Not sorry to be leaving Colorado, but the roadtrip rumbles on, with the Diamondbacks now down at sea-level against the Giants. Here's to better things in these three games, and the Giants offense has returned to its sputtering ways, having scored 13 runs in six contests since we last saw them. More on that later: first, here are the recaps of the final game at Coors [if you care], and after the jump, a lot of news bits and pieces, on players both major and minor.
Recaps
- [AZCentral]Rockies complete sweep of Diamondbacks - "For the second consecutive start, he allowed four home runs and has given up 16 homers this season. At this pace, he would approach Bert Blyleven's single-season record of 50 home runs allowed in 1986."
- [Yahoo!] 3 straight homers lead Rockies to sweep D-backs - "I caught too much plate in the seventh and good hitters are going to make you pay," Haren said. "I had trouble keeping the ball in the yard. I’m frustrated. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this in my career.":
- [dbacks.com] Haren roughed up against Rockies - "It all boils down to execution of pitches," Hinch said. "He's battling, he's trying and right now every mistake, every bad pitch he's making is getting punished. He's trying. It's really hard to describe because it's nothing that anyone is ever expecting when he's on the mound. He's as good as it gets when he's on and he's just had a hard time finding that consistency this year."
Team News and Notes
- [AZCentral] Diamondbacks consider draft options with 6th overall pick - "Multiple mock drafts have the Diamondbacks going with Georgia Tech right-hander Deck McGuire. Mississippi lefty Drew Pomeranz also has been connected to the Diamondbacks, but they appear to be looking elsewhere."
- [dbacks.com] Struggling Gutierrez getting break - "I am going to give him a little bit of a break," Hinch said. "It's a little perplexing to watch a guy with that kind of stuff have this kind of start to the season."
- [AZCentral] Drew consistently strong in 2010 - Drew doesn't think he's seeing breaking balls better, but rather getting better wood on them. "I'm putting better swings on them, you could say," he said. "I'm just trying to get the pitch that you're looking for to drive and do damage with. That's what I'm trying to do."
- [dbacks.com] Sore thigh hurting Reynolds again - Reynolds said he felt the injury again over the past week when he took a swing. It does not affect him in the field, but does at the plate. He has been icing it after games. "It bothers me when I swing and [run]," Reynolds said. "It feels about how it did when I hurt it earlier."
- [Diary of a Diehard] Diamondbacks Offer Fans Wiggle Room - "The Diamondbacks have found a way to make me actually miss Country music. I never thought that would be possible."
- [dbacks.com] Parker seeks patience in comeback - "The biggest battle for Jarrod Parker these days is not with the work associated with coming back from Tommy John surgery, but rather having the patience to deal with the process."
- [AZCentral] Diamondbacks farm report: RHP Wes Roemer shining - "RHP Wes Roemer was promoted from Mobile, where he posted a 2.39 ERA in eight starts. He has continued to pitch well in two starts with Reno, with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings."
- [KTAR.com] Green: Haren trade was a loss for D-backs - "All you need to do is look back at that key moment, when the Diamondbacks felt they were one piece away from contending for a title. They mortgaged their future to get that piece, but all it led to was a forgettable present. "
- [OurSports Central] Collmenter Cruises as BayBears Blast Braves - "Another seven scoreless innings from Josh Collmenter lifted the BayBears to a convincing 8-4 victory over the Mississippi Braves. Collmenter (2-0) has yet to give up a run in the Southern League after tossing seven innings of shutout ball in his last start against the Barons."
Baseball News
- [yankees.com] Girardi: Phantom warmup 'within rules' - "Girardi sent starter Andy Pettitte out to throw his warmup pitches, which he did more slowly than usual. When home-plate umpire Brian O'Nora tried to hurry things along, catcher Francisco Cervelli briefly pretended to have something in his eye before Girardi finally made the pitching change. "
- [SI.com] Carlos Zambrano move, Cubs Way alienating Chicago fans - "Parts of Wrigley Field are visibly empty these days, even when the tickets have all been sold. Waveland Avenue is at times oddly bereft of ballhawks. Chicago at large is far more keyed in on the Blackhawks, LeBron James and perhaps even the World Cup than on National League baseball. Enough disappointment, and even the North Side cares a bit less than it might."
- [MLB.com] Wittels' college hitting streak reaches 51 - "Wittels extended the second-longest hitting streak in college baseball history to 51 games on Friday, pulling within seven games of the record set by Robin Ventura back in 1987. Wittels, a sophomore infielder for Florida International University, delivered a run-scoring single in his first at-bat Friday to keep his streak alive."
- [ESPN] Umpire Joe West, Chicago White Sox's Ozzie Guillen, Mark Buehrle fined - "Umpire Joe West, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and pitcher Mark Buehrle were fined by Major League Baseball on Friday for their recent balk flap. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press there weren't any suspensions. The amount of the fines was not known."