Snake Bytes 9/6: Two Thirds

Arizona Diamondbacks 3, San Francisco Giants 4

[D’backs.com] Bumgarner ‘just excited to be back’ vs. SF - Madison Bumgarner’s return to Oracle Park was certainly not how he would have imagined it in February. There were no fans in the stands Saturday to show their appreciation for his role in winning three World Series titles with the Giants and he probably didn’t imagine that a four-inning, two-run outing would be considered a step forward for him. But, well, 2020 hasn’t gone the way anyone planned, and neither has this season gone the way the D-backs hoped as they fell, 4-3, their 14th loss in their last 16 games.

[Arizona Sports] Bumgarner allows 2 runs on 3 hits in return as D-backs fall to Giants - D-backs’ Daulton Varsho would cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the 7th with the first home run of his career that landed in McCovey Cove. The rookie becomes the first visiting player in MLB history to hit his first career home run directly into the famous cove behind the Giants’ right field wall. “It’s a pretty cool feeling,” Varsho said of his first big league homer. “When I hit it, I was just running out of the box and that was a pretty cool moment to see it go over the wall. … Once I saw it leave the wall, I was like ‘Man, I hit that pretty well.’ I just didn’t know it landed in the cove, but it’s pretty cool that I was able to do that. … I think [my confidence] has definitely risen. Whenever you get a couple hits, it usually rises a little bit. So hopefully it can stay there and ride out the rest of the year.”

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks lose to Giants in Madison Bumgarner’s return - For more than a decade, Bumgarner and the Giants were linked. He helped them win three World Series titles. He became a legend in San Francisco. His departure – the Diamondbacks gave him a five-year, $85 million deal in December – marked an end of an era. His outing on Saturday evening marked his first start at Oracle Park in a different uniform, and yet, from the outside, there did not appear to be anything particularly unusual about the evening. There were no noticeable moments of nostalgia. There were no interactions – nothing jovial, comical or otherwise – with his ex-teammates. Bumgarner appeared to be all business.

Around the League

[MLB Trade Rumors] Cubs Designate Steven Souza - In between games of a doubleheader with the Cardinals, the Cubs have designated outfielder Steven Souza Jr. for assignment, the team announced. Right-hander Tyson Miller has been recalled and will be available for tonight’s game. Souza went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in the first game (a 4-2 win for St. Louis), potentially ending his Cubs tenure with a .148 batting average and .591 OPS over 31 plate appearances Souza came to Chicago on a one-year deal worth $1MM in guaranteed money during the offseason, but it has been a tough season for the outfielder, who hasn’t produced as the plate and also missed close to two weeks with a right hamstring strain.

[ESPN] Angels’ Mike Trout sets franchise record with 300th career home run - Mike Trout hit his 300th career home run in the first game of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros on Saturday, surpassing Tim Salmon for the franchise record at just 29 years old. “It means a lot,” said Trout, who also doubled twice and finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and four runs scored in a 10-9 win. “Once I got within five I started to think about it, and when I got No. 299 last night I was definitely thinking about it.” Trout, who entered the game with 201 career stolen bases, is the fastest to amass 300 home runs and 200 stolen bases in his career, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. Trout did it in his 1,235th game; Willie Mays, who is second, got there in 1,295 games.

[MLB.com] Each team’s all-time consecutive games leader - D-backs: Luis Gonzalez — 446 games, Oct. 1, 1999 to Aug. 13, 2002. Gonzalez hated taking days off. “I was always afraid I was going to be Wally Pipp’ed,” he said, referring to the Yankees’ first baseman who sat out a game that opened the door for Lou Gehrig to start his consecutive game streak. Gonzalez played every game in the 2000 season and again in ‘01, when he hit 57 homers and helped lead the D-backs to the a World Series title. He made it 119 games into the ‘02 season before a rib cage injury finally ended his streak. Gonzalez initially tried to play through the injury, but in the third inning of the D-backs game against the Reds on Aug. 13, he removed himself from the game and did not play the following day.