Snake Bytes 6/23: Going Down

Arizona Diamondbacks 4, San Francisco Giants 7

[D’backs.com] ‘This is not us’: D-backs grappling with slump - David Peralta was adamant postgame -- don’t count he and his teammates out just yet. While the D-backs dropped their sixth straight game Saturday night, falling to the Giants, 7-4, at Chase Field, Peralta believes good times are just around the corner. “We need to be better,” Peralta said. “For sure we need to be better because this is not us. This is not us, we’re a way better team than we are showing right now. Tomorrow is another day.” And it’s one on which the D-backs will try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place Giants.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks’ June swoon continues with another home loss to Giants - David Peralta took off for second base in the seventh inning on Saturday night. He thought he had a good enough jump, thought he had the base stolen. He glanced to his left, unsure what happened on the pitch, and slid into second base. Moments later, Peralta jogged slowly off the field, a double-play victim in a moment he thought perfectly captured the recent plight of the Diamondbacks. “When things aren’t going the way you want,” Peralta said, “that’s what happens.”

[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ struggles continue as losing streak hits six in a row - The Arizona Diamondbacks needed an urgent win at home on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants to pull out of their current tailspin, but after a hot offensive start, their bats went cold again, and they could not overcome another subpar outing by starting pitching to stop their losing streak from hitting six in a row in a 7-4 loss. Manager Torey Lovullo named Zack Godley as the starter of this game on Friday after a lengthy evaluation. It was an understandably difficult decision as Godley struggled this season as a starter but proved to be productive out of the bullpen as a long reliever. Five of his last seven outings in relief have been scoreless, going 2-0 with a save and a 3.44 ERA. But it didn’t take long for things to turn on Godley. After a quick first inning, he gave up a leadoff single to Kevin Pillar, followed by an RBI double to Alex Dickerson and an RBI single to Brandon Crawford.

Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Marte (groin) feels better, expects quick recovery - One day after having to be removed in the third inning with a cramp in his left groin, D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte was out of Saturday night’s starting lineup but he was confident about being able to play in Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Giants. “I’m going to be good tomorrow,” Marte said. “I’m not going to do anything today, just get my treatment. It feels a lot better, like 95 percent.” After tripling in the first inning, Marte hit a single to center in the third and about a quarter of the way to first, he pulled up and began hobbling on his left leg. “For sure I was scared,” Marte said. “I was just thinking at that moment I’m not going to be in the All-Star Game.” ... “I don’t see how there’s much of a doubt, in my opinion,” D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said. “He’s one of the best players in the entire game, let alone in the National League. He’s continued to improve in every way, shape and form.”

[Arizona Sports] Valley native Bockerstette to throw out first pitch at D-backs game Saturday - Amy Bockerstette, who made par on the 16th hole of the WM Phoenix Open back in February, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday’s Arizona Diamondbacks game. Bockerstette is a member of GiGi’s Playhouse of Phoenix, a Down Syndrome center that specializes in providing resources for education and achievements. GiGi’s Playhouse was awarded the Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Award by the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation earlier in the year. The money from the award was used to complete the “GiGi’s Cafe”, a place where adults with Down Syndrome can master their job skills. In 2018, Bockerstette received a scholarship from Paradise Valley Community College to play golf.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Diamondbacks Acquire Ben Lively - The Diamondbacks have acquired right-hander Ben Lively from the Royals for cash considerations, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was among those to report. Lively will go to Triple-A Reno. The Royals designated Lively for assignment Thursday after a rough major league showing this year in which he allowed three earned runs on three hits in a single inning of work. The 27-year-old worked to a 4.07 ERA/5.58 FIP with 8.79 K/9 and 4.07 BB/9 in 42 innings with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate this season before the club let him go.

Around the League

[ESPN] Pujols gets curtain call at Busch Stadium after HR - The last time the Angels’ Albert Pujols homered at Busch Stadium, it was a championship season. When he did it Saturday, it wasn’t the World Series, but it sure felt like it. Pujols, 39, homered in the seventh inning off Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson, setting off another celebration in a weekend that’s been full of them, all for a visiting player who left St. Louis nearly eight years ago. ”Trying to walk around the bases and get to the plate, and trying to get in the dugout and hold everything in,” Pujols said. “Man, that was hard. ”It’s gonna be up there for me -- for my career, for my family, my wife, Deidre, and my five kids and my friends and family that are here in town. It’s just a moment that I will treasure forever.”

[MLB.com] Catcher gets his first hit, RBI in 3,654 days - The only thing Wilkin Castillo remembers about his last appearance in the Majors prior to Saturday was feeling his right shoulder pop as he ran to second base after ripping a line drive over the center fielder’s head for a pinch-hit RBI single at Great American Ball Park. He doesn’t remember the final score or any other specifics about that game, but it’s hard to blame him -- it was 10 years and two days ago. Safe to say, the Marlins’ catcher will have much fonder memories of Saturday’s 5-3 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Playing in his first big league game since June 20, 2009, Castillo made a triumphant return by delivering a go-ahead two-run double off the right-field wall with two outs in the seventh inning. That capped a three-run frame that flipped a two-run Miami deficit into a one-run lead. “It was something indescribable,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “It’s a lot of effort, just playing winter ball in the Dominican League, the Mexican League, the Minor Leagues for 10 years. So just being up here and see things happening, I thank God, and I thank the Marlins for giving me the opportunity to be here at the Major League level.”