Snake Bytes, 4/28: Missed it, by that much...

Recaps

[FOX Sports] Anderson shaky as D-backs lose fourth straight - "It's time to win ball games," Trumbo said. "You don't want to say that (turn the page) too often. You can do it. You don't want to fall into those ruts. There might be a bigger picture plan or whatever, but we are the ones fighting and it feels much better to go out there to win. You need to be able to have a short-term memory, short enough to forget the bad stuff but also fire you up when needed. After four straight losses, it is time for us to come out with some passion tomorrow and get back on the right track."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks drop fourth straight game as rally falls short - Losing their fourth-straight game Monday, a 5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field, doesn't mean the 8-12 Diamondbacks are headed for 98 losses again, but that doesn't mean they're not concerned. "People say you can't win championships in April, but you can lose them for sure," reliever Evan Marshall said. "This team, we're very good and we're confident and we just want to go out and play well. Right now we're reaching a little bit."

[Arizona Sports] D-backs come up short against Rockies - "That's the way it's been going," said manager Chip Hale, referring to their difficulty of scoring runners from second and third. "We have not been swinging the bat well period and especially with men in scoring position. I thought we battled tonight, battled back. We got down early and the guys kept playing like we asked them to and I was proud of them. We always say if you can bring the tying run to the plate in a game like that you're going good. We had the tying run at third base, so we felt pretty good about that. It's just, it's not horseshoes or hand grenades, is it? It doesn't count to get close."

[dbacks.com] Signs of life for offense, but D-backs' rally falls short - "This was a game I think we had a decent chance to win," Trumbo said. "They got on us early, but we came back pretty good, and it sure would have been nice to get maybe a nice knock there at the end to at least tie it up." Hitting with runners in scoring position was an issue for the D-backs in the Pirates series, as they went 2-for-21 in those situations. Monday, it was more of the same, as they were 1-for-13. "We have not been swinging the bat well, period," Hale said. "And especially with men in scoring position."

Team News

[AZ Central] Anderson's pitching style leaves slim margin of error - "I think his stuff is better than what people give him credit for," manager Chip Hale said. "You can't pitch up here without good stuff. He throws all his pitches for strikes, he throws off-speed pitches behind in the count and he competes. That's part of his makeup. That does help him. (Last night he was) up in the zone. It seems like a broken record. When we struggle we're up in the zone. You're going to have to have No. 1 stuff to get those guys out. They're too good."

[dbacks.com] D-backs being patient with Ahmed's offense - "We're making a lot of demands on him with his swing," Chip Hale said. "We're kind of talking to him about some things that we need him to do to be a better Major League hitter. We talked about it in Spring Training, he did it, he's getting a little bit away from it right now. But the main thing, I think, with Nick right now is pitch selection." According to data from FanGraphs, Ahmed is actually swinging at slightly fewer pitches outside the strike zone than he did last year, but he's making less contact with those pitches than he did last year, when he batted .200 in 75 Major League at-bats.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks need more offense in bottom of order - Ahmed might be pressing a bit, but is mature enough to know he has to be patient with the process. He started the past two seasons slowly in the minors, but improved his numbers considerably as the season went along. "If somebody is going through a bit of a struggle and says they're not in any way frustrated, they're lying," Ahmed said. "But I'm doing good. It's a long season. There's a lot more games and a lot more at-bats. I'm going to end up with a hot streak soon here and nobody's going to remember the slow start."

[FOX Sports] Saltalamacchia available; D-backs could be interested - The Marlins appear to have very limited options in the trade market unless they agree to eat most of the remaining money. A team in need of a catcher could agree to take Saltamacchia if the Marlins chip in, say, $12 million. If Saltalamacchia clears waivers, the team that signs him is liable only for the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary ($507,000) for the rest of this season. Miami would pick up the rest.

[Reno Aces] Grizzlies stave off Aces for series-clinching win - If you're wondering where the minor-league report went, there were only two games scheduled yesterday, and one was rained out. In the other, the Aces dropped their fifth consecutive contest, 4-2 in Fresno, despite outhitting the Grizzlies, 10-7. Blake Beavan allowed all four runs in five innings on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. LF Peter O'Brien continued his ferocious tear, getting three hits including his seventh home-run of the season: he's now batting .397. RF Zach Borenstein had two hits, while 1B Nick Evans doubled and walked.

[Revenge of the Birds] Adrian Wilson throws out 1st pitch for Arizona Diamondbacks - The recently retired Cardinals star gets to show off his baseball skills. But can he play catcher?

[Arizona Sports] Arroyo to perform with Whiskey's Quicker - Due to injury, it's been a while since Arizona Diamondbacks fans have had a chance to see Bronson Arroyo perform on the mound. But, they'll get a chance to see the pitcher perform on the stage. Arroyo will join local rock band Whiskey's Quicker, featuring our own Dan Bickley, May 8 at Gila River Casinos Plaza outside Chase Field before the D-backs play the San Diego Padres.

[MLB.com] This Chase Field lemonade vendor is your new spirit animal - "Baseball is a sport. Hospitality is an industry. But selling refreshments at a ballgame is an art form and this delightful man is its Vincent Van Gogh." If you've ever been to a game at Chase, you almost certainly know the vendor about whom they're talking!

And, elsewhere...

[LA Times] Brandon McCarthy's injury throws wrench into Dodgers' rotation - "Brandon McCarthy will miss the rest of the season because of a torn elbow ligament, the team said Monday. McCarthy said he anticipates undergoing Tommy John surgery and hopes to return around the All-Star break next season." So many questions here. Was the D-backs getting him to stop using his cutter the reason why he had his healthiest season ever? Did returning to it with a vengeance in New York set up this injury? Either way, that four-year $48 million contract looks bad right now. Much as I hate the Dodgers, I hope Brandon makes it back. But clearly, it's time to think about a designated pitcher...

[CDA News] What Should the Boston Red Sox do With Wade Miley? - Through four starts for Boston, Miley is 1-2 with an 8.62 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs in 15.2 innings. Command has been an issue for him thus far, walking more guys than he has struck out to date. On the possibility of taking Miley out of the rotation if he continues to struggle, according to the Boston Herald. Red Sox manager John Farrell did not exactly answer the question, but he certainly did not dismiss the possibility either. The only problem here is that the team would need someone to replace him and they do not have anyone who is big league ready at the moment.

[Dallas Morning News] Josh Hamilton on calling Dallas not a true baseball town: ‘I’ve said some dumb things’ - In 2013, after Hamilton left the Rangers in free agency for the Angels, he said: "Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town," Hamilton said. "So the good with the bad is they’re supportive, but they also got a little spoiled, at the same time, pretty quickly. You can understand like a really true, true baseball town — and there are true baseball fans in Texas – but it’s not a true baseball town." Bit embarrassing now he's back there!

[Time] How Night Games Changed Baseball History - Wilkinson’s great innovation was to commission the Giant Manufacturing Company of Iowa to make a portable lighting system. Six floodlights on telescoping poles nearly 50 ft. tall were mounted on flatbed trucks located throughout the field. The lights could go on the road with the Monarchs, an advantage not available to some of the other teams that introduced night games that same season. The electric lights were a sight to behold, since fewer than 10% of farms in America had electricity in the early 1930s. Would the novelty of the portable lights at baseball games would act as the flame to the proverbial moth?