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Tankapalooza 2010 standings
| Rk | Tm | W | L | W-L% | GB |
| 1 | Pirates | 48 | 97 | .331 | - |
| 2 | Mariners | 55 | 91 | .377 | 6.5 |
| 3 | Orioles | 58 | 88 | .397 | 9.5 |
| D-backs | 58 | 88 | .397 | 9.5 | |
| 5 | Indians | 59 | 86 | .407 | 11 |
| 6 | Royals | 60 | 85 | .414 | 12 |
Are we ready for some breakfast baseball? A 9:35 am first pitch, Arizona time, so a chance to break out the Sausage McMuffin(TM) and caffeinated beverage of choice, to follow along as the Diamondbacks try to get out of Cincinnati with a split of the four-game series. Just not on TV, as Daron and Mark will be enjoying the lie-in. And, given it's Lopez, pitching in an extreme hitters' park, in a day game when the ball will carry further, the lack of TV is probably for the best. Lopez still hasn't won in the second-half of the season, posting a 6.53 ERA. This will be his twelfth attempt, and the team has a 1-10 record over the previous eleven.
We go up against Volquez, who is dead to me since he served a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, despite the inevitable statement that, "This was an isolated incident involving my genuine effort to treat a common medical issue." Yeah: whatever... He has faced the Diamondbacks twice before, giving up seven earned runs in 10.2 innings, but got a no-decision both times. Lopez hasn't appeared at this ball-park since 2005; in his only start there, he did get the win, for five innings of two-run ball. Will today finally break Lopez's winless streak?
- Stephen Drew ss
- Kelly Johnson 2b
- Chris Young cf
- Adam LaRoche 1b
- Mark Reynolds 3b
- Miguel Montero c
- Ryan Church lf
- Gerardo Parra rf
- Rodrigo Lopez rhp
Upton is back out of the line-up again. I'm not sure what's going on. He misses two weeks, comes back for a couple of games and then gets sat for the rest of the series. Is he healthy or not? If he is, why isn't he playing? If he isn't, why was he playing? Between that and Reynolds' intermittent appearances, I'm concerned about the approach of our medical staff: is an actual game really the only way to tell if a player is fit? I just don't know any more... Obviously, my presence will be limited, due to the horrendous hour of this one, but I'll get the recap knocked up over lunch!