Snake Bytes 5/9: Big Crapple

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, New York Mets 4

[D’backs.com] No slug, no sizzle: D-backs’ bats quiet in NY - D-backs manager Torey Lovullo believes that his team’s lineup is at its best when its hitters are pulling the ball in the air and are able to slug. That’s what Arizona had mostly been doing this season before embarking on its road trip to Miami and New York. “We’ve got to get back to that,” Lovullo said. “We’ve got to get back to that balanced approach, seeing the baseball and waiting for it to come to that spot where we can slug.” That still didn’t quite happen Saturday night at Citi Field. The D-backs again missed opportunities to break out with a big hit, as they scattered eight singles — none of which came before the sixth inning — in a 4-2 loss to the Mets. While going 0-5 so far on this trip, Arizona has scored 10 total runs and gone 6-for-54 with runners in scoring position.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs continue slump with another loss to New York Mets - The Arizona Diamondbacks’ offensive struggles continued Saturday in a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets, marking five straight losses on the road. New York took an early 3-0 lead off starting pitcher Merrill Kelly, who lasted 5.2 innings, allowed three hits, issued five walks and struck out six. “Just kind of a whirlwind of a game,” Kelly said via Zoom. “Definitely not happy with the five walks, especially with the one to the pitcher. … I was happy that I kept the team in the game, but definitely not satisfied with how I felt and falling behind people and giving them that many free passes.” Kelly returned to the mound after a three-day stint on the injured list. While the D-backs did not disclose the reasoning behind the move, the pitcher said Friday it was a coronavirus protocol issue. He added on Saturday that it had no affect on his performance.

Around the League

[MLB Trade Rumors] Ronald Acuna Day-To-Day With Finger Contusion After HBP - Ronald Acuna Jr. was removed from tonight’s game in the seventh inning after the Braves star was hit in the left hand by a pitch. Phillies reliever Sam Coonrod hit Acuna with a 97.8mph sinker, and Acuna almost immediately left the field in visible pain after a visit from the trainer. [Xrays were negative]. Through 137 plate appearances, Acuna is hitting .313/.409/.652 with 10 home runs. Entering Saturday’s action, Acuna was leading the NL in both slugging percentage and OPS, and was leading the majors in both homers and runs scored (29). With Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Dansby Swanson, and (the currently injured) Travis d’Arnaud all off to slow starts in 2021, it isn’t a huge exaggeration to say that Acuna has carried the Braves’ offense.

[MLB.com] Hader becomes fastest to 400 K’s - When he retired Marlins outfielder Corey Dickerson on a foul tip Saturday night, Josh Hader became the fastest pitcher in history to 400 career strikeouts. Then he became the fastest to 401. And then he became the fastest to 402. Hader struck out the side in the ninth inning at loanDepot park to cap the Brewers’ 6-2 win by doing what he does best. It took him just 234 2/3 career innings to get to No. 400, breaking the mark previously held by Craig Kimbrel (236), who had set it in 2014.

[Yahoo Sports] Max Scherzer becomes fifth in MLB history with 100 double-digit strikeout games - Just four innings into Saturday’s contest with the New York Yankees, Max Scherzer etched his name into the MLB record books once again. With his 10th strikeout in the second matchup of a three-game series between the Nationals and the Yankees, Scherzer recorded his 100th game with double-digit strikeouts, becoming just the fifth player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat. The others that came before him? Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Pedro Mártinez.