|
||
|
I just saw a trailer for the action-movie of the summer. Not MI: 3. Not X-Men: The Last Stand. Not even Snakes on a (mo'fo') Plane. No, I just saw the trailer for DOA: Dead or Alive, and it has "guilty pleasure" written all over it. If you ever played the video-game [ok, video jiggle-fest], you'll know what I mean. However, getting Mrs. SnakePit in to see it may require the use of chloroform. Though actually, it's directed by Corey Yuen, a veteran of many martial arts movies who did the excellent The Transporter, so I can just use that and profess shocked surprise when the beach volleyball starts... :-)
The D'backs leave the comfy confines of Chase - which were a lot more comfy on this homestand, than we've been used to for the past season and a half, to enter the realm of the NL West. And to misquote Charles Dickens, "It was the best of teams. It was the worst of teams." We face both the reigning National League champions (who have some guy called Pujols that's supposedly not too bad), and the Pittsburgh Pirates, whose season should be rated "Arrrrrr" for scenes of extreme, gory incompetence and strong fan language.
We start off with the easy leg, facing a team currently on pace for 118 losses. This opener is likely the Pirates' best chance of success: Batista largely has four double-plays to thank for escaping his previous outing unscathed. He got through seven innings, allowing one run, but as someone who was there, I can tell you: it wasn't pretty and it wasn't comfortable. I still think this one is 50/50 who'll get it, but I think we should be able to muster enough to take down Snell. The rest of the series has as close to a banker win as you can get in Webb, and Juan Cruz who has allowed one earned run in 11 innings as a starter.
Evening game in Pittsburgh, so a 4:05 first pitch here in AZ. That means I should be around for the first six innings or so, before heading off to IZW for a night of cathartic sports entertainment. I hope, by that time, we're tying a bow around a victory, and handing the mound over to the lesser members of our bullpen.