Snakebytes, 9/18: Reed 'em and Weep edition

Recaps

[AZ Central] Giants pull away in 9th to top Diamondbacks - Mark Trumbo donned the "golden sombrero" for striking out four times in a game. Each time, the Diamondbacks had men on base and Gibson later substituted him. "He had a stiff back going into the game," Gibson said of Trumbo, who had 10 RBIs in the previous six games. With the bat too: C Tuffy Gosewisch complemented his usual aptitude behind the plate with a good day at the plate. He had his second career three-hit day, including his seventh double this season.

[dbacks.com] Chafin's sharp start offset by Giants' late rally - "I guess you could say maybe I was trying too hard to be too fine and precise with things," Chafin said. "I just went back to going out there and throwing it and trusting things, and that helps a bit." He also had a run-scoring single down the first-base line for both his first career hit and RBI. "It's definitely exciting to go out there and contribute to the offense," Chafin said.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs drop series to Giants despite Chafin's strong effort - A.J. Pollock hit a triple out to right center over the head of center fielder Juan Perez and later scored on a throw to first base after a dropped third strike. The throw home by Giants first basemen Buster Posey was late, with Pollock sliding home to tie the game. "Yeah it was a good play," said D-backs manger Kirk Gibson. "When Trumbo struck out and he ran they made the throw and that's why you tell your guys to hustle, to never give in and run the ball out."

Team news

[FOX Sports] Owings: First priority, second base - Owings has not committed an error in 103-plus defensive innings, finding the most difficult part of the transition is learning how to handle the bag on a double play. "From short, guys are coming at you. You can see them for the most part, so you know where to go," Owings said. "Here, it's all about learning where the throw is going to be, learning your third baseman and shortstop. Getting to the bag and being comfortable with it is the biggest difference. It's more about going with the throw, and not setting yourself into one particular position where you are going to get drilled over there."

[AZ Central] Perez still resting his 'dead arm' - "I think I could go more but sometimes you have to take care of yourself and have a couple days off because it's a long season," Perez said. "When you're tired, you don't have a lot of power. It's September. Everybody's tired. That's when you have to try to be careful because nobody wants an injury." In his weekend appearances, Perez's average fastball velocity had dropped by about 2 miles per hour from the previous week. "He's not hurt," Gibson said. "There's just not much coming out. He's got a dead arm. He hit a wall."

[Arizona Sports] La Russa impressed with GM candidates - "The general manager, when that box is checked, I think it's more his overall background," he said. "What does he know about how an organization is supposed to run, starting from the scouting, whether it's amateur or professional. Player development -- does he have player development experience? And also, does he have a feel for the business side of our game, because once you figure out you like this player, you've got to figure out a way to make him part of your organization. That general manager job, you've got to wear many hats. The guys that are coming in here are really impressive."

[AZ Central] Chafin impresses with his mind-set - [Bobby] Wilson, who caught both of Chafin's postseason starts, also saw an improved change-up, a pitch Chafin felt worked well for him against the Giants on Wednesday. "I feel like he really took a step forward toward the end there, understanding who he is and what he has to do," Wilson said. "He started to understand how his stuff is going to play out. He made a big adjustment from the first time that we saw him come up to the end of the year."

[FOX10] Mobile BayBears will stay affiliated with Arizona Diamondbacks - A source close to the Mobile BayBears has confirmed with FOX10 News, the AA-affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks will stay affiliated with the team. According to the source, an official agreement is not yet signed on paper, but that announcement should come very soon. The Mobile BayBears have been in existence since 1997 and were originally affiliated with the San Diego Padres through 2006. Since then, the BayBears have been with the D-Backs.

[Visalia Times-Delta[ California League Notebook: A reason to celebrate - And to think that many thought the season was lost after the Rawhide lost their 12th straight game on July 9. So what’s in store for 2015? There will be a better idea on that once the Diamondbacks select a new general manager, and whatever front-office repercussions that follow. The bulk of the Diamondbacks’ top-flight prospects will be at the Double-A level or higher in 2015, but there are some players that figure to be in the organization’s long-term plans no matter who becomes the new GM.

And, elsewhere...

[ESPN] What's a manager really worth? - When you factor in everything ... I'm not sure we really know. My guess is it's small, maybe five wins between a manager who pushes all the right buttons and a bad manager who makes all the wrong moves, plays the wrong players, doesn't communicate or uses Aaron Crow to pitch to Daniel Nava (sorry, cheap shot). There's also this: If a good manager was worth more wins (I think La Russa once said a good manager is worth seven wins), wouldn't they be paid more than utility infielders?

[SI.com] C.J. Wilson's performance, A's implosion help Angels clinch AL West - Entering the top of the ninth three outs away from a 1-0 win over the Rangers that would have not only kept their miniscule division title hopes alive but, more importantly, stretched their lead for a wild-card spot to three games over a Seattle team that had just lost at Angel Stadium, the A’s somehow managed to lose 6-1.

[Purple Row] Rockies pound Dodgers 16-2 in which things escalated quickly - Things didn't go quite as well for the other half of the potential Freeway World Series yesterday. But Colorado really need to step their game up. Only scoring sixteen runs against the Dodgers? Sheesh, this is my unimpressed face.