Snake Bytes, 6/16: Dorn again?

Recaps

[FOX Sports] Robbie Ray keeps D-backs rolling - "Starting pitching, like anything else, like hitting, the guys compete," D-backs manager Chip Hale told reporters after Monday's win. "They see the first guy going up there and get close to throwing a no-hitter, and all of a sudden here comes the next one and the next one. It runs like that. Unfortunately when things are not going well, it runs like that. We're on a good streak with that right now. They are all getting better. That's the key. Robbie had another good outing. He is taking a step forward every time out."

[AZ Central] Ray keeps starters on a roll - Ray tossed 5 2/3 hitless innings to lead the Diamondbacks to a 7-3 win over the Angels on Monday at Angels Stadium, but he claims he had no idea in the moment. It was only after he surrendered a two-out hit to left fielder Daniel Robertson he even had a clue. After that hit, Paul Goldschmidt approached Ray with some calming words of encouragement. Since Arizona was up 5-0, Ray found that a little odd. "He said, 'You've got two outs, just get this guy out,'" Ray said. "I looked up to the scoreboard because I thought that was kind of weird."

[AP] Ray dominates Angels in another D-backs win - "Robbie did a great job tonight," Goldschmidt said. "When a guy's putting up a lot of zeros, you're going to get a chance offensively because it puts pressure on their pitcher to be perfect as well. And when we have the lead, Robbie can be a lot more aggressive and not worry about solo homers and stuff like that." "I didn't throw many off-speed pitches and I just stayed on the fastball and attacked hitters," Ray said. "Me and my catcher had a game plan going, we stuck to it, and the team was making plays behind me."

[Arizona Sports] Ray pitches seven-inning shutout to lead Diamondbacks to fourth straight win - Cliff Pennington's 31st birthday couldn't have gone much better Monday. Though he was forced into the contest following the hamstring injury to Inciarte in the first inning, Pennington made the most of his opportunity. Despite having next no experience playing in the outfield, Pennington would take over in left after Hale moved starting left fielder David Peralta to Inciarte's vacant position in right. Not only would Pennington gun down Erick Aybar at second in the sixth inning, but the birthday boy would be clutch at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI bunt single

[dbacks.com] Ray stymies Halos as D-backs win 4th straight - Scioscia took exception to both [reviewed calls]. "We're seeing, in my estimation, too many calls that aren't reversed," Scioscia said. "Not only for us, but going for the other team also. I know it's a work in progress, but believe me, there's a frustration level. I think some things need to evolve as far as how we determine these calls, because there's no standard for what is going to overturn a call. It comes to individual umpires' interpretation, and that's why I think some things will eventually be addressed."

Team News

[Arizona Sports] Inciarte to land on 15-day DL Tuesday - In an attempt to beat out a throw to first base in the first inning, right fielder Ender Inciarte would pull up lame, clutching the back of his left leg in pain and grimacing in a way that let you know it was a touch more than a minor tweak. Then came the diagnosis from D-backs manager Chip Hale following the game: The injury has been officially called a strained left hamstring; an injury that's far from crippling, but one that will take plenty of time and patience as Inciarte looks to recover.

[AZ Central] Inciarte injury doesn't prevent Diamondbacks from giving Goldschmidt a rest - With Inciarte gone, Tomas is needed in right. The team could still use third baseman Jake Lamb at first and play Pennington or Aaron Hill at third, although Hale suggested whomever the team calls up from the minors will be able to play either outfield or first, freeing up Tomas to play the other. That may seem overly complicated for essentially a half-day of rest, but Goldschmidt comes out of the game so rarely that Hale feels it's important. "(Goldschmidt) understands he needs a rest and stuff, but his bat will still be in there and if we need him late for defense we can bring him in".

[Arizona Sports] D-backs' Hudson adjusts to new role after first career save - Hudson said he was determined not to let nerves get to him. "A little heart-pounding, a little bit more than usual," Hudson said. "I just told myself to just try to stay in the moment and not to do too much." With the new situation comes a new approach on the mound for Hudson. "It's different with the way you got to attack hitters," Hudson said. "I had a rough little stretch there at the end of April, early May where I had a couple rough outings. I think I had a bit of a starter's mentality early on where I was trying to establish my fastball a little too much." [Hey, it's written by ex-Pitter Fabian Ardaya!]

[AZ Central] Castillo making good first impression with Diamondbacks - "My average is not there where I want it, but I believe in myself," he said. "I know I can hit. That's going to come." Something about the certainty of playing time with the Diamondbacks has had a psychological effect on him. "Let's say today you go 0 for 4," he said. "I'd get pissed, but I'd know too I'm going to play tomorrow and I'm going to have a chance to get two or three or four hits the next day."

And, elsewhere...

[UTSanDiego.com] It was time for Padres manager Bud Black to go - All that off-season splash and... Fourth place, since we overtook them last night. "Whether the Padres' decision to fire Bud Black was the right move remains to be seen, but it was the necessary move on Monday. It is unclear if a managerial shakeup will cause these underachievers to wake up — but it was clear that the front office had to try something... What cannot be disputed, however, is that the Padres' last playoff appearance came one month before Black was hired in 2006."

[Yahoo] MLB team enlisting potentially revolutionary technology to study pitching - The Rays will be the first team to install Kinatrax, a markerless motion-capture system, in their stadium, sources told Yahoo Sports. An announcement touting the move is expected Monday. Kinatrax uses ultra-high-speed cameras and aims to capture the sort of biomechanical data that previously necessitated the placement of reflective markers on different body parts. Should Kinatrax do what it purports to, it would revolutionize baseball by offering looks at pitchers’ in-game biomechanics instead of those revealed in laboratory settings.

[New York Times] Cardinals Face F.B.I. Inquiry in Hacking of Astros’ Network - The F.B.I. and Justice Department  prosecutors are investigating whether front-office officials for the St. Louis Cardinals hacked into internal networks of a rival team to steal closely guarded information about player personnel. Investigators have uncovered evidence that Cardinals officials broke into a network of the Houston Astros that housed special databases the team had built, according to law enforcement officials. Internal discussions about trades, proprietary statistics and scouting reports were compromised, the officials said.

[SunTimes] Mapped: The United States of Game of Thrones - "While the Game of Thrones characters themselves are fictional, their struggles and desires are not. In fact, they’re very real. Our data experts at FindTheHome feel the same way. So much so, that they used their company and industry data from Dun & Bradstreet, to see where these distinct personalities would live if Westeros were the United States."