SnakeBytes, 6/28: Cardinal Rule Edition

When writing yesterday's recap, I at least twice typed the phrase "winning road trip" before I remembered that, no, we weren't coming home to face the Dodgers, we had to stop off in the Greatest American City (in the Midwest Region) (Missouri Division) (Banks of the Mississippi Only) to face off against the Cardinals. So, Diamondbacks, I leave it up to you to make sure that I can get to use the phrase when you get home after Wednesday's game. No pressure.

Previews:

• [cbssports.com] Diamondbacks-Cardinals Preview - Again, we're taking on a team that's fighting for first place.  Hell Month cannot end soon enough.

• [stltoday.com[ Tonight: Carpenter vs. Haren - Dan Haren is 4-0 against his old team.  But Chris Carpenter is 4-0 against the Diamondbacks, and he's putting up much better numbers this season.

• [dbacks.com] D-backs continue rough stretch against Cards - The article says this is our last of 11 consecutive series against a team with a record of .500 or better, but that's wrong. By my count, this is our 14th consecutive series against a team with a .500 or better record, and we'll face the Dodgers for a 15th before we get a breather against the sub-.500 Cubs. They've also got our record wrong, since we're 10-14 this month.

• [foxsportsarizona.com] Today on FOX Sports Arizona: D-Backs at Cardinals, 5 p.m. - "You come into this place against a good team and get a series win, it's time to get out of town and go onto the next city."  Indeed.
  

• [yahoo.com] Closing Time: Even when Heilman converts, it's shaky - Well, gosh, who would have seen that?

• [azcentral.com] Arizona Diamondbacks' Dontrelle Willis vows to regain location - "Dontrelle Willis is counting on better results when he makes his next start for the D-Backs."  We could certainly use it.

• [firejimbowden.blogspot.com] Edwin Jackson and Pitch Counts - Pitch counts are, obviously, something that wasn't worried about fifteen or twenty years ago, and it still isn't entirely clear how necessary they are.

• [SBNation Boston] How Can The Red Sox Weather The Injury Storm? Replacing Pedroia And Fixing The Bullpen - With Dustin Pedroia on the disabled list, the Red Sox need a second baseman, and SBN Boston recommends Kelly Johnson for the position.  What does Boston have that they could offer in a trade?

Around Baseball:

• [MLBTradeRumors.com] MLBPA To Consider Changes To Arbitration Process - Arbitration seems like a long, drawn out struggle between the player's association and the owners.  This is just another step in the dance.
• [seattletimes.nwsource.com] The day the big bat "myth" was shown to be quite real as a Mariners need - As disappointing as this season has been for us, it has been even more so for the Mariners.  With the moves they made over the off-season, they thought they'd be contenders, but they're sitting 15 games out of first right now.

• [si.com] Tampa Bay's David Price, Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez lead races - A look at who has the edge on the Cy Young race so far. Ubaldo Jimenez? Nah, that guy's ERA has doubled since the start of June.

• [si.com] Marlins no longer considering Bobby Valentine - Valentine was the top name listed, so if he's out of the game, it's possible the job might go to Bo Porter.

Finally, Your Daily Strasburg:

• [washingtonpost.com] Behold the Stephen Strasburg and Eliot Spitzer success stories - "Strasburg is two parts Sidd Finch, one part Roy Hobbs -- except he's real." Stephen Strasburg, bringing out the finest in American hyperbole.

Go Dbacks!