Snake Bytes 4/28: Dear Godley

Arizona Diamondbacks 1, Chicago Cubs 9

[D’backs.com] D-backs’ staff to discuss Godley after rough start - It has not been a smooth year Godley, who took his second loss of the season. Of his six starts this year, he has given up four or more earned runs in four of them and he has a 7.58 ERA. The question now is where Godley goes from here. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that there would be discussions about that topic. “It’s something that we’re going to probably round up and talk about as a staff,” Lovullo said. “I think we do a good job of removing some emotion from the moment. We’re going to let it kind of calm down and probably have some conversations through the night about that very topic. I know he hasn’t thrown the ball well over the past couple outings. We’ll circle up as a group like we always do and figure out what the best options are.” With a pair of off-days next week, the D-backs could skip Godley’s spot the next time through the rotation to give him some more time to work with pitching coach Mike Butcher.

[Arizona Sports] Benches clear between D-backs, Cubs after hit batter - The Cubs seemed to have everything going their way in Saturday’s game at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Chicago third baseman David Bote found himself upset in the seventh inning. That was because a Matt Koch pitch drilled Bote, who had homered in each of his two previous plate appearances. Bote, while in the process of taking his base, seemed to be gesturing in displeasure toward Koch. Koch put his palms up. The benches cleared. “This isn’t old-school baseball. We don’t play that here,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Just because somebody hits two home runs, we do not throw at batters. He hit two home runs, he deserved to hit two home runs, he took advantage of some pitches, and you know, if we’re going to make a mistake, he’s going to hit a third.”

[AZ Central] Zack Godley’s rotation spot uncertain after meltdown vs. Cubs - I thought I was being a tad bit dramatic last night in saying that Godley does not deserve to be in the rotation right now. It would appear that the most ardent evaluators of the ball club have the same concern in their mind. He is trending in all the wrong directions in his peripheral metrics. His ground ball percentage has plummeted fourteen percentage points from his 2017 career high of 55.3%. His K/9 is near a career low 7.58 and as a result is allowing more baserunners to cross the plate than ever before.

Arizona Diamondbacks News

[The Athletic] Forever’s first-base coach: The remarkable longevity of Dave McKay - Every Diamondback to reach base for the past six years has felt that touch and been propelled down the basepaths armed with the information it communicated. They are only the latest of McKay’s disciples. McKay has been coaching first base in the majors every year but one since 1984, and that hand has guided several of the game’s greats and many more of its very-goods. It has steered Mark McGwire and José Canseco and Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith and Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. McKay’s presence in a first-base coach’s box has been one of the game’s constants for nearly four decades. Hall of Fame careers have begun and ended during his time coaching baserunners, and he owns World Series rings from three different decades. He is an unheralded piece of living baseball history and the game’s foremost expert on running the bases properly, although it’s easy to forget that he’s seen so much. Nothing about him suggests he’s a fossil. (I cannot recommend a complete read of this article enough. I’ve always been enamored with Dave McKay more than any other MLB coach, and this short biography only continued my fascination.)

[D’backs.com] ‘Just really special’: Ray’s wife sings anthem - Robbie Ray has taken the mound at Chase Field 53 times to start games in his career, but Saturday evening it was his wife, Taylor, and her singing group that opened things up with a rousing rendition of the national anthem. Singing comes as natural to Taylor as pitching does to Robbie. “I’m excited,” Robbie said before the game. “She’s super talented. She sings all the time at the house to our children and has music on all the time. She’s been singing since she’s been 2.” Taylor was joined by her sister Hailey VanderToorn and best friends Arielle Suwyn and Courtney Ploski. The quartet began singing gospel music together 25 years ago and have performed around the country.

[AZ Central] ‘It makes you wonder a little bit’: Diamondbacks weigh in on surging HR totals - Ray said this year’s baseballs feel closer to normal to him than the balls from 2017. Those, he said, felt small, almost the size of a tennis ball. If anything, he believes balls this season have felt slicker than normal. And even if the baseballs are juiced, both Ray and Bradey said they doesn’t really mind so long as they’re standardized across the majors. “I’ve still got to go out and do my job,” Ray said. “If they’re juiced, they’re juiced,” Bradley said. “That’s what they are. As long as everyone is using the same ball, that’s what it’s about.”

Around the League

[MLB Trade Rumors] Mets Designate Travis d’Arnaud - Don’t look now, but there might be another catcher for Mike Hazen to pluck off the trash heap in Travis d’Arnaud. Quick, someone grab the spay bottle!

[Sporting News] Twins smash five home runs for second straight game - After homering Friday, Twins outfielder Max Kepler made an interesting observation. “I looked at the lineup in spring training and thought, ‘We’re going to hit a lot of taters,’” Kepler told reporters (via The Athletic). That prediction has been spot on, especially this weekend, as the Twins have been launching taters like NASA launches rockets. Minnesota hit five home runs against the Orioles in a 9-2 rout Saturday. The Twins also homered five times in Friday’s 6-1 win.

Tripping! That’s a red card!