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Diamondbacks Line-up
- Adam Eaton, CF
- Gerardo Parra, RF
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Aaron Hill, 2B
- Jason Kubel, LF
- Martin Prado, 3B
- Miguel Montero, C
- Didi Gregorius, SS
- Wade Miley, P
That was probably the worst night's sleep I've had in a very long while. Mrs. S is on a training course this week, so we needed to be up early, which translated into a supposedly early night. Due to the extended game, that meant going to bed basically right after the Dodgers completed the sweep, hardly the relaxed "milk and cookie" state conducive to good rest. After spending a while gazing at the ceiling, and contemplating the leisure possibilities inherent in our bullpen and a large spit, a thunderstorm then started up, which seemed to save its loudest thunder for any occasion when I was just about to drift off to sleep.
Still, my humor has been considerably improved since, with the glorious news that Yasiel Puig did not win the All-Star Final Man vote, being beaten by the Braves' Freddie Freeman. Good. My faith in human nature is restored. Let's wrap all the oufielders on the NL team in cotton-wool for the rest of the week, make sure there are no injuries which could result in a spot opening up, and MLB calling for another, unprecedented Final Man vote, because you can't spell 'All-Star' without 'Puig'. Oh, hang on: apparently you can. I meant to say, you can't spell "ignorant punk" without 'Puig'.
Another bit of news, rather more mixed in nature, is that we won't be seeing Ryan Braun in the Brewers' line-up, at least until Sunday at the earliest. That's good for a Diamondbacks team that wants to get back on a winning track as soon as possible - the Brewers' line-up without Braun is a considerably less-scary beast (or Beast Mode, if you will). Though the reason for his absence is definitely not worthy of any joy at all, as he has been placed on the bereavement list, an assignment which lasts for a minimum of three and maximum of seven days. Even my well of schadenfreude bottoms out far before we get there.
Important for the D-backs to get back on track, after the detour which was the Dodgers' series. We've been here before, of course. Remember when the Giants took two of three from us at Chase, to move 1.5 games back? Or were swept in San Diego and lost the first at home to Miami, and saw our advantage shrink to just half a game? Or after the sweep in Atlanta and we lost two in New York? Every time, they were those who were certain this was the end, and our pretense at being contenders was over. They were wrong then, and this series gives the D-backs a chance to prove them wrong now.