Snake Bytes 4/16: Remember when we were in 1st?

Last night the Arizona Diamondbacks lost possession of 1st place in the NL West in what has been a brutal road trip through 5 games. However, the sky is not falling because April was projected to be a tough start for the team to begin with. A red hot start skewed some expectations for this team. Or did it? Maybe what we have seen transpire over the first 2 weeks of the season is exactly what this team is. When the Diamondbacks are in control, they can compete with some of the best in the league. Throw in poor decisions, pitchers that cannot get effective outs, and a lack of offensive production and you have a team that is going to struggle to finish above .500. Today’s 1:10 PM start features Taijuan Walker (1-1, 4.91 ERA) taking on Mr. Bad Attitude Rich Hill (1-0, 1.80 ERA). Forgive me in advance for Tuesday’s edition of Snake Bytes. I will be driving to San Diego Monday evening to watch 2 of the team’s games against the Padres. This will be my first time at Petco, and only my 2nd ballpark outside of Chase since Angel Stadium in 2013.

Team News

[Dbacks.com] Ahmed's 4 RBIs not enough vs. LA on JR Day - As I was saying in the GDT, unlikely offensive star Nick Ahmed took control of this game. Unfortunately, it was not enough to put the Diamondbacks ahead. Of Ahmed’s 15 career home runs, his 3-run shot last night was his 6th career home run against the Dodgers. He also made a heads up split second defensive decision to cut down the lead runner at 3rd base. Perhaps more playing time is in order for Nick.

[Arizona Sports] Ahmed’s career night can’t save Diamondbacks against Dodgers - The good, the bad, the ugly. The aforementioned Ahmed did have a costly throwing error in the 4th inning. The Dodgers appeared ready to do major damage against Patrick nearly every inning. Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb, David Peralta, and Brandon Drury combined to go 3 for 16 at the plate with 5 K’s and 5 runners left on base. The performance was a stark contrast from what we had grown accustomed to watching the first week.

[Dbacks.com] Lovullo proud to share alma mater with Jackie - Days such as yesterday are why Major League Baseball continues to find success despite an incoming generation that demands instant gratification. There is premier baseball talent all over the world that comes from different countries, economic classes, races, and religions. We have to continue to include diverse perspectives in all aspects of our everyday life. The importance of Jackie Robinson day is not lost among fans and players alike.

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks in the midst of critical NL West-laden schedule - It was said here earlier this week that a season cannot be won in April, but it can be lost. This is a very true statement for an Arizona team that plays 24 of its first 27 games against division opponents. If Lovullo’s team can come out of April somewhere in the neighborhood of .500, it sets a good tone going forward the rest of the season. Divisional games have a direct impact on the NL West standings. It may be difficult to makeup ground later in the season if Arizona is winning against non-divisional opponents if the Giants, Rockies, and Dodgers are doing the same.

[Boston Globe] Mike Hazen wants to build the D-backs like the Red Sox. But he has a lot to learn - Mike Hazen appears to have a more level head than most fans despite the hot start. Undoubtedly, that is why he is General Manager while I write biased editorials with questionable accuracy in my spare time. The complete refusal to increase payroll to acceptable levels surely handcuffs what Mike Hazen is capable of doing. I will never argue against the wise decision of acquiring premier talent at discount prices, but there is no obvious reason as to why payroll is not in the vicinity of league average. Where is all the money going? (See poll below).

[Inside the ‘Zona] Sweating the Details of the D-backs’ New Humidor - Somewhere in the next month and a half we will finally be able to stop arguing about “what if” and see what changes, if any, a humidor will make at Chase Field. I am still on the fence about how I feel about this. Who does not love the siren every time a D’backs player launches one into the pool? On the other hand, I am all for giving our starting pitching staff any advantage they can get. As Jeff Wiser states, one reason for optimism is that the D’backs are not a team that is built on #Dingerz. Paul Goldschmidt discusses hard contact and line drives in his game frequently, and is quick to point out that it does not always translate into the long ball.

Elsewhere

[ESPN] MLB stars on No. 42: What Jackie Robinson Day means to us - ESPN sits down with Adam Jones, Addison Russell, CC Sabathia, Chris Archer, Curtis Granderson, and Dexter Fowler to reflect on what Jackie Robinson meant to the sport of baseball, society as a whole, and the path the sport should look to take in the future. For me, it is difficult to imagine today’s game without players like Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Andrew McCutchen, and Justin Upton. Grandy and Cutch are two of my favorite players in general because of their actions off of the field.

[Sports on Earth] April MLB Oddities: 7 Stats To Ponder - The Diamondbacks are not the only team falling victim to small sample sizes. Right around this time in the season I typically send a text message to my friend from Colorado, “Hey, the Rockies look like they have a real shot this year!” to which he responds, “The collapse is coming.” He has been right every time, and one has to wonder when that Mile High pitching staff is going to rear its ugly head. Who knows where the two teams will be when they face off come the end of the month.

[CBS Sports] MLB Trade Rumors: Brewers, Dodgers reportedly still discussing Ryan Braun deal - As if fans in Arizona needed any more reason to not like Ryan Braun, lets just throw him in Dodger blue while we are at it. This has been ongoing since last season and appears to be picking up traction as Braun will earn 10 and 5 rights come May 24th. I do not have anything nice to say at all, so I will just leave this here.

[MLB.com] The White Sox started an all-Garcia outfield in Friday's win - Sound lame cool with your friends.

There have been about 160 players in MLB history with the last name "Smith," and about 111 with the last name Johnson. Other common baseball last names include "Davis," "Jackson," "Jones" and "Gonzalez." So it's actually a bit surprising that, for Friday's game against the Twins, the White Sox managed to do something that's never been done before -- start three outfielders with the same last name.

Time will only tell if anything will ever top Griffey Sr. & Griffey Jr.

[Polygon] MLB The Show’s ‘ShowTime’ mode makes an uncommon rule relevant - I do not play RTTS to be realistic. I play it to mash 300 home runs in a single season with a fictional player 20 years of age. I have not picked up the new version yet. I had more playing time least season because of how dismal the Diamondbacks were.