Snake Bytes, 9/22: Three’s a crowd

Team news

[AZ Central] Archie Bradley optimistic Diamondbacks' success will continue - The Diamondbacks were swept by the Braves coming out of the All-Star break, the beginning of a 14-21 slide. But the atmosphere in the clubhouse didn’t change from how it was earlier in the season when the team was rattling off wins. “It was never, ‘Shut the door, players only, let’s f---ing go,’” Bradley said. “It was like, ‘Guys, like hey, just field the ball. Get the guy over. Let’s get back to the stuff we were doing when we were playing really well.’ It wasn’t some huge team meeting. It wasn’t like guys were panicking or we weren’t having beers together still or listening to music. We still listened to music after losses. We still hung out together. It was just like, ‘All right, hey, let’s go.’”

[Arizona Sports] Derrick Hall: Archie Bradley is the D-backs' emotional leader - “He has really been the personality and the life. He’s been the guy that’s the cheerleader all year long. For him to come up in a situation where he can deliver two RBIs and end up on third base pointing at the dugout, he was so excited. The team was for him too.” Hall said Bradley has become one of the team’s leaders, and Wednesday night was just another example. “That is who he is, that is who this team is, and we have said it all year and it is true, it is not just lip service,” Hall said. “They really care about each other and they love their leaders, and Archie has truly become one of the leaders on that team.”

[MLB.com] D-backs A.J. Pollock thriving late in season - The D-backs continue to win despite the struggles of two of their top sluggers. Timing is everything, and Pollock is just finding his groove. "As far as the baseball aspect and performing, yeah, there's a rhythm to a season individually and as a team," Pollock explained. "Individually, when you get hurt, it's a grind to get back into the rhythm. But the good players do. There are no excuses. This game is huge mentally. The good ones can get back on track quickly, and the ones that scuffle in the end drag it on and on."

[OC Register] Whicker: Dodgers hope their playoff path avoids Robbie Ray – - He has become the natural enemy of the Dodgers, and threatens to join an eclectic crew of recent Dodger-killers that includes Michael Wacha, Matt Stairs, Matt Adams and Daniel Murphy. Ray is 3-0 in five starts against the Dodgers with a 2.27 ERA. He has struck out 53 of them in 31⅔ innings. Corey Seager has faced him six times, struck out six times. If Arizona wins [the wild card], Ray works Games 1 and 5 against the Dodgers. For once, Clayton Kershaw wouldn’t be the automatic favorite.

[Venom Strikes] What if the Brewers overtake the Rockies? - It is a real possibility the Diamondbacks will host the Brewers at Chase Field on Wed. Oct, 4. Of course, this assumes Arizona holds on to the top wild card spot. Barring an epic collapse, Torey Lovullo‘s ball club will. So, how have the Diamondbacks stacked up with the Brew Crew this season?

And, elsewhere...

Good news in Thursday’s results elsewhere, as both the Brewers and Rockies lost. Milwaukee went down 5-3 in 10 innings to the Chicago Cubs, after coming within one strike of victory, while Colorado were shut out for the second consecutive day, this time by San Diego. The result reduces our magic number to 3, both to clinch a wild-card spot, and to secure home-field advantage for that game. Both could be sealed as soon as Saturday, if results tomorrow go our way.

And we were just speaking about this former Diamondback yesterday... [ESPN] Raul Mondesi sentenced on corruption charges in Dominican Republic - A court in the Dominican Republic has sentenced former major league outfielder Raul Mondesi to eight years in prison for corruption and mishandling of public funds while serving as mayor of his hometown, San Cristobal. The three-judge panel also fined Mondesi the equivalent of $1.27 million for defrauding more than $6 million during his time as mayor from 2010 to 2016. Three of Mondesi's staff members also were sentenced.

[Business Insider] Grand Canyon University To Open Jerry Colangelo Museum - Grand Canyon University has opened the Jerry Colangelo Museum on its burgeoning west Phoenix campus to tell the story of a leader who has cemented himself in Arizona's sports and business history, while becoming one of the most influential figures in all of professional sports. The 2,200-square-foot museum, designed by the company that created the Peyton Manning Room at University of Tennessee, features six panoramic sections that trace Colangelo's professional life and accomplishments – from his early years with the Chicago Bulls to his highly successful management of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and USA Basketball