So there's this...
Autograph of @JustinBieber pulled in the @dbacks locker room today by JJ Putz! He's stoked! Thanks, @PaniniAmerica! twitter.com/bradziegler/st…
— Brad Ziegler (@bradziegler) June 13, 2012
Recaps
- [AZCentral] Diamondbacks offense silent in loss to Rangers - "Ryan Roberts sat at his locker, a towel around his waist, his head down. Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of his chair and started to talk about the play he couldn't make... "You wish you woulda, wish you coulda," Roberts said. "At the end of the day, nobody's carrying it worse than me.""
- [AP] Harrison, Gentry lead Texas past Diamondbacks 1-0 - ''We had a few chances, but not very many,'' Upton said. ''Wade gave us a chance to win. You've got to tip your cap to their pitcher too. In situations where we had a chance to score, he shut us down.''
- [mlb.com] Dominant Miley takes loss as D-backs blanked - "The final pitch of the at-bat, a slider, was called low by home-plate umpire Jeff Kellogg. Miley concurred after watching the video. "It was close," Miley said. "He got it right. It was a good call. It could have gone either way. It was a borderline pitch, but I checked it out. He got it right.""
Team News
- [AZCentral] Gibson not worrying about 3B production - "I think I look at it maybe different than you do," Gibson said. "You're probably looking at it strictly numbers-wise and comparing it to other people. I'm just trying to get our team to jell and start pulling in the same direction. From that standpoint, they're both very much on board and doing very well at that."
- [FSAZ] D-backs notebook: Miley an All-Star candidate - "The D-backs do not have a plethora of All-Star candidates, and Miley might be the top contender. He is 7-3 with a 2.39 ERA...But he refuses to pay much attention to the talk that is building. "I just try not to think about that too much. Just stay focused on what we're trying to do as a team, and we'll go from there," he said."
- [ArizonaSports.com] Mining for Paul Goldschmidt's gold - "Paul's an easy one to talk about," said Goldschmidt's high school baseball coach at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Ron Eastman. "He's about as hard- working and as humble a young man as you could ever want in your program."
- [Nick P] Montero's all-around skills; catching up; farm report; & other stuff - "It seems to me that defensive ability at catcher is something that stays with players beyond their prime years. Once a good catch-and-throw guy, always a good catch-and-throw guy... And so even if Montero tails off offensively over the course of his five-year, $60 million deal – something that, given his age, seems likely to occur – it looks like maybe the Diamondbacks won’t need to worry about that happening with his defense."
Minors
- [Chicago Tribune[ Charles Brewer suspended for 10 games - "RHP Charles Brewer, who was ejected in the bottom of the third inning of his Sunday start for Class AAA Reno for having a "foreign substance" on his left forearm, was suspended 10 games by the Pacific Coast League on Tuesday.." Hmm. Nick P [link above] says it was a mix of sunscreen and rosin.
- [BallparkDigers] Rawhide, Diamondbacks extend affiliation: four more years - "We were eager to continue our relationship with Visalia, and this long-term extension gives us stability and ensures that our prospects have a great place to develop," said Mike Bell, Director of Player Development for the Diamondbacks
- [visaliatimesdelta.com] Towers of power - Said Kevin Towers in Visalia, "I want to see all our minor league teams. It’s about getting to know people with your minor league teams. You want to create a good atmosphere for everybody involved. And I enjoy it. It’s a nice break from living and dying with every pitch."
Around baseball
- [ESPN] The age of the pitcher and how we got here - "Want to guess how many fewer runs will be scored this season than were scored in the 2000 season, if teams continue sputtering along at their current pace? How about nearly 4,000. Right. We said FOUR THOUSAND runs."
- [mets.com] Dickey's place in history in MLB's hands - "R.A. Dickey joked that if Major League Baseball does transform his one-hitter into a no-no, he and catcher Mike Nickeas will have to orchestrate a faux celebration back at Citi Field, celebrating on the pitcher's mound as if the feat just happened... The Mets have officially petitioned MLB to change B.J. Upton's first-inning single into an error on third baseman David Wright"
- [ESPN] MLB reviews Detroit Tigers' Jose Valverde spitball incident - "Major League Baseball has reviewed video of Jose Valverde apparently throwing a spitball and has discussed the incident with the Detroit Tigers, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Valverde and the Tigers have not been given an official warning, but MLB's handling of the incident indicates a de facto warning."
- [AP] Reds' Baker upset over Lowe's comments - "[Derek] Lowe suggested the inside fastball was a payback for a personal issue between him and [Dusty] Baker from a few years ago that he wouldn't talk about specifically. He said that Baker would deny it. Lowe said he has ''zero respect for the guy,'' and suggested reporters should ask Baker about the matter."
- [ESPN Chicago] Chicago Cubs exec Theo Epstein isn't enjoying the process of rebuilding - "It's painful for everybody," Epstein said of the team that was 21-40 before play began Wednesday.. Hey, not quite everybody, Theo. I'm enjoying it just fine..