Misery loves company. And we've had an entire pity party over the past six games, with last night's game probably the worst performance of the season across the board. Here are the ugly details, with some other stuff after the jump, which may (or may not) be happier.
Recaps
- [AZCentral] Diamondbacks clobbered by Giants - "With the Suns' playoff run over, the Valley sports spotlight can finally shine on the Diamondbacks. They might want to hide in a dark corner."
- [Yahoo!] Posey leads Giants to 12-1 win against D-Backs - "I haven’t seen what I wanted. I wanted a win," Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said. "For a week, we’ve found ourselves in a rut. We’re not doing a lot of things right and there’s not a lot of ways to describe it."
- [dbacks.com] Offense continues to scuffle in D-backs' loss - "I sense a ton of frustration on our team and we're not responding perfectly, but I don't think there's a lack of effort or a lack of will," D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said. "I just think there is a lack of answers."
Team News and Notes
- [D'Backs' Venom] Diamondbacks’ Bats Disappear on Road Trip - "Over the last week, Justin Upton has gone 1-18 with 11 strikeouts, Conor Jackson 2-21, Adam LaRoche 2-17, Chris Snyder 1-13, Chris Young 4-22, and Kelly Johnson 4-18 – basically an entire team slumping at once."
- [AZCentral] Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers on record pace for home runs allowed - "Entering Saturday, Diamondbacks pitching had allowed 83 home runs in 49 games, putting them on pace to give up 274 long balls this season, a total that would shatter the major-league record of 241 set by the Detroit Tigers in 1996."
- [AZCentral] - How the Diamondbacks got here - "What’s so strange about this team is that the guys whom everyone expected to be doing well aren’t, like Upton, Haren and Edwin Jackson. Meanwhile, Ian Kennedy, Rodrigo Lopez, Kelly Johnson, Chris Young -- some of the biggest question marks on the team entering the season -- well, their performances have ranged between great and just fine."
- [dbacks.com] Jackson drops down in D-backs' lineup - "Jackson was just 1-for-14 so far on the team's road trip and is hitting just .227 with no homers and seven RBIs this year. Usually even when he's not hot at the plate, Jackson still draws walks, but lately he has not been doing that and his on-base percentage has fallen to .309."
- [dbacks.com] Hinch losing sleep over D-backs' woes - "I feel responsible," Hinch said. "I'm obviously not doing well myself either. My job is to get the most out of these guys and push them. I'm pounding my head against the wall trying to find solutions. We can identify a lot of areas where we can get better, but actions speak louder than words."
Baseball News and Notes
- [ESPN] Japan's 'Knuckle Princess' Eri Yoshida shines in U.S. debut - "Yoshida hit an RBI single off David Rivas in her only at-bat in the bottom of the first, leading to a standing ovation from the near sellout crowd on "Girl Power Night." She described the feeling after the hit as "unbelievable.""
- [mlb.com] A-Rod talks to Huff, happy pitcher is OK - "Alex Rodriguez was breathing a little easier on Sunday morning, having talked to Indians starter David Huff and learning that he was OK after being struck above the left ear by Rodriguez's line drive in the third inning on Saturday."
- [ESPN] Roy Halladay was the perfect pitcher to pitch a perfect game - "There are 67 pitchers in history who have won a Cy Young Award. And before Saturday, only four of them (Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, Randy Johnson and David Cone) ever managed to throw a perfect game."
- [tigers.com] Leyland excited to see Scherzer's stuff - "In his first start in Toledo, Scherzer threw a one-hitter through eight innings. His second start was just as impressive, as he surrendered one run on three hits to improve his record to 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA. " Scherzer was called up after Dontrelle Willis was DFA'd. Maybe we should pick up the D-Train?