SnakeBytes, 7/2: Ninth-inning nastiness edition

Recaps

[dbacks.com] Reed allows walk-off after Miley trips at finish line - "Terrible," Reed said of the pitch location. "It was an 0-2 count, missed my spot again. I was trying to get it away. I was trying to duplicate the second pitch, start it out on the black, outside corner and have it go out of the strike zone. And I hung it, left it right out over the middle of the plate and he's a good hitter, you can't do that to a guy like him and he put a good swing on it. The rest went from there."

[AP] 3-run 9th spoils Miley's stellar outing - "He was great," Gibson said of Miley. "He pitched a heck of a game. He was in total command of that game, but it didn't work out at the end. I hope to see him pitch like that again next time." "I just located tonight," Miley said. "I hadn't located in the past. That's pretty much the key right there, being able to locate and keep the ball down."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks allow 3 in 9th in loss to Pittsburgh Pirates - They had two runners on in the first, second and ninth and failed to score in any of the innings. In the ninth, Parra was gunned down at the plate trying to score on Ender Inciarte's single to right. Harrison, the Pirates' right fielder, threw him out by several steps. "I had runner on third and second, two outs (in the second inning) and couldn't bring in any of them," Inciarte said. "Then I got a base hit and Parra was out at home. We had a couple of chances. We gave all we could in the game and we don't feel good that we couldn't get this one, because it was taken out of our hands."

[ArizonaSports] D-backs drop opener to Pirates in 9th inning collapse - Miley made it through eight innings allowing just two hits -- the 29th time in D-backs history a starter has worked eight innings and allowed two or fewer hits. The most recent was Brandon McCarthy on May 14. Miley has now gone nine starts since earning his last win, which came on May 10 against the Chicago White Sox. The D-backs have won three of his last five starts, but he failed to earn a decision in any of them. He hasn't allowed more than four earned runs in a game over that span.

Your Daily Goldschmidt

[ArizonaSports] Paul Goldschmidt holds on to NL All-Star vote lead at first base - As of Tuesday, he had collected 2,582,955 votes and held a comfortable lead over Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Mark Reynolds, who had accumulated 1,430,395 votes. If Goldschmidt becomes a starter, he will join Jay Bell, Matt Williams and Luis Gonzalez as the only other players in D-backs history to earn a fan election.

[dbacks.com] Goldschmidt facing 'new era' of being pitched around - "I think I've done a better job of not swinging out of the zone and then at times being aggressive in the zone," Goldschmidt said. "I think that's led to some of it. There's been some other times where there have been some intentional walks and stuff like that. It's just part of it. I think walks, like anything, kind of come in streaks. Same thing with homers, hits, or wins, or whatever it is. You may not do it for a couple weeks and then all of a sudden they come in a wave and they can't really be explained, but that's just something that I've noticed."

[AZ Central] Goldschmidt has few fans among pitchers - Gibson said. "It's a challenge to him to remain selective, which he has been. Nobody likes that; he wants to hit. It really tests your patience. I think a lot of guys start to expand the zone a little bit, but there were at-bats when they went after him. So your mind-set is you're going to be patient and you're going to wait for your pitch and you don't get it, and all of a sudden here it comes. It's tough. He's conquered a lot so far in his young career, and I suspect he'll figure this one out, too."

Non-Goldschmidt news

[dbacks.com] Owings' MRI shows no structural damage in shoulder - "He's got a bruised shoulder," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "That's pretty good news. He won't hit for about a week probably. He'll do everything else. He'll throw and he'll do his running and stay in shape. Probably in about a week he'll start hitting again."

[Rant Sports] Arizona Diamondbacks Have Serious Talent In Prospect Jake Lamb The most impressive thing about getting to see Lamb play is the fact that his hands are incredibly fast and very quiet at the plate. From 0-0 counts all the way to 0-2, he is as cool as a cucumber and makes contact on a very consistent basis. All of the parts of his game scream that he is destined to be a starter for the Diamondbacks in years to come. However, with Martin Prado as their everyday third baseman, there’s no need to rush him up. If they are patient and he develops properly, the D-Backs have a serious talent on his way to Arizona.

[dbacks.com] D-backs Dominican Education Program graduates first six students - The program, which is believed to be the first-of-its-kind, ensures that every player at the team's academy in Boca Chica receives a high-school education regardless of whether or not he advances in his baseball career. Said Derrick Hall. "We know that not every player will reach the big leagues or even make it to the United States as a prospect, but once they sign with the D-backs they are guaranteed to get an education."

And, elsewhere...

[HardballTalk] Rangers designate Joe Saunders for assignment - Joe Saunders talked himself back into the Rangers’ rotation last month following an injury, saying that he didn’t want to take on a bullpen role, but after going 0-5 with a 6.18 ERA in eight starts overall this season Texas has designated the left-hander for assignment. Given his platoon splits and overall ineffectiveness as a starter switching from the rotation to the bullpen could potentially prolong Saunders’ career, so it’ll be interesting to see if getting let go by the Rangers helps him recognize that at age 33.

[SI.com] Rick Porcello's unique shutout keeps Tigers rolling in AL Central\ - Five days after throwing his first career shutout, Rick Porcello added a second, blanking the A's on four hits in Detroit's 3-0 win on Tuesday night. In doing so, he became the first pitcher in nearly 25 years to throw a complete-game shutout without walking or striking out a single hitter.

[Yahoo] Loophole offers potential path for some minor league players to smoke way onto major league rosters - Inside a minor league clubhouse this year, a player who had tested positive for marijuana a second time informed teammates of the 50-game suspension he would serve because of it. The player wasn't concerned, according to a witness. He didn't plan on curtailing his marijuana use, either. "I'll just smoke my way onto the 40-man," he said. In the annals of drug use, this might be a first: an employee trying to get a promotion by getting high.

[Newsday] 75 years later, Lou Gehrig's farewell speech is still unforgettable - Gehrig's 274-word speech that day -- the words of a man who likely knew he was dying from a horrifying degenerative disease -- expressed optimism and gratitude. It endures as the most iconic speech in sports history. On Friday, the 75th anniversary of Gehrig's address, Major League Baseball will commemorate the moment by presenting a video of each current team's first baseman reciting a line from the speech.