Snake Bytes 5/27: Short Lived

Oakland Athletics 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 0 (Yay!...)

[D’backs.com] Buchholz shines, bats silenced by Mengden - You can’t really ask for much more than what Clay Buchholz has provided in his two starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He threw 81 pitches over 6 innings allowing only 1 run, a solo home on his first pitch of the game to Matt Joyce on Saturday. Outside of that the Athletics only managed 1 other baserunner against Buchholz in the game. Both of his starts for Arizona this season have been solid but did not yield a win because of a lack of run support.

“I felt better today,” Buchholz said. “Just being in a five-day routine and being with a club; the first outing, I showed up the day before and I started. Getting to know the guys. Obviously, I’ve seen a lot of them play. That’s why it was fun for me to be involved in this opportunity.”

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks record just two hits in loss to Athletics - Unfortunately, Athletics’ starter Daniel Mengden carved through an anemic Arizona lineup. He recorded a complete game 2 hit shutout requiring a remarkable 102 pitches. It was by far his best performance of the season, and he has only allowed 4 hits and 0 earned runs in his last 16 innings pitched. 76 of his pitches were thrown for strikes.

“I think last night was a nice night for us,” Descalso said. “We were hoping to build off of that, but I think today you just have to tip your hat to that guy over there. He did a really good job, so try to forget about this one and move on to tomorrow. We still have a chance to win the series. We haven’t put ourselves in that spot in a little while, so if we can come out of here with a series win tomorrow, that would be a nice thing to build on going into the homestand.”

[AZ Central] Offense vanishes again as Diamondbacks are blanked by Athletics - Jorge De La Rosa and Fernando Salas picked up two innings of relief combined. Each man allowed a solo home run which seemingly put the win well out of reach considering Arizona’s pathetic offense.

Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Hazen believes in D-backs despite recent slump - I truly do not understand fans on social media and radio hosts hinting that Torey Lovullo or Mike Hazen are not fit for the job in the midst of recent struggles. The awful month of May can be blamed almost entirely on the lineups’ inability to provide anything that resembles run support. I feel like a broken record writing this over and over again, but even marginal improvement from the offense would drastically alter the Diamondbacks’ fortunes with how dominant the pitching staff is. It’s difficult to win a ballgame when the bats don’t make an appearance. That has nothing to do with Hazen’s roster construction or Lovullo’s leadership. The entire lineup has been not been playing to potential, so the players need to look themselves in the mirror.

“That really hasn’t been our operating philosophy,” Hazen said of making sudden changes. “What’s changed since we had the best record in the National League two weeks ago? From a process standpoint, from an approach standpoint, nothing. The results have changed. We’re not playing good baseball right now. We need to get back to playing good baseball. That’s certainly something we’re focused on.”

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen not considering changes to coaching staff - On that note, it’s a good thing to have Hazen at the helm because he is not considering any knee-jerk reactions at this time. Just. Hit. The. Damn. Baseball.

“I don’t think many people have experienced this sort of run in professional baseball, but we believe in the people that are here and what we’re trying to do,” Hazen said. “The preparation, the work, the teaching has all been the same (since starting 24-11). We just need to trust in that and continue to go out and play better baseball.”

[Arizona Sports] ESPN: Yoan Lopez a potential call-up for D-backs in 2018 - As Edbigghead would say, “JDLR and Andrew Chafin can catch a boat to F-off land,” and Yoan Lopez might be one of the arms that bounces one of the two. Lopez has turned his career around in the minors after nearly writing himself off from the team entirely a few season ago.

[The Athletic] Getting aggressive has only dug a deeper hole for the Diamondbacks’ offense - So tell us Mr. Wiser, what is the solution to get back to winning baseball? Oh, hit the baseball you say? Got it. As the season has dragged on, some players in the lineup have become more aggressive and increased their swing rate, but it has not done them any favors. The D’backs are getting on base at an unacceptable rate and failing to even score when they do get on base.

Around the League

[Sporting News] Andrew Miller injury update: Indians reliever headed back to disabled list - The beleaguered bullpen of the Cleveland Indians will again be without its best cog as Andrew Miller returns to the disabled list with inflammation in his right knee. He has only pitched 14 ¹⁄₃ innings so far this season, and it is already the second trip to the disabled list for him.

[Sports Illustrated] Cubs Place Yu Darvish on Disabled List - Chicago Cubs prized offseason acquisition, Yu Darvish, has also landed on the disabled list with tendonitis in his right triceps. Darvish is currently 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA this season.

[FiveThirtyEight] J.D. Martinez Doesn’t Need The Green Monster - While the Arizona Diamondbacks struggle to even make solid contact, one former member of the team has continued to drive the ball to the opposite side of the field with authority. J.D. Martinez currently sports a 173 wRC+ and the highest hard contact percentage in MLB among qualified batters. Martinez also paces the league in hitting the ball to the opposite side of the field running contrary to Boston’s longstanding strategy of using right handed pull hitters to take advantage of the Green Monster.