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Quick Quotes
"I told him I didn't care if he struck out three more times, he was going to win the game tonight," Gibson said. "You've just got to move on. For me, just trying to get him to move on and chill out."
-Kirk Gibson on Aaron Hill's walk-off
"That situation is a big momentum swing when that happens," Thatcher said. "It's hard to do. It doesn't happen very often. You've just got to be aggressive and make pitches. It's kind of nice when you get ready in a hurry sometimes where you don't even have time to think about the situation you're getting into. You just get loose and the next thing you know you're out there."
-Joe Thatcher
"I thought it was good baserunning, I thought it was good coaching. And then an even better play. That was a really good throw. Two outs, you got to go. I was yelling the whole way, even when he was out."
-Terry Francona
Daily Digest
Miley, Reed, Goldy Struggle, Diamondbacks Win in 14
Wade Miley had a rough start. Addison Reed blew the save. Paul Goldschmidt went 1/7 in the game, including leaving the winning run on base with less than two outs in both the 11th and 14th. Despite all of this, the Diamondbacks managed to beat the Cleveland Indians a bit past midnight this morning.
Gregorius' Relay Play of the Game
After the ball caromed off the back wall and the back of Ender Inciarte's head, Jason Kipnis was waved home with two outs in the top of the 13th inning. The decision allowed Gregorius to show off the strong arm he is renowned for. What appeared to be a sure score wound up with Kipnis out by 10 feet.
Miley only goes 4+ innings, Reed blows a save, the team falls behind in extras, and the game ties the record for the longest ever played (by time) in Chase Field history. There are probably more than a few interesting tidbits of minutiae to be gleaned from the outing.
Hudson, Tumbo, Goldschmidt, and Shipley
News from around the organization.
Matt Stites and the Future of the Arizona Bullpen
Newly promoted Matt Stites joins Evan Marshall in the Diamondback bullpen, giving the organization a chance to evaluate what the future might look like.
Around MLB
A botched call that resulted in Joe Torre making a public apology has forced MLB to tweak the plate blocking/catcher collision rule to specifically address force plays at the plate. Given the controversy surrounding the rule so far this season, it's likely this is only just the first tweak to be handed down.
The recently deceased Tony Gwynn was often considered the best pure hitter of his age. Jerry Crasnick looks at what makes a pure hitter and who might be in the discussion today.
So, that left-handed guy in Los Angeles is still doing that thing he does (again). The streak is now at 21 1/3 scoreless innings, spanning all the way back to his last start against Arizona.
The folks at Fangraphs have begun evaluating the upcoming trade season.
Cuban Defectors in Baseball and Florida's New Law
Florida's new law takes an interesting approach to incentivizing teams to change how Cuban players arrive in the big leagues. Alone, it is unlikely to be enough, but it's a step in the right direction.