Sigh, I had this all scheduled for yesterday until yesterday decided not to happen. Oh well.
So here I am, fresh off a desperate bike ride dash down to a local watering hole after I just barely noticed how easily Gallen dispatched the Braves in the first of a double header.
Was hoping for a little more time to play Warzone, but such is the life of a Snakepit writer.
Beer/Cider 1: Mango Foxtrot (cider) by Cider Corp
Summer is almost here, and nothing is quite as refreshing as a good cider. Bonus points to anyone in the chat who has been to this cidery.
First sip in the first inning and we’re literally undoing the Braves. Already 5-0 thanks to homers from Pavin and Peralta, and doubles from Cabrera and Rojas. Glad I rushed down here like I did. 5-0 Dbacks
MadBum, who’s been decidedly meh so far this season blesses my Beercap with a 1-2-3 first inning. I truly feel inspired by that.
No further carnage offered up by the Braves in the top of the 2nd, but with a 5 run lead I can live with that.
Wow. Another scoreless inning for MadBum. Has he located his mojo? Do we have a rotation? Is there hope? Madness.
Escobar starts off the 3rd with a bang as he adds to the already significant punishment the Braves are enduring with a solo shot deep to left field. No other fireworks, but it’s now 6-0 Dbacks, which is a pleasant thing to write.
Beer 2: All the Hops Double IPA by Tombstone Brewing Co.
Hops, I need em. Must have em. So juicy, so yummy, so Sunday funday: hops.
Maybe it’s the hops or maybe I’m hallucinating, but MadBum just notched ANOTHER scoreless inning. That’s 3 scoreless innings for those of you keeping track. Yes I’ve thrown some serious shade on MadBum, but he’s earned much of that between now and last season. Let’s hope he keeps this up. 6-0 Dbacks going in to the top of the 4th.
LOL. MadBum tried to stretch out a Pavin Smith hit all the way to third here in the 4th. Didn’t work out too well, but was humorous to watch.
Looks like MadBum ain’t laughing though as he continues to dial up zeros AGAIN in the 4th. Still 6-0 Dbacks and MadBum is still dealing. Wow.
No dice for us in the top of the 5th, but as I’m attempting to both finish my beer and say hi to my recently arrived wife when I glance up to see that MadBum has once again thrown another gem of an inning. This must be the end times.
Beer 3: Helical Haze IPA by Simple Machine
Ahmed leads off the 6th with a leadoff double and Rojas twists the dagger just a bit more in the Braves side with a single bringing the Dbacks lead to 7. My fellow Snakepitters and Brute Squaders, we’re past the realm of tacos and firmly in the land of celebratory beer and this beer fits that bill perfectly. Drink up my desert brethren!!
Ok. Wow. Ummmm. MadBum has a no-no through 6. I feel like I’m jinxing it just by writing about it. Even thinking about it seems to betray it. I can’t even right now.
No more D-backs runs in the 7th and here we are at the end of the game (thanks to the new rules) and MadBum is firmly in control of his destiny.
My God. He did it. A no-no. Wow.
Buy that man a beer!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bells and whistles, by Jim
I am contractually obliged to point out that, by MLBs rules, this is not an “official” no-hitter, which requires the pitcher to throw at least nine innings. However, it seems there may be some change in the works.
MLB and Elias are still discussing whether a 7-inning no-hitter is an official no-hitter. MLB seems to be in favor but it’s still not decided officially. So congrats MadBum! (I think)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 25, 2021
But it’ll be a no-hitter in our hearts. As for Win Probability, I’m almost tempted just to copy and paste the graph from the first game. This one has a little steeper tilt at the beginning, but otherwise, they could be siblings. The funny thing is, despite the no-hitter, Bumgarner did not top the win expectancy charts. This is likely because, by the time he took the mound, the D-backs were 5-0 up and already sitting at 89.6% likely to win, leaving only 10.4% for Madison.
Click for details at Fangraphs.com
Frankenstein: David Peralta, +13.4%
Machine Gun Joe: P. Smith, +10.7%; Bumgarner, 10.4%
Mr. President: Eduardo Escobar, -2.3%
A few more folk in the afternoon thread. Present were: AzDbackfanInDc, DORRITO, Diamondhacks, EdTheRed99, GuruB, HeathKBar, James Attwood, Jim McLennan, Justin27, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, NikT77, Oldenschoole, Smurf1000, Snake_Bitten, TheOlser4, Xerostomia, edbigghead, gzimmerm, kilnborn and since_98. edbigghead had the only Sedona Red comment: pithy but appropriate.
All told, not a bad day for the D-backs. Even if they were seven inning games, a pair of shutout, complete games with only one hit between them is still an amazing feat. The team finished the road-trip a remarkable 7-3, climbing up to Mt. .500, as they return home to Phoenix. It’ll be a well-deserved off-day for them. Have a beer, Messrs Gallen and Bumgarner. You deserve it.