hack it, though, it’ll be extremely interesting to see who goes from the roster. Someone has to work short relief, after all. You can move Micah to a seventh-inning slot, but who gets booted from the roster? Carry an extra pitcher and cut ties with Nady? It’d be a predicament.
I do think we see Miley start for us this year, one way or another, but if it’s replacing Marquis, it might need to wait until September for when rosters expand and someone to be moved to the bullpen. If Collmenter pitches himself out of a starting slot, he might be temporarily optioned to Reno.
Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Aug 10, 2011 12:57 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I agree with everything you say here.
I wasn’t suggesting that Marquis’ leash ought to be shorter than Collmenter’s. What I was suggesting was that both ought to be very short, Collmenter’s fate ought to be determined by tonight’s start, and Marquis by his next.
I think Gibby’s done a nice job with his in-game leash on these guys. And it sure is nice to have two guys who can come in and give you four innings (Duke and Owings) working in the pen. That’s a nice luxury. But yeah, you probably don’t want three of those. Of course, once September comes, I think this is what should happen.
"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder
Don't knock it
If it works
Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3
"I'm like if it fits in the oven, play ball." - soco
Promised Colin Cowgill fifteen sandwiches on 7/6/2011
The 4 comments which turned it all around for us last night:
HEY GUYS
:) :) :) :) :) :)
by soco
Turn that smile upside down, compadre!!!!!!
No room for happiness in this room right now!!!!!!!!!!!
by BulldogsNotZags
I’mma
post nothing but My Little Ponys from now on.
by soco
Well those make me angry
So that is allowed.
by BulldogsNotZags
And so it began, the day of the Pony, and yea, it was good, for it sparked a 6 run comeback and culminated in a victory that could help to spur us on to a division title.
"First of all, Life Sucks. Alright? Period. Done deal. You got it? There's your lesson. Enjoy it."-Coach McGuirk, Home Movies.
by BulldogsNotZags on Aug 10, 2011 12:45 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Hmmm.
Must have missed the memo anointing you someone able to decide “that is allowed”.
:-(((
Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."
by Jim McLennan on Aug 10, 2011 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
It was chaos in there last night
Every person for themselves. Of course, I didn’t expect there to be more than 2 or 3, and there ended up being about 50 some, lol.
Do you have a personal repulsion for My Little Pony?
"First of all, Life Sucks. Alright? Period. Done deal. You got it? There's your lesson. Enjoy it."-Coach McGuirk, Home Movies.
by BulldogsNotZags on Aug 10, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I think any sane person does
By in particular, I associate rally equines with a certain NL West site… And F-bombs with another one…
Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."
by Jim McLennan on Aug 10, 2011 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
"Mods are gone, post ponies!"
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
And thank goodness
Because the rending of the garments and the gnashing of the teeth that happened before that was just about enough to make me crazy.
This is not going to be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content...
It was a bit angsty in there last night before the ponies
I left because the ponies were giving me a headache…no offense, everyone. Just the bright colors and flash gave me a migraine :( Can’t enjoy the fun when you’re hurting.
"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth
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From now on
we shall be called the Arizona Diamondponies.
by CaptainCanuck on Aug 9, 2011 9:19 PM MST reply actions 6 recs