:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11220283/166098588.0.jpg)
Quotes of the Day
“He didn’t throw the ball well. He didn’t throw the ball where he wanted to at all. He didn’t hit his location.”
Diamondbacks Links
Pirates end D-backs' win streak at four games - Fox Sports Arizona
Trevor Cahill was positively Cahill-ian last night, looking like an ace for the second, third, and fourth innings, but going full-Trevor Bauer in the first and fifth. The Pirates jumped on Cahill for three runs in the first. The Diamondbacks, to their credit, clawed their way back to tie the game at three, but could never quite get ahead. Alfredo Marte collected his first major league hit and RBI.
Rough night for Cahill - AZ Central
Scott Bordow fills in for Nick Piecoro on this one. Rather than reiterate that Cahill had a rough night, I'd just like to note that Nick P. is the best beat writer in the biz. Not having his post-game wrap-ups and blogs tonight really drove that point home. Go ahead and click on that link, you'll see.
Justin Upton’s blistering start an afterthought for Arizona Diamondbacks - AZ Central
Understandably the team doesn't sit around and talk about what J-Up is doing in Atlanta. But personally, I can't help but look at what Upton is doing to baseballs in Atlanta and wonder what if? Prado has been pretty good so far, but not 1.641-OPS-good. I know its a small sample and we've seen players get off to hot starts before (whaddup Chris Davis!), but what Upton is doing in Atlanta is obscene.
Baseball Prospectus | BP Unfiltered: Hot Prospect Video: Archie Bradley
Here we have a hot prospect video? Okay, sure. The video is a pretty straightforward interview with Archie Bradley wherein he discusses what he's learned during his minor league experience, his experience at spring training, and the difficulty keeping svelte while on the road. There's also some game footage of Archie pitching during a minor league spring training game.
Baseball Prospectus | Prospects Will Break Your Heart: Pulling a Fernandez: 2014 Candidates
Speaking of Archie Bradley, Jason Parks highlights a few prospects that could "pull a Fernandez" - i.e. make the jump from high-A to the majors. And wouldn't you know it, one Archie Bradley made the list. Parks had this to say of the D-Backs prospect:
The command needs works, but is not as far off the page as his 2012 numbers might suggest; the delivery is clean and simple, and he should develop into a strike thrower with plus stuff. The work ethic and baseball makeup are crazy good, and if you assume Bradley pitches the entire season at the High-A level (which might be unrealistic to assume given his mature skill set), he would come into the 2014 season as a 21-year-old with two years of full-season ball under his belt and the physical and emotional qualities to handle a huge promotion if the opportunity should present itself.
Around the League
Jonah Keri ranks the MLB teams - Grantland
Toronto, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and San Diego get the long-form treatment. Plenty of Padres schadenfreude here.
Josh Hamilton returns to the Texas Rangers - Grantland
Josh Hamilton schadenfreude here.
Will we see a left-handed catcher this season? - Sports On Earth
No left handed catcher has played in the majors since 1989. Any guesses as to why?
50-year-old Jamie Moyer on pitching again: ‘I haven’t closed that door yet’ - SI.com
NOBODY CAN RETIRE IN OBAMA'S AMERICA! If only there were some team composed entirely of reanimated corpses with a penchant for giving large sums of money to very old free agents.
Marginalia
8 Secrets From 'The Sandlot' | Extra Mustard - SI.com
Heads up, there might be some Sports Illustrated bikini models in the margins on this one, so if you work in a monastery or a wool smock manufacturing facility or something, don't click. But, do click if you like Sandlot.