Snake Bytes, 4/27: An ‘arrowing experience

Recaps

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks' loss to Padres 'rips your heart out' - The loss ruined Arizona’s chance to move into first place in the National League West – a half-game ahead of the Rockies (14-8), who fell to the Nationals 11-4 in Denver. “We know that the crowd was small. We get that,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Unfortunately, that happens. It’s not really an issue for us. But as far as the loss, it hurts. And I know that the group in there right now is feeling that. They feel the impact of it. It rips your heart out. The good teams are able to come back from these moments, digest it, spit it out and be ready for tomorrow. We will feel this and I know these guys are going to come out tomorrow and be ready to perform, and that’s going to be the key for me.”

[MLB.com] D-backs' closer Fernando Rodney blows save - After getting the first out of the inning, Rodney allowed a bunt single and a line-drive single off the glove of third baseman Jake Lamb before Ryan Schimpf smoked a pitch down the right-field line for a three-run homer. "I don't know," Rodney said when asked why he struggled. "Sometimes it's difficult to try to get three outs. I tried my best, I'll prepare myself to do well tomorrow." The pitch that Schimpf was supposed to be inside, "but it stayed a little in the middle," Rodney said. "They got me tonight."

[Arizona Sports] D-backs fall to Padres on Fernando Rodney's blown save - For the third time in the series, Owings found himself batting in different spot in the lineup. And for the third time in the series, Owings found himself driving in at least one run. With one out in the third inning, Owings plated Goldschmidt on a fielder’s choice. It was Owings’ eighth RBI of the series, 11th of the homestand and 17th of the month. Remember that talk of Goldschmidt and a slow start? Yeah, that’s done. Following his RBI double in the fourth inning, which made the score 5-2 in favor of the D-backs, Goldschmidt’s batting average (.325) was nearly 100 points higher than where it read on April 19 (.236). In the seven games since, he’s 12-for-23 (.522) with two home runs and 12 RBI.

[AP] D-backs melt down in 9th, fall to Padres - Paul Goldschmidt had three hits and three RBIs for Arizona, tying a club record by reaching base in nine consecutive plate appearances Tuesday and Wednesday. Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley, called up from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day for his first major league start since last season, allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked three.

Team news

[Fanrag Sports] Miller may have to weigh Tommy John surgery - Shelby Miller stood by his locker in front of a handful of reporters on Wednesday afternoon with a look that said it all, even if he didn’t. Sources tell FanRag Sports that Miller has a ligament issue and Tommy John surgery is a possibility for the 26-year-old right-hander. Miller, who was pulled from his last start with forearm tightness and placed on the DL with elbow inflammation, had his MRI sent to Dr. James Andrews for a third opinion as the team tries to gather as much information as possible.

[AZ Central] Zack Godley welcomes opportunity to start for Diamondbacks - Godley was tabbed for this game amid a strong recommendation from the organization’s player development staff. Lovullo said the team hasn’t planned beyond Miller’s initial missed start. “There were some very good candidates that were throwing the ball in Reno,” Lovullo said. “But we trust and believe in their eyes, and that was their recommendation. He threw the ball very well at the tail end of spring training, and he left a very positive impression on myself and the rest of the staff.”

[MLB.com] D-backs visit Phoenix Children's Hospital - "The fact that these men come to see people in our situation is just amazing," said Tennihill. "Dillin is a pretty happy kid who loves to talk, but he is a huge fan of the D-backs and this means the world to him. I'd be surprised if he ever puts that ball down." Hoover called LaRue "a fighter with a great spirit" and said that it is kids like Dillin that remind him how important it is for MLB clubs to show support throughout the community. "I did these kinds of appearances a few times when I was with the Reds, so coming here and helping take the kids' minds off their problems for a day is important to me," said Hoover.

[Inside the 'Zona] Early D-backs MiLB Standouts - Truth be told, the D-backs have seen their share of early season breakouts in the minors. A few guys have started showing up around the web in reports and are starting to get a little traction nationally for their early season work. Below are a few players that have done exactly that thus far, along with a recap of how they’ve fared in 2017 to begin the year.

[MLB.com] Winning is fun - Another addition this year is a disco ball that spins along with music following wins. "I love that stuff as long as there's a separation and it's the right time and the right moment," Torey Lovullo said. "They work hard and they're very focused. When you win the game, we need to celebrate that moment." There is also apparently quite a bit of dancing that goes on before the media is allowed in after wins. "I just know that I see Tom Wilhelmsen dancing a lot and I really enjoy that," Lovullo said. "It's probably one of my favorite things to walk in on. He gets in his own world. I want to say I'm a good dancer, but I'm really not. I like dancing, but I just don't want a lot of people to notice me."

[AZ Central] Healthy and loud as ever, David Peralta just what Diamondbacks needed - David Peralta’s teammates marvel at his energy. From the second he arrives at the ballpark to the moment he leaves, it’s as if he has a caffeine drip intravenously pumped into his body. Sometimes, they’ll even ask him if he has an off button. Peralta will smile, shake his head and go find someone else he can talk to. Or at. Often, before games, it’s manager Torey Lovullo. “He’s in my ear,” Lovullo said. “It’s like a little Chihuahua.”

And, elsewhere...

[For The Win] The Pirates cut MLB’s first Lithuanian player to promote MLB’s first African player - With the Pittsburgh club in need of some infield depth, the Pirates announced Wednesday that they demoted Neverauskus to call up 27-year-old infielder Gift Ngoepe. A South African originally signed by the Pirates out of an MLB academy in Italy in 2008, Ngoepe grew up close to baseball despite its scarcity in his home country: His mother, Maureen, worked as a clubhouse attendant for a South African club team called the Randburg Mets and lived with Gift and his younger brother in a tiny room attached to the clubhouse.

[SI] Inside the one of the worst Wednesdays in the history of ESPN, as 100 staffers lose jobs - [It] began early in the morning East Coast time when staffers were informed via telephone by management that they were losing their jobs. The management read prepared statements. There were HR people on speakerphones listening in. “Cold as ice,” said one ESPN-er who lost her job. “F---in horrible,” said another longtime ESPN staffer. SI reported on Wednesday morning that the number of ESPN on-air and online staffers losing jobs was around 100, though it was impossible to confirm an exact number.

[ESPN] Doug Glanville tries to make sense of some of baseball's unwritten rules - After spending a few dozen games in Major League Baseball's minor league system, the unwritten rules started to make sense to me. I needed to respect the history and etiquette and "the way things are done." I was indoctrinated like every other professional ballplayer. As a former major leaguer turned assistant Little League coach, I wasn't sure what to explain to my son when his teammate took a pitch in the back, shook it off and jogged toward first before getting an apology from the pitcher. She then promptly ran to the mound, shook the pitcher's hand and went back to first. My brain exploded.