Snake Bytes, 5/26: A Memorial Day to forget

Recaps

[AZ Central] Jhonny Peralta gets big hit that eludes Diamondbacks in extra-innings loss - In reality, it was a defeat that hinged more on the back of the lineup than the back of the bullpen. The Diamondbacks put two on with none out in the fifth but came up empty. They had the same situation in the eighth but again stranded both runners. They loaded the bases in the 10th but could not drive in a run. The common thread: It was the bottom of the Diamondbacks' lineup that kept failing to deliver a big hit. Chris Owings, Tuffy Gosewisch and Nick Ahmed had just one hit between them and the three combined for 11 runners left on base.

[dbacks.com] Bottom of lineup misses chances for D-backs - "We had opportunities to score there in the last inning and couldn't do it," Hale said. "It's just one of those things you have to learn how to do as a group. Hitters have to be able to put a ball in play with one out and a man on third. It's something we need to just get better at." "I think we fought really hard against a really good team," Trumbo said. "There's a lot of positives, and I think everyone is actually pumped up about the way we battled."

[AP] D-backs rally late but fall in 10th - "I'm kind of in one of those stretches where I'm not killing the ball, but trying to remain as tough as I can," Trumbo said. "I have to, in order to get some of these guys behind me pitches." It was his first RBI since May 12. "I got a fastball I could handle. "But it wasn't one of those situations where you feel like you're really in the driver's seat, I guess." The Diamondbacks were 1 for 10 with RISP. The bottom four in the order, including two pinch hitters, combined for a single and a walk. "When they do perform like they did the last series, we score a lot of runs," manager Chip Hale said. "So it's important, and it's a work in progress."

[Arizona Sports] Walk-off homer propels St. Louis past D-backs in 10 innings - Chase Anderson started on the mound for Arizona and technically put forth a quality start, but he did give up a season-high 10 hits and seemed to be in trouble in almost all of his six innings of work. He finished with two runs allowed, four strikeouts and one walk in the no-decision, dropping his ERA down to 2.59 while throwing 61 strikes in 97 pitches.

Team News

[FOX Sports] Burgos' soreness could open spot on D-backs for David Hernandez - "The first two hitters we didn't see what we wanted, so we got (Burgos) out of there as quick as possible," Hale told reporters after a quick meeting with general manager Dave Stewart and chief baseball officer Tony La Russa. "Some motions out there after he threw the ball, some grimacing," Hale said. "You just can't take a chance with his arm, and it's this kid's career. You don't want anything to happen. We want to be very careful. We'll reevaluate him. We'll have to make a decision on him tomorrow."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks draft: SS Brendan Rodgers highly touted - The rain was falling and batting practice was canceled, but a couple of scouts had made the trip to Orlando specifically to see Lake Mary High's Brendan Rodgers, so they decided to go ahead with a quick round of BP anyway. "They didn't have to shag very many," Lake Mary coach Allen Tuttle recalled. "Probably threw him about 35 pitches and he hit about 19 of them out of the park. And they weren't fence scrapers; they go way deep."

[dbacks.com] For Goldy, personal stats take backseat to team - "I've never seen a guy, basically it's just the flick of his wrist to hit it that far," Hale said. "He's got such good mechanics with his hands to stay through the ball. When he gets on a run, yes, it's enjoyable to watch. We have to have guys behind him hit because what's gonna happen is he's not gonna get a whole lot of pitches to hit." "I just try to hit it and keep it simple, and hopefully they don't catch it," Goldschmidt said. "I've been feeling pretty good the past week or so."

]FOX Sports] Tomas enjoying himself as D-backs' regular third baseman - "You see a different guy than the one we saw in spring training," Chip Hale said. "The growth is there and the confidence is there. And he's having some success, so that all comes together and he feels like he's the ballplayer that he should be. What we always look at is good at-bats, and he seems to have good at-bats against good pitchers. He's been clutch for us. He has the ability to go up there with two outs and get a hit and drive in a run. Those are huge things on a team. That just lifts the whole dugout up."

[Visalia Times-Delta] California League Notebook: Key to the pennant? - No Visalia franchise has won a first-half crown since the Visalia Oaks took the South first-half title in 1990. What could make this season even better for the Rawhide? How about adding the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft to help bolster the pursuit of the franchise's first California League championship since 1978. The Arizona Diamondbacks own the No. 1 overall pick to the MLB draft, and there is increasing speculation that the Diamondbacks will use that selection on Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson.

[Chicago Tribune] Toussaint making his pitch for Kane County Cougars - At around 9, Toussaint tried his hand at baseball, but suffered the same problem countless others had before him. He couldn't hit a curveball. "I struck out 22 times in 24 at-bats," Toussaint recalled. "At first, it was really rough. I didn't start pitching until my sophomore year (at Coral Springs Christian). My coach was like, 'Can you hit?' And I said, 'No, I can't hit a curveball.' Junior year, I saw it working and senior year, I knew this is what I was going to be."

[Arizona Sports] Every hat ever worn by the Arizona Diamondbacks - A baseball uniform can't be complete without one of its most iconic pieces -- a hat. From the collectable to the just-plain-cool, through uniform changes and color re-designs, the Arizona Diamondbacks have introduced many hats to their fans over the past couple decades.

And, elsewhere...

[SI.com] Jeremy Guthrie makes historically awful start versus Yankees - He allowed as many three-run homers as he retired batters: a trio of each. "In terms of Game Score—the Bill James formula that credits and debits various outcomes in a pitcher's line score for comparative purposes, with 50 being average—Guthrie scored a -11. That's tied for 10th-worst in the post-1960 expansion era:"

[AP] Josh Hamilton 0-for-3, 1 run in return to victorious Rangers - Josh Hamilton has played in two World Series, appeared in five All-Star Games and won a Most Valuable Player Award. Yet he still had to fight off nerves in his return to the majors Monday. "It was good to get the first at-bat out of the way, I was a little nervous up there," Hamilton said after the Rangers sixth straight win, a 10-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians. "After that, second at-bat I was feeling pretty good. It was just good to be out there. It was good to feel the energy in the dugout."

[NYTimes.com] University of Tokyo Ends a 94-Game Victory Drought - The university, the top one in Japan and colloquially known as Todai, had not won a game in nearly five years, a stretch of 94 games. A national university, Todai does not offer athletic scholarships, which makes it hard to compete. But on Saturday, the team did the unimaginable: It beat Hosei University, 6-4, scoring two runs in the top of the 10th inning to secure the win.