Snake Bytes 7/30: Zack, Jacks, I Love my Diamondbacks

Hold the opposition to 1 run and typically good results will follow. The Diamondbacks found their power surge last night even if Paul Goldschmidt’s dinger was a fence scraper. Ketel Marte learned the benefits of launch angle. Arizona looks for the series victory in St. Louis as they send Taijuan Walker (6-4, 3.47 ERA) to face Lance Lynn (8-6, 3.21 ERA).

Diamondbacks 7, Cardinals 1

[D’backs.com] Greinke finds groove, gets D-backs on track - Zack Greinke has been the ace Arizona needs as he is now 7-1 on the season starting after a Diamondbacks loss. His mastery was on full display last night as he had to labor to escape major damage in the 1st inning. After allowing the first 3 Cardinals to reach on hits, Greinke would go on to pitch 7 innings giving up only 4 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 9.

"I was making a bunch of mistakes to those first three batters," Greinke said. "I just didn't feel loose, really. I just was having trouble making pitches. And then I got guys in scoring position and all of a sudden the pitches started going where I wanted a little better, so that was nice. Those first three batters, though, it just wasn't coming out good."

[Arizona Sports] Goldschmidt, Greinke lead D-backs to win over Cardinals - Paul Goldschmidt’s struggles in the month of July appear to have been short lived as he has quietly returned to normalcy as of late. He is now hitting .329/.470/.539 on the month which is good enough for a 156 wRC+. He hit a 2 run fence scraper in the 4th and J.D. Martinez followed him with his 5th home run as a Diamondback. Ketel Marte finally benefited from one of his solid line drives when he laced a 2 run homer over the left field wall in the 8th.

Diamondbacks News

[Arizona Sports] Arizona pitcher Ray is doing well after being hit in head - Encouraging news for the Diamondbacks star left hander. The biggest concern will be the potential for any lingering concussion symptoms after a significant blow to the back of the head.

"On a daily basis, he'll be examined by our training staff and medical team," [Torey] Lovullo said. "Obviously there are certain guidelines he has to follow before he comes off of [the concussion] list, and when and if that happens, we're not sure."

[Scout.com] Interview with Taylor Clarke - Lucas Barrett from Harball Scoop sat down with Diamondbacks MLB.com #3 prospect Taylor Clarke and his progression through the minor league system. He has been working on his changeup and curveball to provide him success at advanced levels, and we have seen what higher usage of the curveball has done for Robbie Ray this season. At Double-A Jackson he currently owns a 2.82 ERA with 106 strikeouts over 105 ¹⁄₃ innings.

[AZ Central] Zack Greinke’s bounceback continues with gem against Cardinals - Zack Greinke has returned to form this season after concerns in Spring Training about his diminished velocity, and has put the Diamondbacks in the middle of a playoff race. Although his salary takes up a significant portion of the team’s payroll, he has been worth every dime this season. His ERA- this season is 62 paired with a 73 FIP-, so not quite his 2015 Dodgers numbers but better than his 2013 & 2014 figures. His dominance at Chase Field, traditionally a hitter’s paradise, has been particularly impressive.

“It’s been amazing. … Some of it might be having kids now and how much fun they are to be around,” said Greinke, who welcomed his family’s second child last month. “It’s just been a great year all the way, at the field, at home, everywhere.”

Around the League

[MLB.com] Historic Hall speeches today in Cooperstown - Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Bud Selig, and John Schuerholz will accept the call to the Hall of Fame today. It is a moment that can leave some of the game’s greatest at a loss for words. I particularly remember Bagwell and the Killer B’s destroying hope for opposing teams in October when the Astros were still in the National League. Being enshrined in Cooperstown is the ultimate individual accomplishment for any player.

[Beyond the Box Score] García traded (again) from Twins to Yankees - Jaime Gracia hardly had enough time to unpack his suitcase after being dealt from the Braves to the Twins as he is now on his way to the Yankees. Minnesota is quickly falling out of the playoff race and perhaps pulled the trigger too soon. By taking on Garcia’s remaining salary, the Twins landed high minors prospects Zack Littell and Dietrich Enns.

[Sporting News] Aaron Judge's debut jersey sells for record price at auction - Aaron Judge’s debut jersey sold for more than what I purchased my first property for. It also sold for more than Steph Curry’s 2017 NBA Finals Game 3 jersey. My bet on the winning bidder is Chris Christie and the New Jersey taxpayers.

[Athletics Nation] Bob Melvin wins 1,000th game as MLB manager - Congratulations to one of the most respected minds in the game and my favorite Diamondbacks manager of all time. He becomes the 64th manager in history to win 1,000 games. Melvin has quite a way to catch the all time leader, former A’s manager Connie Mack who stands at 3,731.