SnakeBytes, 5/8: Road warriors edition

Recaps

[Dbacks.com] Bullpen delivers to secure victory for Arroyo - "Today started off kind of slow, I got fortunate to have a couple of double plays that were huge," said Arroyo. "And then once you get the lead and things start rolling and you get kind of deep in the ballgame, you can start trying to get a grasp of it and really start bearing down and being a little more picky with your pitches in the middle of the plate. Hopefully it just works out and it did today."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks win road series against the Brewers - "It always comes down to starting pitching," Arroyo said after the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in six games on this road trip and for the fifth time in seven games overall. "We started off so bad. Those first (24) games, we had three quality starts, and there's no way you can win like that. We're definitely turning the corner. As a pitching staff, we just didn't give us a chance early on. We feel bad about it. We can't make up the games we lost early on, but if we can try to win every series, as we are the last couple of times out, that's really all you can ask for."

[AP] Bronson Arroyo helps lift Diamondbacks over Brewers - Arizona escaped a jam in the eighth after the Brewers put two on with one out. Pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks then lined a single off reliever Brad Ziegler that loaded the bases for Carlos Gomez -- who hit the next pitch sharply into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play that elicited groans from hometown fans. Arizona is finding its way on the road. "This whole road trip I think our bats are getting better. We're starting to drive the ball a little bit,'" Gibson said. "We're starting to get better.''

Team news

[ArizonaSports] Diamondbacks GM on Chris Owings: 'Not surprised by what he's doing' - "Pollock and C.O. were guys who when you would talk to them about what they need to do when they go back down to the minor leagues, they were mature beyond their years, knew what they had to do, knew what they had to work on to get back up here," he said. "Just an incredible athlete, a great kid. Does all the little things right Not surprised by what he's doing; I think he's only going to get better the more comfortable he gets at this level."

[AZ Central] Prado works to bust out of a slump - When Prado is hitting well, he feels more comfortable risking being behind in the count during an at-bat. He prefers longer at-bats, anyway, and having to make the pitcher work to get him out. "When you don't have confidence, you might swing at pitches you don't want to swing at," he said. "I guess every single guy in this locker room has these kind of moments. I'm just trying to work my way out and we'll see what happens. It's better for me," he said, "trying to be more aggressive right now and get that confidence back so I can go back to my approach."

[dbacks.com] D-backs will turn back the clock on Alumni Night with throwback uniforms - The Arizona Diamondbacks will be digging out some familiar duds for Alumni Night. Arizona announced Wednesday that its players will wear the 1999 home white uniform and an alternate white cap on Aug. 30, when the D-backs host their third annual Alumni Night. The D-backs will also give out a Bob Brenly bobblehead to the first 20,000 fans who arrive at Chase Field that night.

[Fox Sports] Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Marshall - Marshall catches the first available flight, arrives in Milwaukee and is in uniform for Tuesday night's game. Before leaving, the call goes out to his wife, Allie, in Reno and his parents, Steve and Janet, in the California Bay Area. Mom and Dad have to go from San Jose through Denver through Chicago to Milwaukee, but everyone arrives in time for the big day. "We could have flown here on our own without the airplanes, I think," Steve Marshall said.

[Inside the 'Zona] Projections vs. Reality: D-backs Position Players - In part one of this two part series, we’ll look at the 2014 stats and ZiPS projections for the core position players. Please note, these projections are updated to reflect the performances that have taken place so far. To see the original, unaltered projections that were released before the season, click here. Otherwise, let’s take a closer look at what was projected and what has happened so far in 2014.

And, elsewhere...

[ESPN] Seattle Mariners Class A affiliate finishes 16-run comeback - Being down 16 runs after five innings was no problem for a minor league affiliate of the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. The Clinton LumberKings trailed the Burlington Bees 17-1 after five in a game between clubs based in Iowa. Nineteen runs later, the comeback was complete for Clinton, which wound up winning the Class A Midwest League game 20-17 in 12 innings.

[SportsonEarth.com] Forget Red Sox/Yankees. These are the best new rivalries in baseball - Marc Normandin asked me to talk about the LA-AZ rivalry. Opportunity to troll any over-sensitive Dodgers' fans? Ooh, don't mind if I do.

[SI.com] Is early success for Mets and Rockies sustainable? Odds are against it - Our colleagues at Purple Row were declaring the NL West a three-team race the other day. Cliff Corcoran begs to differ. "The Mets hitting the road to face the Rockies in Denver is not a battle of strengths. It is a lousy, overachieving Mets team wandering into the lion’s den, where a mediocre Rockies team is hiding from the reality of what is likely to be their fourth-straight losing season."

And finally. British baseball commentary. If not quite "They think it's all over," it's actually not bad.