The D-backs almost had this one, just one more out. But Boxberger gave up a two-run shot to Hanson in the 9th and the Giants finished it off in the tenth. A four-hit game by Goldy wasted. Another nice game by Buchholz wasted. Series win against NL West foe wasn’t meant to be. In Boxberger’s defense, it is only his second blown save of the year. Not time to make Fernando Rodney comparisons. This was a rare bullpen defeat, usually it is the offense or a poor start that has led to losses. Hopefully, this will continue to be rare.
Related: D-backs Fall in the Tenth After Goldy’s Four-hit Day
Related: Paul Goldschmidt Snaps Out of Slump in Loss to Giants
D-backs Make Pitching Priority in Draft
Despite taking position players one through three, the Diamondbacks ended up using a majority of their picks on pitchers. We can speculate on the reasons for that.
D-backs Aquire Royals Outfielder, Jon Jay
Apparently, the D-backs pursued him in the offseason, but he ended up going to KC. Clearly, not a superstar, but he can play all outfield positions and hit for a decent average. He will be an unrestricted free-agent after this year, so this probably most about adding a piece to an injury depleted outfield in a tight NL West race.
Related: Jon Jay a Perfect Addition to Arizona Diamondbacks
Randall Delgado Making Strides
Remember him? He was very important to the D-backs in the first half of last year. His velocity has improved to 93 mph and he might be needed.
Around MLB
Players’ View: Learning and Developing a Pitch Part 11
The last installment of articles on FanGraph about developing pitches. Tyler Clippard shows us how he holds his changeup and splitter. I miss Tyler, but I’m much happier with our current setup guys.
My New MLB Rule: Four Pitcher Per Nine Innings, Max
Buster Olney may have a point that constant bullpen moves are tedious for fans. Such a rule would change the game. Starters would have to go longer. Relievers too. It would be harder on the NL. I would say, that pitchers can be changed as much as you want between innings. Limiting the number of changes in the middle of an inning, much like that mound visit rule, does make sense.
Let’s Stop Pretending Pitchers Can Hit
This article would be fine if it simply explained that pitchers are hitting poorly this year. Then it goes into advocacy for the DH in the NL and I almost threw up. But the arguments for the DH in the NL pop up all the time, while few advocate the removal of the DH in the AL.