:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59859207/173169274.jpg.0.jpg)
The Athletics have been one of the American League teams with whom the D-backs are most familiar. By the end of this series, they’ll have seen each other 33 times, which is behind only the Tigers (34) for “permanent” Junior Circuit teams - among current AL outfits, we’ve obviously seen the Astros more, mostly when they were in the National League. To this point, the series is about as evenly split as you could wish for. The 30 games have seen each side win 15, and the 15 games in each park have both seen the road team just edge it, by an 8-7 margin. The last time Arizona visited Oakland was at the beginning of July 2011, when we lost two of three, Joe Saunders getting the W in the second game.
And here’s the big team news for today:
#Dbacks Archie Bradley has shaved his head.
— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) May 25, 2018
At time of writing, we’re still breathlessly waiting for the first post-shave pics of Archie, so we can determine the scope of the carnage. Is it just the top of his head? Or does Gilbert mean the entire anatomical area north of his neck? What about his eyebrows? We will be sure to keep you updated as this breaking news story develops. I’m sure MLB Trade Rumors will have a post with details shortly. :) I guess, as the team struggles with their worst stretch in close to fourteen years, it was a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures! As long as getting the team back on track doesn’t require ME to shave my head as well. Though with summer coming full-force at Arizona, I might not be averse...
John Ryan Murphy gets to wear the DH cap this evening, which sadly, makes too much sense with a left-hander on the mound for Oakland. At .811, Murphy is the only right-handed bat on the Diamondbacks’ active roster who has an OPS better then .700 - the next best is Paul Goldschmidt’s .695... and then Zack Greinke. I has a sad... The rest of the series, we face righties, so that might give us a little more flexibility, with Daniel Descalso and Jake Lamb potential candidates from the other side of the plate. I know batting average isn’t everything. but there are still four starters in the D-backs line-up tonight, who are hitting at or below the Uecker Line. The struggle is real, folks...