Snakebytes, 8/16: On to San Diego

Team news

Arizona Diamondbacks hitters find problems with rival relievers - Nick Piecoro examines the team’s struggles to score later in games, and notes that they rank 2nd to last in OPS vs. Relievers but 4th best vs. Starters in NL OPS. “I wish I could identify the reasons why,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We do a really good job of preparing against starting pitchers. We also do a really good job of digging in against the relievers. It just hasn’t been very consistent this year. Trust me, those are conversations we have on a daily basis.”

‘Gut It Out’ is more than a nickname for Diekman- Steve Gilbert reports on Jake Diekman’s foundation. According to its website, the mission of the Gut It Out Foundation is “to connect patients and caregivers through education and inspiration in order to strengthen relationships and resources within the IBD [Irritable Bowl Disease] community.”. May not sound like something to most , but this is a common problem, and it’s kinda cool he works to help people with this affliction.

[Fangraphs] Patrick Corbin Got Better, Then Worse, Then Better - “Perhaps most encouraging is that he’s had his three highest average game velocities since April in his four starts since the All-Star Break. Probably not coincidentally, Corbin has pitched great, striking out 34 batters against just two walks in 26.1 innings across four starts. It’s possible having a week off recharged his arm a bit. His velocity still wasn’t up to April levels, but his results certainly were. While the velocity increase is good news, it’s even better to know that if it drops a little, Corbin will still be a very good pitcher.”

[The Athletic] Not done yet: Alex Avila is slowly pulling his season out of the gutter - “Avila always has been a good fastball hitter, but that skill seemed to abandon him before his injury. He hit just .200 on four-seamers and .217 on sinkers, with low slugging percentages on each. Since coming back from his injury... He’s hit .286 and slugged .429 against sinkers, and hit .444 with an .833 slugging percentage against four-seamers. There are other reasons for optimism. Always a selective swinger, he’s gotten even better at laying off pitches outside the zone while also upping his swing and contact rates since his injury. Perhaps most obviously, he’s hitting the ball harder. He had an average exit velocity of 90.3 mph before his injury, and 93.5 mph since.”

[AZ Central] D-Backs will make MLB playoffs - “The games that matter are the games that are coming up. Seven against the Dodgers. Four in Los Angeles and three at Chase Field, including the second-to-last series of the year. Seven against the Rockies. Four in Colorado. And three more against the Giants. All in San Francisco. Given how tight those teams are bundled at the top of the NL West, those are the games that count for more, and the Diamondbacks should be looking forward to them the way a hiker looks forward to a glass of ice water. Arizona is 22-18 against that trio, including 8-4 against the Dodgers and 7-5 against the Rockies.”

The latest Brute Squad podcast! In which edbigghead and Turambar discuss unwritten rules, especially with regard to Puig and Urena:

Around MLB

I think everyone has seen and heard about the incident with Jose Urena intentionally hitting Ronald Acuna. In case you have been living in a cave though, Acuna had been red hot and homered in 5 consecutive games, including 3 to leadoff a game. Jose Urena decided to take matters into his own hands with the first pitch of the game

Here are the takes from our sister sites, Fish Stripes and Talking Chop

• Marlins should get rid of José Ureña - Urena has a history of this kind of behavior and has hit 25 batters over the last two seasons.
• It’s time to get rid of the unwritten rules of baseball - Ah yes, the unwritten rule book, used to defend childish behavior since the dawn of bseball.

And for your daily Olberman, here is a baseball take I agree with:

Twitter Favorite Brandon McCarthy will be retiring at season’s end - Not a great pitcher, but he’s had his moments on the field, and off the field has displayed his wit and intelligence to the delight of some and the consternation of others. Currently has 69 Wins and a career 4.20 ERA.