Snake Bytes 9/8: Great American D’backs

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Cincinnati Reds 0

[D’backs.com] Young (12 K’s) carves up Reds in ‘W’ for D-backs - You want to know what is really fun about watching the D’backs right now? They’ve got a trio of rookies in the rotation who’ve been key to the tear the team has been on. Alex Young picked up right where Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen left off this week by holding the Cincinnati Reds scoreless over eight solid innings. He struck out a D’backs rookie record twelve batters and gave up only two hits. Perhaps the best part for him was having his family in the stands watching him.

“Every time family comes out here, you get a little adrenaline rush and you want to do a little bit better,” Young, an Illinois native, said. “It was awesome to perform like that in front of them.”

[AZ Central] Alex Young throws gem; Diamondbacks pull closer in wild card race in shutout win over Reds - A D’backs win yesterday would have meant nothing in the standings unless the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals lost which is exactly what happened. That means that Arizona is 3.5 games out of hosting their second Wild Card game in three seasons. With twenty games left to play, they have to keep their heads down and handle their own business every day.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ Alex Young breaks rookie record with 12 strikeouts - Arizona’s two lone runs in this game were produced in the fourth inning thanks in part to Ketel Marte. Who else? Jarrod Dyson walked and stole second base to begin that inning (the sky is blue) and Marte drove him in with a single up the middle (water is wet). Eduardo Escobar followed with a double to left field, but Marte could only advance to third as he didn’t know if the ball would be caught. Christian Walker drover him in on a fielder’s choice, and that would be all she wrote.

Diamondbacks News

[Cut4] Look, it’s well past time to talk about the improbably surging D-backs - If the D’backs are going to secure a Wild Card berth this season, it’s going to take an MVP push from Ketel Marte. People don’t realize that he’s as close in the race to Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich than they are giving him credit for. He’s getting the job done at premium defensive positions up the middle of the field. The moves Mike Hazen made at the deadline have built an interesting foundation around him, and made this team interesting to watch down the stretch.

[AZ Central] D-Backs still hopeful Robbie Ray’s blister isn’t serious - Robbie Ray has until Wednesday to get over a blister that isn’t feared to be that big of a deal. Arizona cannot afford to have him miss any time right now. Some good news included within is that Steven Souza Jr. has been cleared to resume baseball activities which is incredible considering the amount of damage done to his knee before the season began.

[CBS Sports] The red-hot Diamondbacks are back in the race and there are reasons to believe they can reach the postseason - What is also working in Arizona’s favor right now is the fact that the team has one of the easiest remaining schedule among all of the teams left in the playoff hunt. Nothing is ever a given in this sport, but the D’backs have a total of thirteen games remaining against the Reds, San Diego Padres, and Miami Marlins collectively.

Around the League

[MLB.com] Baez out with thumb fracture; return TBD - Terrible news that couldn’t come at a worse time for the Chicago Cubs. Javier Baez might have to miss the remainder of the season with a thumb fracture. They’re going to have to cling to their Wild Card spot without one of their best players.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Johnny Cueto Scheduled To Start On Tuesday - Johnny Cueto will be making his return to MLB from Tommy John Surgery next week. It’ll be his first time back on an MLB mound since July of last season putting him at just over 13 months between appearances. At 34 years old, it’s difficult to expect him to be close to his past performance.