Snake Bytes, 9/20: If a game falls in San Diego...

Recaps

It's sad. AZ Central, Arizona Sports and Fox Sports Arizona all used generic AP recaps of last night's contest. I know it's the end of a long season, and this was an underwhelming game at best. But, dammit, piratedan7 put in the effort; you'd think the pros would put in the effort too. Hell, send $20 a night, and they can reprint the SnakePit recap. At least that focuses on the home team: the AP one was much more about San Diego./rantover

[dbacks.com] Padres Wil Myers hits HR in win over Arizona - After struggling in the starting rotation, D-backs left-hander Patrick Corbin has found success in the bullpen. With two scoreless innings Monday night, Corbin has allowed just two runs in his last 14 1/3 innings spanning seven appearances. The D-backs still view his long-term future as a starter. "He did a nice job," Hale said. "The ball was moving well, he's obviously got the good velocity and his breaking ball has got some bite. It's great to see, I think he's pitching with confidence. We're happy to see it."

Team news

[AZ Central] Greinke won’t discuss change in delivery - The delivery tweak began after the Sept. 5 start in which he gave up five homers to the Dodgers. Pitching coach Mike Butcher said Greinke was "getting a little quick" in his delivery and decided the pause was a way to "stay back a little bit." "Getting back over the rubber can sometimes help you get the ball down in the zone," Butcher said. "It helps the ball not leak to your arm side. If you can stay behind the ball a little bit longer and stay through the ball. When you’re trying to go to your glove side, you stay true behind the baseball. In theory, with him, it helps him with his command."

[Arizona Sports] D-backs' Brandon Drury named NL Co-player of the Week - Outfielder Brandon Drury was named National League Co-Player of the Week alongside Pittsburgh Pirates first-baseman Sean Rodriguez. Drury solidified his accolade with an extraordinary performance that included a walk-off single in the Diamondbacks 10-9 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. The second year left-fielder batted 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two walks, one home run and three runs. Drury is slashing .500/.588/1.036 with four homers and seven RBI in the last seven games against the Rockies and the Dodgers.

[AZ Central] Slumping Paul Goldschmidt gets a rest - "You know there are times when you didn’t do something or a time when your swing was a little better or you had a better plan at the plate or approach. I think you just try to keep building on that. You look at the numbers and I haven’t played as well as I’m capable of this year. That’s on me. There’s no excuses. I’ll just go into the offseason, work hard and try to continue to improve in every facet of the game and come back ready to help us win next year."

[Jackson Sun] Generals have new MLB affiliate - Four days after winning the Southern League championship, the Jackson Generals announced Monday they have signed a four-year working agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The move means the end of a 10-year run by the Seattle Mariners. "The Diamondbacks are a class organization, and we are making this transition as easy as possible," Jason Compton, general manager of the Generals said. "They are a National League club, and fans from this area will also be able to see them on a regular basis in St. Louis and Atlanta."

[dbacks.com] Pollock runs for first time since straining groin - D-backs outfielder A.J. Pollock did some light jogging Monday afternoon, the first time he has done so since suffering a strained groin on Sept. 9. Pollock, whose only previous running had occurred on an anti-gravity treadmill, ran 90 feet about six times at less than 100 percent. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't irritate it, see how far I could go with it," Pollock said. "It wasn't really hard, 50 percent maybe. I can hopefully keep doing that... do it tomorrow, and hopefully it just keeps getting better and better and my body will tell me when I'm ready."

[Venom Strikes] Shutting Down Shelby Miller Best Option - The right-hander’s mechanical flaws might be fixed , but Miller never a lacked a heightened confidence at any time this season. Instead of going through a possible final two starts of the season, Miller should be confined to bullpen sessions with special pitching assistant Dave Duncan and Randy Johnson. This could be the best environment to finally figure out what became an unfortunate season for all concerned.

And, elsewhere...

Benches clear in Giants-Dodgers game after Bumgarner, Puig exchange words near first base. https://t.co/u4YGhYpp4M https://t.co/Y4vaB0tHQ9

— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2016

This would have been a far more interesting game to watch than the D-backs/Padres one, to be honest. Not only did the unspeakable go in pursuit of the inedible, the Giants blew a ninth-inning lead as the Dodgers walked off winners, and SF dropped into a tie for the second wild-card spot. It was the Giants' 30th blown save this year. For comparison, the D-backs' bullpen have only 20 blown saves.

[ESPN] Tim Tebow begins pro baseball career at New York Mets camp - During a 30-minute news conference Monday, Tebow said he is unconcerned with the negative fallout from critics who have called his foray into baseball a publicity stunt and have written off his chances for success. "A lot of people might say, 'You have a chip on your shoulder.' Well, I guess I have a little chip. But it's not really the naysayers. I want to prove the Mets organization and the coaches here right, and try to be the best baseball player and person that I can. I'm doing it to pursue what's in my heart and live out a dream and live life to the fullest."

[New York Times] Baseball’s Stirrups: Always in Season, if Not in Fashion - While there is hardly a full-fledged stirrups renaissance now occurring, a sprinkling of the game’s younger talents have adopted the style. And even more are wearing high socks without the stirrups. Sometimes overlooked as an element of the baseball wardrobe, hosiery is deeply ingrained in baseball history — the Red Sox and White Sox were not randomly named, after all. And for many players, their choice of socks can influenced by superstition, friendship or even rebellion.