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A lot of things went right in this one for the D-backs. Patrick Corbin gave up his share of walks and hits, but managed to only allow 2 runs in 6 innings. J.D. Martinez homered twice and Marte hit an inside-the-park home run. It was a nice way to get the series win against the Braves before moving on to St. Louis for a 4-game series to wrap up a difficult July with an outside chance to finish .500 for the month.
On a personal note, I have been doing these Snake Byte pages for a few weeks now and I finally get to write about a win. Let’s hope a streak for me goes the other way to even things out.
Related: Marte, Martinez Power D-backs to Win Over Braves
Related: J.D. Martinez Homers Twice, D-backs Take Series
J.D. (2HRs) Setting Up D-backs for Stretch Run
If all Cris Carter ever did was catch touchdowns, all Martinez is doing is hitting home runs for the D-backs. So far, 3 of his 4 hits have been home runs that have been crushed.
J.D. Martinez Adjusting to Life in the Valley
Martinez is most certainly a rental player. I wouldn’t suggest living in the valley July through September, but that’s how it goes sometimes. If he can help the D-backs to the World Series, the weather will finally be nice for him.
Marte’s Inside-the-park Homer Sparks D-backs
Whoever said that the triple was the most exciting play in baseball never saw one of these. I do enjoy Marte’s youthful enthusiasm that shows when he is making a play.
How Torey Lovullo Got the D-backs to Buy in to His Philosophy
The Diamondbacks had an excellent first week to the season. But they were mostly comeback wins by a team with the right attitude. Last year, I would imagine the D-backs losing most of those games. This year, it has carried the D-backs to much unexpected success. Lovullo’s philosophy is much more than sending out a C lineup on getaway days.
Walker Proven as Reliable and Steady
The Walker/Segura trade has been a positive for both teams, but the D-backs needed a strong starting pitcher more than another infielder.
Around MLB
Braves Ship Ex-No. 1 Pick Swanson to Minors
Aaron Blair continues to struggle and now Dansby Swanson is going to the minors. Maybe the Braves will give them back to us. We can throw in one of those giant corn dogs and all have a good laugh.
How Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals Changed Baseball Forever
This is about how the Nationals shut him down in September many years back as a young pitcher even though they were still in the chase. Pitchers used to throw complete games all the time. A four-man rotation used to be normal. Now, pitchers are treated even more delicately, especially early in careers.
Phils Send Neshek to Rockies for 3 Prospects
I remember when the D-backs were playing the Phillies many times over a short period, it was Neshek who was nearly impossible to hit in the 7th innings of those games. Whether or not the Rockies overpaid for him, Neshek should help the team this year.
Evaluating AL Team Quality Using Batted Ball Data
Another FanGraphs article that attempts to take luck out of the equation of baseball to see which teams are over or underperforming. One of the greatest poker players, Phil Hellmuth, who is known to be arrogant and have temper tantrums, will sometimes say to the affect after losing a big hand, “if luck wasn’t involved, I’d never lose.” I wonder how many baseball players say the same thing.