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Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Memorial Day. Let's hope there's a win in it for us tonight. On to the links!
Recaps and Previews
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[dbacks.com] D-backs stung late, lose seventh straight
"We had an edge about us today," Upton said. "We've really been getting stomped out, but today we fought and just got beat. We've got to find a way to have that edge every single night." -
[tsn.ca] Torres, Giants rally to sweep Diamondbacks
"Today there [was] different guys who stepped up throughout the game," said Posey. "We have a good lineup here and it's not like we have to count on any one guy to do it all." -
[mercurynews.com] Giants rally to beat Arizona
Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds made a diving stop on Pablo Sandoval's grounder that nearly resulted in a game-ending double play, but Sandoval beat the wide relay, and Torres scored to tie it." -
[miamiherald.com] Arizona Diamondbacks (20-31) at Los Angeles Dodgers (28-22), 9:10 p.m.
"Today I thought we fought pretty hard," said starter Ian Kennedy..."Games like this are tough to lose, especially because we lost so many in a row. You could kind of see that it looked like we were going to win. It's tough to lose those ones." The second part of Kennedy's quote? "...because of that goddamn bullpen." -
[mlb.com] Ethier returns as Dodgers open with D-backs
Great. Ethier's back, just in time for the DBacks to roll into town.
After the jump, some team news, more on Eri Yoshida's US debut, and a couple feel-good stories.
Team and Player News
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[dbacks.com] Hinch focused on winning, not excuses
"One thing to make perfectly clear is we're not victims here," Hinch said. "So I'm not going to accept any sort of sou faces around here and 'woe is me' because we're not victims. We created this mess and we've got to get ourselves out of it. If you want better results, you have to force the issue." -
[bleacherreport.com] Changes and Issues Aplenty For Diamondbacks
"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 o a lack of will...I just think there is a lack of answers." -
[azcentral.com] Arizona Diamondbacks' Rusty Ryal could see time in left field
"I feel like [Jackson] is pressing a lot," Hinch said. "It's very uncharacteristic what he's doing on the field, whether it's chasing the high pitch or being really jumpy in the batter's box. He doesn't look comfortable." -
[dbacks.com] Snyder details nervous road trip
"There were times whee I would be sitting in the dugout during the game looking at that clock in right field and thinking, 'Missed that flight. If she calls right now, I can still sneak on that last flight. I missed the last flight, hope she can hang on until the morning,'" Snyder said. "It was pretty crazy."
Around the League
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[mlb.com] Judge approves MLB's loan to Rangers
The sale has been stalled for some time after the company of the current owner, Hicks Sports Group, defaulted on $525 million in loans. The Rangers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last Monday as a way to facilitate the completion of the sale of the club to the Greenberg-Ryan group. -
[nytimes.com] Yoshida, the ‘Knuckle Princess,’ Arrives in U.S.
"With all the media hype, all that attention, she went out there and did her job," said Chico manager Garry Templeton. "To me, she's got some thick skin." -
[mlb.com] Baseball strengthens bond for Ecksteins
While in junior college, Rick was told he needed how to hit left-handed or he wouldn't play. So Rick taught himself to switch-hit, which sparked a "fascination" with learning how each individual player uniquely handles a bat. -
[mlb.com] Memorial showdown: Ubaldo vs. Lincecum
"If you're anywhere in the locale," suggested Tracy, "you probably want to pay for a ticket to see that."
In other news, ESPN is still having a sportsgasm over the AL East.