Snake Bytes 5/28: Regularly Scheduled Program

Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Colorado Rockies 4

[D’backs.com] Bullpen falters after another sharp Greinke start - D-backs ace Zack Greinke’s first start in May was at Coors Field. So was his last one. Both times, the right-hander turned in a strong outing but the bullpen couldn’t hold a lead in a loss to the Rockies. In both games, Archie Bradley was on the mound when the Rockies tied it. Monday’s 4-3, 11-inning loss in a Memorial Day matinee came after the D-backs’ offense scored 34 runs in a three-game sweep of the Giants in San Francisco over the weekend.

[AZ Central] Bullpen decisions blow up on Diamondbacks, Torey Lovullo in loss to Rockies - Nolan Arenado was up, the bases were loaded and the game was on the line at Coors Field. For Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, it was a situation that made perfect sense for reliever Archie Bradley. Reflecting on the decision early Monday evening, after Arenado lined the game-tying single off Bradley in the seventh inning and the Colorado Rockies went on in the 11th inning to a walkoff, 4-3 victory, Lovullo called it a move he had already reconsidered “a thousand times.” But he did not call it a decision he wanted back. “I’m going to stand by it,” Lovullo said.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ win streak snapped in extra-innings loss to Rockies - Raimel Tapia singled in the winning run in the 11th inning to give the Colorado Rockies another dramatic victory, 4-3 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. Ian Desmond set up Tapia’s clutch swing with a double that hit the top of the right-field fence and bounced into play. After a quick review to see if it was a homer, Desmond remained at second. On the next pitch from Matt Andriese (3-3), Tapia hit a grounder through the middle for his second career game-ending RBI. Colorado trailed 3-1 before Nolan Arenado’s two-run single off Archie Bradley with two out in the seventh. Arenado’s hitting .419 this month. The D-backs dodged a dicey situation in the 10th after Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers drew walks. Arizona escaped when McMahon was thrown out at third trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt.

Diamondbacks News

[Arizona Sports] D-backs Farm Rumblings: Tomás, Leyba lead prolific Reno offense - All in all, it was a good week in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system. The Reno Aces put up silly offensive numbers, won five out of seven games and saw four of their players get the call from the D-backs to play in the Majors. The four affiliates combined to go 14-9 on the week, and there were plenty of noteworthy highlights.

[D’backs.com] Forearm strain sends D-backs’ Weaver to IL - As the D-backs prepared for their series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field on Monday afternoon, right-hander Luke Weaver was placed on the 10-day injured list and traveled to Phoenix to have an MRI on his right forearm. The results showed a right forearm strain, and manager Torey Lovullo said the club is seeking a second opinion. In a corresponding roster move, Arizona recalled right-hander Jimmie Sherfy from Triple-A Reno. Weaver exited Sunday’s series finale in San Francisco in the sixth inning due to tightness in his right forearm after giving up one run over the first five frames. Buster Posey opened the sixth for the Giants with a single, and after the pitch, Weaver was seen opening and closing his pitching hand in discomfort.

[The Athletic] If the Diamondbacks want to keep pace, they need to stop dropping Zack Greinke’s starts - Those are a lot of chips stacking up against the Diamondbacks, which puts a bigger premium on winning the games they’re supposed to win. And when it comes to supposed-to-win, Zack Greinke’s starts are as close as Arizona can expect to get. That’s why it’s troubling that they keep losing them. The Diamondbacks went 6-1 in Greinke’s starts the first month of the season, but that trend has reversed itself in May. On Monday against the Rockies, Greinke gifted the Diamondbacks with six innings of one-run baseball, only for them to turn it into a 4-3 loss in 11 innings. Greinke has made five starts this month – during which he has a 2.14 ERA – and the Diamondbacks have lost four of them.

Around the League-

[ESPN] Red Sox 2B Pedroia ‘not sure’ if he’ll play again - Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said he is “not sure” whether he will play baseball again because of his chronically injured left knee. Pedroia, 35, discussed his injury at Fenway Park on Monday, shortly after the Red Sox transferred him to the 60-day injured list. Flanked by manager Alex Cora and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, Pedroia said he will shut down his recovery indefinitely in order to ponder his future. “(I am) at a point right now where I need some time,” he said. “That’s what my status is. ... Right now I know I need a break from the everyday stresses I’ve been dealing with.”

[Bleacher Report] The MLB Cellar-Dwellers Making a Case for the Worst Pitching Staff Ever - Through two months, the 2019 Major League Baseball season is on track to make home run history. The 1.33 homers per game that have been hit so far is the highest rate of all time. There are explanations aplenty for this, yet a shockingly significant one is the very existence of the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles pitchers have already claimed a place in baseball history that they’d rather not have. When New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier went deep off David Hess at Oriole Park at Camden Yards last Tuesday, the fastest-ever journey to 100 home runs allowed was completed.

[NPR] Former Red Sox First Baseman Bill Buckner Dies At 69 - Being remembered for a mistake is hard. Being the living symbol of 86 years of futility is just about impossible. But that’s exactly what Bill Buckner was to Boston Red Sox fans for nearly 20 years. Buckner, an All-Star and Gold Glove baseball player who played in the major leagues for 22 years, died Monday. He was 69. “After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family,” according to a statement from his family shared by the Red Sox. “Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life. Our hearts are broken but we are at peace knowing he is in the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Power Rankings

[ESPN] - #14- After scoring 12 total runs in losing five in a row, the D-backs broke out in a big way with a three-game sweep at San Francisco, outscoring the Giants 34-8. In the sweep, the top three hitters in Arizona’s lineup hit a combined .447/.469/.830 with 16 runs and 16 RBIs. Ketel Marte led the way with three home runs, leaving him two shy of his career high of 14.

[CBS Sports] - #14- A week in contrast: Five straight losses followed by them utterly destroying and embarrassing the Giants.

[MLB.com] - #16- The D-backs dropped five, from No. 11 to 16. They swept the Giants in San Francisco over the weekend, which helps, but it’s not been a good month for Arizona. The D-backs’ road trip began with a sweep by the Padres, and before that, they limped through a 4-6 homestand against the Braves, Pirates and Giants.

[The Athletic] - #11- Did the Diamondbacks win the Paul Goldschmidt deal? Luke Weaver has been a revelation, ahh crap. Anyway, “Goldschmidt’s departure has left the offense in need of some help” is what we had all typed out and ready to go before the Luke Weaver news. Deep breaths, Diamondbacks fans.

[Bleacher Report] - #12