Snake Bytes, 8/30: Hall on the move?

Team news

[AZ Central] Hale: Robbie Ray could win 20 games - Everyone agreed, the manager noted, that Ray’s work ethic, preparation and workout regimen keeps improving. Hale said pitching coach Mike Butcher has been "a real influence" on Ray this season. "All these things," Hale said, "they’re going to keep improving because there are parts of his game that aren’t even tapped yet. … The development is continuing and the fastball command is one of the things that has made him more successful this year than last. But his breaking-ball command and his changeup command are the two things that will make him become a guy that can win 20 games."

[ABC15] Legendary Diamondbacks President's home for sale in Paradise Valley - [Yeah, just not "on the move" in the way you thought...] With four bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, and over 6,400 square feet, the home served Hall’s family well over the years. He lived here with his wife and three children. Along with all of your standard Valley home features -- patio, pool, and gorgeous outdoor areas for entertaining -- this home offers a one-of-a-kind synthetic turf field complete with its own watering system. Anyone can feel like a master executive in this home with a master wing, and his and hers office space.

[TKR] What To Make Of Robbie Ray - Ray has upped the velocity on his fastball, so now the pitch sits at 96 miles per hour. His fastball’s rise now plays up with the extra oomph, and he is getting tons more whiffs per swing when he pumps the ball in upstairs. The slider is a lot crisper, too. He backfoots it to righties while he backdoors it to lefties, throwing it harder with more bite. The firmness of the pitch allows for late break that fools hitters when it stays in the zone. Ray’s slider got hammered any time it was put in the zone last year; now, he’s getting swings and misses.

[Inside the 'Zona] Mitch Haniger: the Next Jake Lamb? - Given Haniger’s recent rise through the system and the way in which it looked like he was tapping into a skill that was already there, we have had reason to suspect that Haniger can hit the ball hard regularly. The early returns are: that impression is correct. There isn’t as much in Haniger’s past as there was for Lamb, so maybe if you gave Lamb a 70 grade on the "hit the ball hard more often than most" skill, you’d tentatively consider a 60 grade for Haniger. That’s still a pretty fine player, especially if he is the defensive asset in the outfield that he’s seemed to be so far.

[dbacks.com] D-backs are searching for a consistent closer - Since the D-backs traded Brad Ziegler to the Red Sox on July 9 and dealt Tyler Clippard to the Yankees on July 31, they've had no reliever step up to claim the closer role. Arizona manager Chip Hale has opted to use various pitchers in save situations based on either matchups or which pitcher has the hot hand. So far, it hasn't worked all that well for any of the relievers thrown into those opportunities.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs Farm Report: Socrates Brito scorching hot in Reno - It seems every week, first baseman Kyle Jensen takes up space in this feature, and this week is no different. Jensen batted .333 (10-for-30) with two homers and nine RBI. Jensen now has 30 home runs and 120 RBI on the season. Jensen plays first base and is 28 years old, so he doesn’t figure into Arizona’s plans at the big-league level, but after nearly 1,000 games in the minor leagues since 2009, it would be nice for the D-backs to reward him with a September call-up.

[The Ringer] The Diamondbacks Have Nothing to Play for — but A.J. Pollock Does - Morale is important — inactivity drives baseball players up the wall, which is another thing Pollock mentioned on Friday: If you're a baseball player, not playing when you're healthy enough to play just doesn't feel right. The next month might be meaningless when it comes to the standings this year, but Pollock can use it to get ready for next season. Since his arm is healthy enough to play, there's no harm in letting him get his legs back under him.

And, elsewhere...

[Yahoo!] It doesn't take much to be ejected from a baseball game - In an ideal world, every ejection and fair and justified. But this is baseball. The human element exists, and humans make mistakes. Emotions play a role, and that’s going to lead to moments like this. While there’s certainly reason to be upset a player was ejected from a game for such a dumb reason, at least we have a ridiculous story to go along with it. Baseball isn’t perfect, but it sure can be entertaining sometimes.

[New Yorker] The Women Succeeding in a Men’s Professional Baseball League - Kelsie’s father, Scott Whitmore, a middle-school physical-education teacher, noticed the extra pressure this put on his daughter. "She had to step on the field every single time and have her A game, because if she didn’t, the naysayers would come out and say, ‘See, I told you. She shouldn’t be playing this game.’ Whereas a boy makes that same mistake and it’s like, ‘That’s all right, you’ll get ’em next time.’ "

[BridgeportBluefish.com] nWo to Guest Manage Bluefish on September 2 - Former nWo members Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman will guest manage the team on Friday, September 2. The nWo will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and participate in a pre-game meet-and-greet with fans. Also, following the game a Micro Wrestling showcase will be held in the Two Roads Beer Garden. The nWo (New World Order) is a professional wrestling stable that began in 1996, with Hall and Nash as co-founders of the group, and Waltman joining the faction shortly thereafter. The stable originated in WCW.

Well, if the guest managers come out to argue any calls, it'll probably end with the umpire going through a table...