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Quotes of the Day
"We've had a lot of guys go down but at the same time, these guys have been playing great. It was fun to watch all these walk-off hits, it was tough not to be a part of it. It'll be interesting to see what we can do once everybody gets back."
- The recently-returned Aaron Hill on the Diamondbacks' spate of injuries.
"I think we're hunkered in for the long haul. We're not going to panic one way or another."
- Kirk Gibson on the club's mindset heading into a tough stretch of games.
Diamondbacks' News
Arizona Diamondbacks to begin tough stretch of 20 games in 20 days on Tuesday | dbacks.com: News
The Diamondbacks are certainly going to earn their keep this month, kicking off a long east coast road trip tonight against the Nationals. Despite the daunting slate of games ahead, the team seems buoyed by their recent play and the prospect of players returning from injury. "We feel good," Jason Kubel said. "It'll be a test for us, but we'll go out and try to have a good road trip. We're playing well so hopefully we can continue that."
Derrick Hall gets a bit of national attention in this profile of his role in MLB's on-field diversity task force, which seeks to promote baseball in inner-cities. “I want to make sure we have the best athletes,” Hall explains. “If an athlete is from the inner city and has a decision to make, what scares me is they’re going to decide to go to another sport because they don’t have the access to fields, or they don’t have the access to equipment." The task force is certainly a laudable undertaking, and the article is worth a read for that alone, but one line (unrelated to diversity) struck me. Hall had this to say about Nick Ahmed: "as good as our shortstops are, Kevin Towers just went to see him and the reports we’re getting from our Double-A staff is he’s the best shortstop in our system." Justin Upton trade justification blustering? Or genuine scouting report?
Arizona Diamondbacks counting on more clutch moments from Jason Kubel, Cody Ross
Lately it seems that Jason Kubel and fellow over-the-hill-outfielder Cody Ross are rounding into form. Interestingly, Cody Ross employs the patented Josh Hamilton "wait, wait, there's something in my eye" defense to explain his rough start, citing blurry contacts as the reason for his rather uninspiring early months.
Around the League
Baseball Prospectus | Prospects Will Break Your Heart: The Mid-Season Top 50 Prospects
Subscription only. Sorry guys and gals. I wouldn't normally include anything behind a pay wall, but consider purchasing a one-day subscription if only to read about the top arm in the minors and number five prospect overall -- Archie Bradley. Prospect maven Jason Parks had this to say about the Snakes' ace-in-training: "Given [Bradley's] overall profile, I’m not sure a healthy [Dylan] Bundy would rank higher. The title of top arm belongs to Bradley without an asterisk."
Could Tim Linecum revive an old-school relief role? | SportsonEarth.com : Jack Moore Article
Should the Freak move to the bullpen? Jack Moore of Sports on Earth envisions Lincecum in the forgotten role of the fireman a la Goose Gossage.
Jonah Keri ranks the MLB teams - Grantland
The Diamondbacks check in at number ten on the rankings, but the article focuses entirely on the exciting NL Central race and the moves the teams could make as the trade deadline draws near.
Players View: Who was Better, Bonds or Ruth? | FanGraphs Baseball
Who do you have - Barry Bonds or Babe Ruth? The players' answers might surprise you.
Marginalia
Yasiel Puig Is The Inspiration Behind A New Grindcore Band
You'll have to forgive me this indulgence. I was a fan of the grindcore band Pig Destroyer during my misspent youth, so I was unreasonably excited when I learned of this unholy amalgam of Cuban baseball phenom and esoteric punk sub-genre.