SnakeBytes, 5/25: Beast Hunting Season Opens Edition

Let's hope the results are every bit as satisfying as the last time the Brewers were in town. Goldschmidt grand-slam? Don't mind if I do.

Previews

• [AP] Brewers-Diamondbacks Preview - "Milwaukee's franchise-record 96 wins and Arizona's worst-to-first turnaround in the NL West from 2010 were great stories last season, but it's been a different story for both in 2012." No kidding.
• [Brew Crew Ball] Series Preview #16: Talking Diamondbacks with AZ Snakepit - As if doing our preview wasn't enough, ZM also helped BCB out with theirs.
• [FOX Sports] Brewers-Diamondbacks Preview - "We didn't want to lose him, but we wish him well," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said of Cody Ransom, now a Brewer. "We just wish him not too well against us."

Team news

• [AZ Central] Diamondbacks' Willie Bloomquist up and running - "Over the past two seasons, the Diamondbacks consider Bloomquist one of their more valuable players." Hmm. fWAR appears to differ, ranking him below Daniel Hudson - oh, and that's on offense... There seems to be a propaganda campaign for Willie of late, though he has been playing a lot better.
• [dbacks.com] Inbox: Too late to make a run? - Steve opens his mailbag and discussed Miggy's contract. "I think the fact that the D-backs talked about reopening them is a good sign. They certainly must have an idea of what it would take financially to get a deal done, and they may be willing to raise their offer from where it stood this spring."
• [AZ Central] Productive Overbay has been key in support for Diamondbacks - "Don't get me wrong," he said. "You want to play. But I still think our best lineup is with (Goldschmidt) out there." That line of thinking has become more evident as Goldschmidt has begun to emerge from a slow start at the plate. In the past week, Goldschmidt is 8 for 20 with three doubles and four walks.
• [FSAZ} D-backs' Kennedy: Same guy, different results - Pitching coach Charles Nagy: "He’s the same guy. Just trying to find his rhythm right now, get in the swing of things. You go out there, and sometimes you try to do too much. You give up a hit and try to stop things from happening, and things kind of snowball. He has some bad games this year, and he had some bad games last year, too. I’m not really concerned too much."

Minors

• [MiLB.com] Bauer erratic in second PCL start - "Disappointing. I'm a little, well, not happy with my performance," he said. "I had a couple mechanical things going on for whatever reason and I couldn't make the corrections, so I kept making the same mistakes."
• [AZ Central] Close-up look at Diamondbacks prospect Jake Elmore - "Elmore, who played a year at Arizona State University, is hitting .379 with a .486 on-base for Reno, and farm director Mike Bell says Diamondbacks scouts are seeing major-league value in him given how he has looked at shortstop." Interesting.
• [MILB.com] Holmberg rolls to the top - "Left-hander David Holmberg has become the leader on the Visalia Rawhide staff in several important categories -- 55 1/3 innings, six wins, 60 strikeouts, 1.05 WHIP -- while his 3.25 ERA is second among starters."
• [TribLocal.com] Gaby Hernandez signed by Diamondbacks - "The Joliet Slammers announced the sale of RHP Gaby Hernandez’s contract to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Hernandez made one start for the Slammers and did not give up an earned run in five and two thirds innings against the Windy City ThunderBolts on September 17. " Something something pitching depth?

Other news

• The Walking Dead Escape - Oh, no! Petco Park will be infested with drooling, mindless creatures, capable of only basic communication and whose presence is abhorrent to all right-thinking people. Guess the Giants brought their fanbase with them? #obviouscommentisobvious. Actually, this sounds pretty damn cool.
  
• [ESPN] Should Aroldis Chapman be a starting pitcher or a closer? - Aroldis Chapman is heading for the most dominating season by a relief pitcher in history, but could he have more of an impact if he was a starting pitcher?
• [Baseball Nation] How Close They've Come To The Sculpture - Marlins Park has now hosted a fair amount of regular-season baseball. Has anybody hit "the thing"? Has anybody come close to hitting "the thing"?