SnakeBytes, 6/15: Suspensions Editions

Suspension reactions

• "I'm upset. I don't believe what I did out there merited any suspension... In my mind, Puig was the aggressor on the field throughout the whole fight, out of any player on the field... I don't know what kind of statement MLB is trying to make with this. I was just holding my ground. I didn't throw any punches - I had punches thrown at me, by Puig."
  -- Eric Hinske.
• "I kept feeling punches. It must have been my teammates who were punching me, because they were the only ones who got suspended."
  -- Miguel Montero
• "Everybody know that, in order to have success in the big leagues, you have to pitch in-and-out... We're not perfect as pitchers. If we were, we'd have zero ERAs... There's a lot of thing being attacked about my character, saying I'm a headhunter - I don't appreciate that."
  -- Ian Kennedy

• Have you ever watched people who are bad at math try to split a bill? Basically that's how I picture the process of deciding brawl penalties

  — Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) June 14, 2013

• It's a joke that throwing at someone is viewed as so much worse than running off the bench, tackling people, and throwing haymakers.

  — Brad Ziegler (@BradZiegler) June 14, 2013

Game quotes

• "Just off-speed. That's what he does. He uses the hitters' energy against them. Like anybody who's not a hard thrower -- that's what they do -- they get guys to get off balance, thinking that at some particular time they're going to sneak a fastball, and occasionally they do but most of the time percentages say they're not and he didn't."
  -- acting manager Alan Trammell

• "Those first-batter walks come back to haunt you. I got ahead of Headley 1-2 and try to make a nasty pitch and hit him in the foot. It's tough -- we're in first place and you want to have an opportunity to get a bigger lead and I was just one pitch away. I made a bad pitch on Forsythe and couldn't get out of it."
  -- Trevor Cahill

• "I watched Jamie Moyer do that for a lot of years He throws ... I mean, call a spade a spade ... below the average hitting speed. You don’t see that kind of stuff every day, so you really have to attempt to adjust your approach. Hats off to him to finding that sort of niche and being able to expose guys with it. Just when you think you might be getting a heater, here comes another dead-fish changeup. It’s tough to change your approach, but if you don’t, that’s what happens."
  -- Willie Bloomquist

Other D-backs stuff

• Good news for Aaron Hill and J.J. Putz who faced each other in a simulated game at Salt River Fields on Friday. Hill may report to Reno for the start of his rehab assignment today - we'll keep an eye out for him down in Tucson. He could be back with the team for next weekend's series at Chase against Cincinatti. J.J. will throw again at SRF early next week, and he could go out on his rehab assignment in a week or so.
• [AZCentral] Diamondbacks prospect Stryker Trahan settling in - "Many figured the best way to reach the big leagues and extend his shelf life there was a position change, a suggestion that’s hovered over Trahan since his selection. But his continued improvement, especially this spring, has seemed to dismiss that possibility. "I don’t think there’s any other thought in his mind or our mind that he’s going to catch for us," Diamondbacks farm director Mike Bell said."
• [ArizonaSports.com] Diamondbacks elite in extra innings this season - Derrick Hall: "When you win, and when you look at the division leaders over the last few years, that (the ability to win tight games) is usually what it is. Are these teams winning games late? Are they winning one-run games? Are they coming from behind and winning? And we've done all that so far. If we can sustain it, I think that's a sign of a very good team."
• [ESPN] Arizona Diamondbacks winning with stars, not grit - Mostly behind a pay-wall, but can be summed up with this quote. "Although there's certainly an argument to be made for Arizona's improved clubhouse culture, the Diamondbacks' current standing atop the NL West isn't really because of the "grinder" squad. It's because of talent: They've had a few hot starts on both sides of the ball, while facing rivals who have failed to live up to expectations."

Around baseball

• [MLB] Ryan Madson wonders whether human growth hormone could help him - "If HGH were legal," Madson said, "just in the process of healing, under a doctor's recommendation, in the right dosage, while you're on the [disabled list], I don't think that's such a bad idea -- as long as it doesn't have any lasting side effects, negative side effects." Interesting article, but... No. Just, no
• [Forbes[ Numbers For Dodgers Do Not Add Up As Baseball Takes More Of Team's TV Money - Yeah. Not really feeling too much sympathy for the Dodgers, particularly after any story which includes the word "billion" in multiple places
• [AP] Japan baseball boss apologizes for ball switch - The Japanese baseball commissioner apologized on Friday for the confusion caused by introducing a new, livelier ball this season without notifying players. He continued by taking responsibility for Coors Field, the DH and Yasiel Puig escaping suspension.
• [WashingtonTimes] Reliving professional baseball’s longest uninterrupted game - "On June 14, 1966, the longest, uninterrupted professional baseball game in history was played in St. Petersburg, Fla. between the Miami Marlins and the St. Petersburg Cardinals. It lasted 29 innings and took nearly seven hours to play."
• [HardballTalk] Democrats beat the Republicans 22-0 in the Congressional Baseball Game - Insert political joke of appropriate color for your personal bias here.