SnakeBytes, 8/13: Rained out

Team news

[dbacks.com] D-backs-Indians opener washed out - After a rain delay that stretched for more than 3 1/2 hours, the D-backs' opener vs. the Indians was postponed. Tuesday's game was initially delayed at 7:57 p.m. in the fourth inning. There was a brief attempt to try to resume play at 11:30, but the rain started pouring again and wouldn't let up. "Right there at the end, they said [the rain] might miss us, it might not," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "But it just keeps building. We're just right in the trough."

[AZ Central] Montero: Problems with Bauer in past - On Tuesday, a day before the Diamondbacks are scheduled to face Bauer for the first time since the trade, Montero was asked to reflect, and he sounded a different note. Time, it seemed, had softened his stance on his former iconoclastic teammate. "I guess he felt like I wasn't calling the right game for him, which probably was the case because I'm not always putting down the right fingers," Montero said. "But that's when communication comes into play. You tell me how you want to do things, and I'll try to be better to help you win games."

[ArizonaSports] Hudson may return in September - "I hope it works out for him personally just to reward him for his hard work and dedication," Gibson said Tuesday "I don't know if you can imagine what it would be like to be having a great start to a career, and all of a sudden, you've got to have Tommy John surgery. And then, you've got to rehab for a full year, which is a very long time, you're really one start away from coming back to a big-league club, (and you've) got to have another surgery."

[dbacks.com] Hot-hitting Trumbo finally feeling healthy - While he has hit just one home run since his return, Trumbo stuck to the idea that the power would come around eventually. "I cut it loose all the time. It's just a matter of getting the right spin on the ball and being in the right position to hit," Trumbo said. "I don't think my legs were underneath me as well as they could have been. Any time you have a lower body injury and you miss time, some of the leg strength is going to be sacrificed as well. But I think at this point, I've played enough games to kind of get it back."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks might look to Japan in search of starting pitching - The Diamondbacks' presence in Japan has continued to grow in recent years. Their high-profile pursuit of Tanaka, whom they offered a reported $120 million, helped increase their profile in the country.. Said Mack Hayashi, the Diamondbacks' director of Pacific Rim operations, "I think we made a lot of impact even though we didn't get Tanaka. For example, whether it's me or (Craig Shipley) or (Mike Brown) that goes out to the ballpark in Japan, we're going to be in the newspaper. They're going to be asking us who we're looking at."

[Missoulian] Osprey outlast Ogden in marathon - Turns out last night's extra inning win came with a dose of intrigue. "Ogden reliever Lenix Osuna put the first two on in the 10th before Osprey manager Audo Vicente asked the umpiring crew to take a look at what he thought might be an illegal substance on the pitcher’s arm. Osuna was ejected and a cold Karch Kowalczyk eventually surrendered the game-winning hit. "It was very obvious he was going to his forearm for something," Vicente said. "It’s our job as a coach to look at every little detail, especially at that point in the game."

And, elsewhere...

[NYTimes] Commissioner Vote Could Be Anybody’s Ballgame - Thursday sees MLB owners vote on a commissioner to replace Bud Selig, who will retire in January. But with two candidates from different factions in the running for commissioner of Major League Baseball, a third may emerge as a compromise.

[providencejournal] Boston baseball memorabilia valued at $1 million by "Antiques Roadshow" - A trove of signatures and rare baseball cards from Boston Red Stockings players was appraised at $1 million for insurance purposes, series producer Marsha Bemko said. She said it’s the largest sports memorabilia find in the history of the 19-year-old public TV show, which travels America looking for varied heirlooms and treasures. The collection was brought to an "Antiques Roadshow" taping Saturday in New York City. The owner inherited it from her great-great-grandmother, who ran a Boston boarding house where the team lived in 1871-72, PBS said.

[New York Post] Korean Royals fan’s trip is the feel-good baseball story of the year - When SungWoo Lee — perhaps the most unlikely Royals superfan on the planet — signed up to make the trip from Seoul, South Korea, to Kansas City to see his beloved baseball team in person for the first time, he never expected this. a majestic eight-game winning streak — coinciding almost perfectly with Lee’s arrival in the United States — that has improbably vaulted the sadsack Royals, who haven’t made the playoffs since 1985, to first place in the American League Central.

[FanGraphs] The Most Improved Players Thus Far by Projected WAR - "What follows represents an attempt by the author to utilize the projections available at the site to identify the five major-league hitters whose WAR projections have most improved on a rate basis since the beginning of the season." Take a guess at who #1 might be. :)