Snake Bytes 6/1: Turn the Page

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, New York Mets 6

[D’backs.com] D-backs turn page on difficult May - The D-backs will no doubt be happy to flip the calendar to June on Tuesday morning, because the month of May has been one they would like to just forget. The D-backs finished the season’s second month with a 6-2 loss to the Mets and Jacob deGrom on Monday night at Chase Field. The D-backs, who snapped a 13-game losing streak on Sunday, have now dropped 23 of their last 27 games. And they finished May with a 5-24 mark, the most losses in any single calendar month in franchise history. “We’re not doing things the Diamondback way,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “And before you guys start asking questions about it, we’ve got to tidy things up around here. And I know I’ve been saying that now for probably two weeks. So my challenge to these guys is to find a way to keep fighting, which they do, but to take care of those little things. Because, for me and this organization, they add up to big things. So as frustrating as this game is, we’ve got to find a way to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”

[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks overpowered by Jacob deGrom in loss to New York Mets - The past three seasons in which they have played baseball in May, the Diamondbacks have played it poorly. They were 8-19 in 2018 and 11-17 in 2019, making them a combined 24-60 (.286) in May over the past four years. More than likely, it is one of those quirky statistics baseball tends to produce that doesn’t really have an explanation. At least, manager Torey Lovullo could not provide one when asked about it after his club mercifully played its final game of the month. “We’re aware of that; I don’t know that answer,” Lovullo said. “It’s about sustainability and just being consistent throughout the entire season. Our goal is to win as many games as possible and we come out of the gates — come out of spring training — very prepared and very ready. Maybe we let our guard down a little bit. That can’t happen.”

[Arizona Sports] D-backs unable to figure out Jacob deGrom in loss to the Mets - Eduardo Escobar was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and Josh Reddick was 3-for-4 with a double, two singles and an RBI, his second consecutive three-hit game... With his 39th RBI, Escobar is currently in sole possession of first place in the National League for RBI. He has also hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games and currently has a seven-game hitting streak. He added a single in the eighth. They plated another run in the seventh inning when Pavin Smith singled and scored on a Reddick RBI single. Arizona’s bullpen, which posted a 1.78 ERA over the last seven days, gave up only one earned run in the loss and continues to improve after a rocky start to this season.

Around the League

[NBC] Pro-business group files lawsuit against MLB for pulling All-Star Game from Atlanta - A pro-business group filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against Major League Baseball, claiming it had no right to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s restrictive voting law. An Addison, Texas-based organization called Job Creators Network said “thousands of hard-working ordinary men and women in the Atlanta area” had been banking on proceeds from this year’s All-Star Game before: “Defendants took this all away in the blink of an eye.”

[CBS Sports] Orioles losing streak hits 14 games, MLB’s longest since 2013: ‘We’re trying to keep our head up’ - The Baltimore Orioles are at the lowest point in what is now Year 4 of their scorched earth rebuild. On Monday, the Orioles fell to the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings (MIN 3, BAL 2) to extend their losing streak to 14 games. It is MLB’s longest losing streak since the Houston Astros lost 15 straight in Sept. 2013, the third year of their deep rebuild. “It’s been tough last couple weeks, but we’re trying to keep our head up and trying to keep playing hard,” O’s slugger Ryan Mountcastle told reporters, including the Associated Press, following Monday’s game. “We’ve been in a lot of close games and we’ve just got to try to turn the page and move on to the next one and hopefully win tomorrow.”

[MLB.com] Major deals don’t always wait for July - As we inch toward the start of summer, trade chatter around Major League Baseball will inevitably heat up in anticipation of the July 30 Trade Deadline. But some teams in years past haven’t waited until the last minute to do their midseason shopping. Many have pulled off deals that involved MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, postseason legends and future Hall of Famers. This month has seen trades that either catapulted teams and players to immediate success or set the foundation for future greatness.