Baseball! In Phoenix! We haven't seen professional baseball played here since- oh, right, last week. But this time, it cou- wait, getting a cease and desist from MLB. Sorry- uh, there's only one April? Never mind, this game actually matters.
Preview:
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[DBacks.com] D-backs aim to clean slate vs. Reds in home opener - For the second game in a row, we face a team with an eight game winning streak. Yes, the last time we beat the Reds in Phoenix was September 12, 2008. Webb picked up his 20th win of the season, and Adam Dunn drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to score Jeff Salazar. Yeah, that was a while ago.
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[FSN Arizona] Friday on FOX Sports Arizona: D-backs vs. Reds, 6 p.m. -
Still haven't seen any word yet on if we'll have Drew back in the lineup.Update: Hat-tip to UAWildcats for posting the lineup- we'll see Drew at short-stop today, batting fifth. -
[Miami Herald] Cincinnati Reds (5-1) at Arizona Diamondbacks (2-3) - The Reds won their first five, and looked like they were on their way to a opening home stand sweep before they gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth against the Astros on Thursday.
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[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks' Juan Miranda has his chance - Kevin Towers on Miranda's potential: "The only way you're going to find out is to run him out there." Might as well give the guy a chance to show us what he can do, and as long as he's playing well I doubt any of us will object.
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[HardballTalk] Diamondbacks sign reliever Ron Mahay to minor league deal - Wait, Joe Paterson has literally faced four batters, and he's already "off to a shaky start"?
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[DBacks.com] Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall chats with fans - Finally we get an answer to the tough questions we've all been wanting to ask- who is Derrick Hall's favorite "Racing Legend"?
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[Phoenix Business Journal] D-backs pitcher wants warmer openers - J.J. Putz wants the season to start in warmer locales than Chicago or Denver. Well, that's just crazy.
Around Baseball:
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[MLB Trade Rumors] Manny Ramirez Retires - Manny was apparently notified of "an issue" under the drug testing program, and he decided to retire. Uh-huh.... The Onion has a nice retrospective of Manny's career.
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[Chicago Tribune] Jackson making Sox look good - Edwin Jackson is starting off pretty well this season, and probably wishing he could start against the Rays every game: he struck out 13 in 8 innings, and only one run. But he's looking good in Chicago, so I think at this point everyone is happy with that trade.
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[Big League Stew] What are the odds? No bad blood after Nishioka-Swisher collision - I always wince to see a play like the one where Nishioka was injured yesterday. It's nice to see both players handle it well, though this made me laugh: "Nishioka actually apologized to Twins GM Bill Smith for getting hurt so quickly after signing a three-year, $9 million contract in the offseason."
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[Baseball Nation] Making Sense Of Brandon Wood - A look at a high rated prospect (Baseball America's #3 prospect in 2006) who just hasn't produced at the majors.
Go DBacks!