Snake Bytes 9/11: Disaster

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Colorado Rockies 13

[Arizona Sports] Collapse of Diamondbacks bullpen continues in loss to Rockies - I’m at my wit’s end everyone. I share Jim’s sentiment from a few days ago that emotions would likely be different if season results were reversed. This has been without a doubt one of the most challenging seasons in recent memory. I’d feel drastically had the team not made the playoffs last season, and entered this year with no expectations. Gonna pay more attention to 9/11 documentaries tonight than the game.

[AZ Central] Rockies rout Diamondbacks behind German Marquez’s strong start - In a sense, the 2018 season is the perfect dichotomy of the 2016 and 2017 seasons. I had posed the question before asking which Arizona Diamondbacks team was closer to reality. The answer appears to be somewhere in between. A .500 team. Sometimes great enough to get on a really hot tear, but not without horrendous valleys in between. I’ll stop trying to fill blank space here.

Diamondbacks News

[MLB.com] Goldy’s MVP case bolstered by advanced metric - We’re just going to talk about Goldy. It distracts from the disappointment, sort of. Paul Goldschmidt will probably not win the National League MVP for one silly reason or another. For starters, the common argument that his team did not make the playoffs, becoming an increasingly possible reality, will apply. As of the time of this writing, he is in the top three among Senior Circuit position players in fWAR and bWAR, wRC+, and OPS+. We’re talking about a guy who was ice cold by his standards for the first two months of the season. By win probability added (WPA), he is far and away the best among NL position players.

[Beyond the Box Score] Paul Goldschmidt’s way-too-early Hall of Fame case - For those reasons, and his prior history, the Arizona Diamondbacks need to find a way to lock Goldy up for around six additional seasons following the 2019 season. He has a legitimate shot at becoming the second Arizona Diamondback to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Of course, the argument can be made that the team might not have enough room to fit his salary and should instead turn towards the future. However, Yasmany Tomas’ albatross contract will be falling off the books after the 2020 season, and Zack Greinke’s the following season. The 2020’s are clouded by uncertainty for the franchise, and Paul Goldschmidt chasing history might be the only saving grace for fans.

[Arizona Sports] Lovullo: D-backs abandoning traditional closer role - Too little. Too late. Not entirely confident with any of the remaining options.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks’ Daniel Descalso to see more action in stretch run at Ketel Marte’s expense - We need all the Desclutchso we can get these days. Who knows, maybe he’ll bash 12 home runs over the rest of the month en route to a division title? Yeah... who am I kidding?

Around the League

[Yahoo Sports] MLB clubs unhappy with Josh Donaldson trade - What do you think? Did the Cleveland Indians an Toronto Blue Jays bend the rules to make this trade work? Should the league have stepped in once Josh Donaldson was placed on the disabled list following the trade?

[MLB.com] Dodgers recall former phenom Julio Urias - Julio Urias will be back on the mound for the Dodgers returning from shoulder surgery last year. As we are well aware, shoulder surgery derailed Brandon Webb’s career. Los Angeles has brought Urias back slowly, and he will return out of the bullpen for the time being, in order to prevent further injury.

[FiveThirtyEight] Old-School Stats Or Fancy-Pants Analytics? The Red Sox Have An MVP Candidate For Each. - If you’re tired of watching the D’backs crap the season away, tune into our old friend J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox powerhouse. Arizona could use that bat right about now.