SnakeBytes 7/9: FanFest Edition

Well, maybe not FanFest for you, but that's where I'm getting ready to head, as soon as I finish up this post.

Recaps:

• [DBacks.com] Johnson slams to lead D-backs over Cards - Kelly Johnson on his grand slam: ""I thought it was a sac fly the whole way. I didn't think that it was going to go, but I'll take it."

• [FS Arizona] Johnson's grand slam lifts D-backs over Cards - KJ's home run is his sixteenth of the season, most a DBacks second baseman has had before the All Star break.

• [AZ Central] Kelly Johnson's grand slam lifts Diamondbacks to win - I'm noticing a theme among these headlines...

• [STLToday.com] Too little, too late for Cards - Lohse was trying to get a ground ball from Kelly. Not quite.

• [DBacks.com] Hernandez filling in well for Putz as closer - At the midpoint of the season, Hernandez has been a very big addition to our bullpen.

• [FS Arizona] Putz set to return after All-Star break - Gibby says he isn't going to worry yet about who will close when Putz returns. I'd be a little surprised if it didn't go back to Putz, though.

• [AZ Central] Diamondbacks' Kevin Towers has rotation options in farm system - If we're looking to improve our rotation, KT says it'll probably from someone within the system. Could we see Pat Corbin, Wade Miley, or Barry Enright in a DBacks uniform sometime soon?

• [Visalia Times-Delta] Busy second half sees players come and go - With the second half of the season starting, minor league teams are going to see their rosters move around as players get promoted.

Around Baseball:

• [Yahoo! Sports] Everything went wrong for Chapman during freefall - So much of a player's skill can hinge on something indefinable in their head- and when a guy throwing 105 loses that, it can be a bit scary.

• [ESPN] David Ortiz homers, ejected after bench-clearing brawl in Red Sox win - My favorite part of the brawl- with a runner on third and one out, Ortiz pops out. The runner on third tags up, and then goes to join the brawl. He was later called out, making it a double play.

• [HardballTalk] Alex Rodriguez could need in-season surgery for slight meniscus tear in knee - Well, now we know what the next overblown Yankees coverage will be after Jeter gets his next two hits.

• [SI.com] Cubs GM fielding trade calls - Anyone on their roster we might want to make an offer for?