SnakeBytes, 3/8: Off-Day Edition

Not that this differs from the rest of the week for our pitching staff... But it's far too early for there to be any cause for panic. Worth remembering that the team started out 2011 Spring Training by losing seven of their first nine Cactus League contests, and were owners of a horrible 5-18 record on March 17. Seem to recall 2011 ended up unfolding pretty well for the Diamondbacks. Anyone expressing concern over the performances of pitchers who have thrown two innings at most, should probably chill. You people... :)

Your Daily(ish) Bauer

• [Yahoo!] D-Backs pitcher dazzles with his pitches, workouts - "Engineers are trained to be problem-solvers," Bauer said. "So, you identify what your problem is and then you identify the process of how you're going to go about collecting information to solve it and then you go about doing it. It's a very linear thought process."
• [dbacks.com] Trevor Bauer adjusting to life as potential big leaguer - "It's just trying to pick up the little things that go into winning baseball games," Bauer said. "If you can win an extra game a year because you can hold guys on or bunt and five guys can do that, that's five wins and that can be the difference between a playoff berth and sitting at home in October. It's definitely important, and I'm trying to learn it all."
• [azcentral.com] Bauer pressing for job in rotation - "Trevor has this tool he uses to stretch, about a 6-foot plastic tube," [Josh] Collmenter said. "At the festival, they have this little (carousel) horse on a cable. They let it go, and then you have to joust while riding the horse. We made him use his warm-up tube to joust with. To his credit, he snagged that little ring right on the end of his tube."

Hitters

• [dbacks.com] Veteran Jason Kubel quietly fitting in with D-backs - Kirk Gibson: "I guarantee you he's a heck of a lot better outfielder than I was and I was a champion two times. I was brutal, but I found a way to get it done and that's what we're looking for. We're not looking for sexy, we're looking for results."
• [AZ Central] For some Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball is a family affair - Stephen Drew: "Our parents were probably looking at us like, 'How crazy are our kids?' because we really were competitive. But at the same time I think it made us all better."
• [Fox Sports Arizona] D-backs Bloomquist, McDonald ready for Act II - "They (Giants) threw out a very, very good offer at me. But this is my home. I’m with my family – my family off the field and my family on the field," Bloomquist said. "We built a pretty good bond here last year. I like what we have going. I like playing for Derrick and K.T. and Gibby. They do it right here. They care about the players. In the end, it is tough to walk away from that. "
• [AZ Central] Diamondbacks try to stay focused with nutrition- -Willie Bloomquist said. "If you're eating pizza and drinking beer every night, you can't expect your body to perform at its top capability every day." Mark Grace appears confused by this assertion...

Pitchers

• [dbacks.com] Rocky start, but Cahill built for long haul - "He fits in perfectly with all of us," [Ian] Kennedy said. "It's easy to get along with him. All of our conversations with him, it's been clicking, so I feel like it's going to be another good fit. We always wonder how new players are going to react to us."
• [Fox Sports Arizona] Improved health is Saunders' chief concern - This spring, Saunders is in better shape and having an easier time preparing for the season ahead. "It's quite a difference. You maybe do something different in the offseason, maybe start throwing a little bit earlier. I tried to do that this year to the best I can, and I'm just trying to get my arm in shape pretty good. I like where it's at and we'll go from there."

Minor-leaguers

• [dbacks.com] D-backs' Minor Leaguers eager to get going - "Tuesday was the last day of workouts for the Minor Leaguers. They will have the next two days off while the Minor League staff goes through its annual meetings. Physicals for pitchers and catchers will be held Thursday and they will go through their first official workout Friday."
• [AZ Central] Non-roster spotlight: Jason Lane - "Lane was a two-way player at USC – he was the winning pitcher in the Trojans’ 21-14 College World Series win over Arizona State in 1998 "
• [dbacks.com] D-backs take notice of Davidson's defense "Just really being more light on my feet and being more athletic over there," Davidson said when asked what he focused on this offseason. "I did a lot of drills, agility and footwork stuff. I didn't really focus on mechanics, but just took a lot more ground balls and tried to get quicker and more athletic."

And the rest...

• [NY Daily News\ Valley Fever should be taken seriously, says former Diamondback - "I know how bad it was for me and I just hope that’s not the case for him," Conor Jackson was saying over the phone on Monday. "It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anybody."
• [bellinghamherald.com] Jason Marquis struggles in spring debut - "The veteran righthander, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Twins in December, gave up four second-inning runs and labored while doing it in the Twins 10-2 loss to the Red Sox. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire pulled Marquis with two outs in the second, after he had walked three batters and thrown three wild pitches."
• [NCTimes.com] Owings hoping to be double threat - "(Hitting) is a big piece of my game that I've been blessed to help out with and know I can compete with," Owings said. "But my main focus right now is pitching. I'm keyed in on that."