Snake Bytes

Snake Bytes, 8/8: Twice as Nice

The Diamondbacks turned a team-record six double plays and finally won their first series since the All-Star break by sweeping the two-game set against Tampa at Chase Field.

By James Attwood@JamesDAttwood Aug 8, 2013, 1:10pm EDT

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Quick Quotes

"There are so many things that go into whether or not you play somebody, I just left it the same today," Gibson said. "All in all though, everybody plays. We're in the middle of August and everybody has the chance to do good for the team."

Kirk Gibson on running the same lineup out for a second day

"We have a deep bench and a lot of good players, but I think it's that time of the year where we have to start running guys out there regularly," he said. "Hopefully we can run out a consistent lineup and guys can get comfortable."

Eric Chavez on the developing lineup

"There were a lot of questions and there were a lot of people asking me why I had a tough first half, but I think every single player has gone through what I went through," Prado said. "I moved on and I'm here for my team. I'm feeling better and I worked hard to be in the position I'm in now."

Martin Prado on coming around at the plate

"We couldn't have had a better guy up there. Rodney is very good, he's very hard to get to, but we had the right guy up there," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "He's rolling right now."

Kirk Gibson on Martin Prado's at-bat against Rodney in the 8^th inning

"He makes such unbelievable plays," Prado said of Gregorius. "I never thought he was going to get to the ball, then he got rid of it so quick. It was unbelievable."

Martin Prado on Didi Gregorious' Web Gem

Daily Diamondback Digest

Diamondbacks Win See-Saw Affair, First Series Since All-Star Break

On the backs of Martin Prado and Aaron Hill, and supported by a team-record six double plays turned, the Diamondbacks managed to eke out an 8-6 victory over the impressive Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night. Randall Delgado struggled in the first, but then settled in to give five more strong innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Between bad pitches and plain, old-fashioned bad luck, the bullpen melted down in the seventh. But the offense continued to grind away, and the bullpen righted itself again in the 8^th as Putz threw a strong five-pitch eighth inning and Ziegler closed the game out - inducing a groundball double play from Evan Longoria for the final play of the game.

Kirk Gibson Uses Same Lineup for Second Straight Day / Nieves getting Regular ABs

As the season stretches on, Kirk Gibson is starting to get some of his regular players more consistent playing time, and the results are starting to show.

Cahill Impresses During Bullpen Session

Trevor Cahill impressed Kirk Gibson with his latest bullpen throwing session, despite the on-field results in Reno. It looks like one or two more rehab starts may be all it takes before Cahill returns.

Goldschmidt's MVP Star Fading

Goldschmidt's less stellar second half, combined with the Diamondback tail-spin fall from first place have combined to temper the expectations of the Diamondbacks' first baseman winning the NL MVP.

Cody Ross Coming Around

Consistent playing time and better vision have helped the Diamondback OF to develop into the hitter the team thought it was getting when they signed him in the off-season.

Kevin Towers on David Hernandez / Heath Bell

Kevin Towers, while acknowledging Hernandez's struggles, still stands behind and supports the hard-throwing right hander. Meanwhile, Towers is happy with Bell's apparent recovery from his mid-season woes and feels the former closer is back on track.

Related: The KT Interview

Gibson Likes Veteran Grinders

In news about as breaking as, "Water is wet," Kirk Gibson states his admiration of veteran players like Tampa Bay's Ryan Roberts and Arizona's Wil Nieves.

Around MLB

Rookie Watch

Although Yasiel Puig has been making headlines in Los Angeles, it's hard to ignore a certain young Marlin pitcher and the season he has somewhat quietly put together in south Florida.

Robinson Statue Defaced

A statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese was defaced with swastikas and racial slurs.

Tigers Winn 11^th in a Row, Down Their Closest Competition

The Tigers have picked the right time to put the pedal to the floor and have started to distance themselves from the only real threat to their winning yet another AL Central crown. Things don't exactly get any easier for Cleveland, as the Tigers will be looking to extend their winning streak to 12 games by sending Max Scherzer to the mound against the Tribe Thursday night.

Braves Win 13^th in a Row

Not to be outdone by Detroit, the Atlanta Braves have now extended their MLB-best winning streak to 13 games, increasing their lead on the NL East to 15.5 games. With the best record in MLB at 70-45, Atlanta looks poised to coast into the playoffs with all the opportunity in the world to set things up just the way they want them.