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Snake Bytes, 9/15: It never rains but it pours

If you went to Chase Field last night, you would have seen a blowout loss, watched our starter pitch one inning, and might even have got rained on. It was that kind of game...

By Jim McLennan

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Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Recaps

[Arizona Sports] Padres early outburst sends D-backs to third straight loss - For the third straight night, the D-backs trailed before they even got up to bat. And for the second time in that stretch, they surrendered a homerun to the game’s leadoff hitter. The first inning tonight was particularly forgettable, as the Padres piled up five runs on a homer, two walks, two singles, two stolen bases and two fielding errors by Arizona. The fifth inning wasn’t very kind to the Diamondbacks either, as San Diego brought nine hitters to the plate, and notched five more runs. On the bright side, there weren’t any errors.

[AP] Return of Hellickson ends quickly vs. Padres - Jeremy Hellickson gave up a leadoff homer, walked the next two batters and threw a ball into center field for an error.. The right-hander's return from the disabled list could not have gone much worse. Hellickson barely made it out of the first inning and was done after that, giving up five runs, ."I feel that I haven't been on the mound my whole life," said Hellickson "It felt really weird out there. I've got to make an adjustment early and try to keep us in the game. Putting up a five spot before we even get a chance to bat is by far my worse inning of my career."

[dbacks.com] D-backs Jeremy Hellickson on return to hill - "I don't know," Hellickson said. "I just couldn't find the zone. There were a handful of fastballs there where I was just basically trying to throw it right down the middle. I don't know. I just felt like I hadn't been on the mound my whole life. It just felt really weird out there." Two of the five runs were unearned but there was no excusing Hellickson's performance. Hale said,. "They took some good swings against him. I always say the hitters will let you know and they were right on top of him. The walks hurt him. He threw a lot of pitches in the first inning. I felt like that was about all he had. Just not a good night for him."

[AZ Central] Padres rough up Hellickson in his return - Midway through the first inning, a passing storm made its presence felt inside Chase Field despite the roof being closed. Whereas in the past water has found its way into localized puddles by the mound and in the dirt behind home plate, this time fans sitting directly behind home got drenched by a steady drizzle spanning about 30 feet. Many fans moved to other seats, but intrepid scouts from other teams remained, one even pulling out an umbrella.

Team News

[dbacks.com] D-backs adjust rotation to rest Chase Anderson - The D-backs will adjust their rotation next time through to give Chase Anderson some extra rest as well as possibly avoiding having Rubby De La Rosa pitch against the Dodgers again. "Probably skipping a little more than one start," Chip Hale said. "I think maybe Chase needed a little break. He's been working with [pitching coach Mike Harkey] on some fundamental stuff and getting the ball down and all that stuff. But of course, you're not going to see that unless you pitch in a game. So we're going to try to get him in some games out of the bullpen."

[AZ Central] catcher situation much stronger than on Opening Day - Two months into the year gone, Diamondbacks backstops had the third-worst positional OPS in the NL. Since June – Saltalamacchia debuted with the Diamondbacks on May 29, with Castillo following on June 5 – Arizona’s catchers have an .866 OPS, best in the NL. "The people that talked very highly of [Castillo] were people that we respected," said Tony La Russa, Arizona’s Chief Baseball Officer. "We didn’t know it ourselves. But he came in and we thought, ‘Man this guy has a chance to be good.’ And he’s been great."

[Arizona Sports] Goldschmidt announced as Roberto Clemente Award nominee - Paul Goldschmidt has received a lot of praise for what he does on the field. Now he’s being recognized for what he does off the field. For the second straight year, Goldschmidt was named the Arizona Diamondbacks’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. Goldschmidt’s community involvement is highlighted by his dedication to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In addition to spending hours at the hospital visiting with kids, Goldschmidt also started Goldy’s Fund 4 Kids and hosted a Champions for Children luncheon in spring to benefit the hospital.

[AZ Central] Chacin looks to regain old form - "I think next year will be really good for me. I know what I need to do to keep my arm stronger and healthy for a whole year. When you’re young, you just pitch and you do stuff that you think is enough for your shoulder. Maybe it wasn’t enough for me, especially with a lot of innings I was throwing in Denver and with the altitude. Next year, when I come back stronger from the beginning, I think I’ll be back to normal again – how I was two, three or four years ago. I just need to keep throwing the same way. "

[MLB Daily Dish] Arizona considering extensions for Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock - Pollock appears to be the more likely of the pair to receive an extension in the near future, as both sides have publicly expressed interest in working out a deal. The 27-year old outfielder is not slated to hit free agency until after the 2018 season, but Stewart has already talked to others in the organization to prep for negotiations. In addition to talking about extensions with Goldschmidt and Pollock, the D-Backs are likely to pursue front-end rotation help on the free agent market this winter

And, elsewhere...

Deadball Era Game Footage

[Camden Chat] Watching September baseball in a lost season isn't all bad - I attended the Orioles game on Friday, September 11th and did not care about the outcome of the game. It was an odd and revelatory experience.

One of these days before the end of the season, we will have a free-fire zone GDT in terms of language. If you want some suggestions, here's a throwback to an oldie but goodie, of which I was reminded by 'charmer last week. An 1898 document, entitled "Special Instructions To Players," regarding the use of obscene language by players at the ballpark, to intimidate umpires and opposing players, and to verbally battle with unfriendly fans... NSFW, language, obvs.

Finally: hey, maybe we don't quite have the worst front-row fan of the week in baseball!

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