Snake Bytes 8/5: Nick the Wick

Arizona Diamondbacks 9, San Francisco Giants 3

[D’backs.com] Big 1st inning, Ahmed’s 2 HRs key D-backs win - Arizona is back in first place in the National League West after a big win over the Giants and an even bigger loss by the Los Angeles Dodgers at the hands of the Houston Astros. Oh, and the Colorado Rockies crapped the bed again facing the Milwaukee Brewers falling even further behind in the race. Nick Ahmed powered the victory with two home runs on the night, and Ketel Marte also had a monster 465 foot two run shot himself. For the second game in a row, Arizona put up five runs before the first inning had concluded.

“They’re huge,” Ahmed said of the early tallies. “Just momentum, I think. If you score first in the game, you’re much more likely to win the game. You just try to jump out and attack early and we’ve done a good job of that lately.”

[AZ Central] ‘Downhill baseball’ leads Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks to win over Giants - The theme again was downhill baseball, but it didn’t stop the Giants from running up the pitch count of Clay Buchholz early. Buchhy was hardly getting any help on borderline calls from home plate umpire Bill Welke, but he found a way to strap up and complete the 6th inning having thrown 104 pitches. He is now 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ bats stay hot for second game in a row against Giants - Before the game began, the franchise celebrated 20 years of existence and honored the players, and manager, who were named to the 20th Anniversary Team selected by the fans. Curt Schilling and Miguel Montero made their way to the broadcast booth at different times during the game. Despite how you may feel about Schilling’s political opinions, there is no denying that he understands the game on a level most others do not and he can convey that to the fans in a beautiful manner. Miggy shared a hilarious moment in his career with Bill Welke behind the plate when he and battery mate Livan Hernandez weren’t getting the calls the two felt they deserved.

Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Lovullo rejoins team with ‘clean bill of health’ - Torey Lovullo ate a bad burrito from Filiberto’s and had to watch Friday’s game from his outhouse. That’s what I choose to believe anyways.

“Yesterday, I came to the ballpark and I just was off,” Lovullo said. “I wasn’t feeling good. I didn’t know what it was. The trainers just got a look at me and thought it would be a good idea if I went to the doctor just to make sure everything was all right. It’s hard to watch because I feel like I should be there and that I’m playing hooky, so it’s hard in that way,” Lovullo said. “But I know the coaches are equipped and we have a great game plan, a great group and they were running it the same way I would and the players were responding.”

[Arizona Sports] Team Red wins D-backs twentieth-anniversary Alumni Game - The Diamondbacks live streamed the Alumni Game yesterday on Facebook and Twitter yesterday. Fans witnessed Brandon Webb take the mound for the first time in nearly a decade. His command and velocity was a little rusty, but the mechanics were still there. It was awesome to see him back out there and leaves you wondering what could have been. Miguel Montero laced a double with his signature ‘lean back’ swing, although he is not nearly as far removed from the professional game as the other participants.

[AZ Central] Nick Ahmed becoming offensive force for Diamondbacks - Gotta give credit where it’s due. I’ve been one of Nick Ahmed’s biggest critics during his time here. Not for anything he has done on defense, he is one of the best defenders I have seen at shortstop in my lifetime, but because he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. The same is not true this season because he is now slightly better than league average at the plate. Nick is posting career high numbers across the board proving to be one of the more valuable members of the team this season. Now if I could just help him out on the walkup music front.

“I feel like he was never satisfied with just being a great defender who was going to put the bat on the ball,” Lovullo said. “He wanted to excel in both areas. “That’s hard to do. A lot of players kind of sell out to what’s making them successful in the big leagues and they say, ‘OK, big-leaguer, I’m going to stay where I’m at.’ He has a really good mindset that he wants to be great. I think that motivates him every day.”

Around the League

[Sports Illustrated] Angels Manager Mike Scioscia Expected to Step Down After Season - Mike Scioscia will likely ride off into the sunset at the conclusion of this season. It’s the right decision considering the franchise has only made the playoffs once this decade. Mike Trout isn’t getting any younger, so perhaps a different voice at the helm could lead the club back to October baseball. The Angels won a World Series in 2002, Scioscia’s third season with the team.

[CBS Sports] The Mets continue to not deserve Jacob deGrom, and here are two stats that prove it - Speaking of players that teams don’t deserve star players. Actually, let me rephrase because I don’t truly feel any team doesn’t deserve their best players. Jacob deGrom doesn’t deserve the poor performance the New York Mets have put up during his starts. Because of that, the Wilpons would do right by him to trade him this offseason to a contender who could capitalize on his services. Jacob will pass through the arbitration process two more times, so the Mets could return a haul for him to start a rebuild.