Snake Bytes 6/10: LOSING-19

Diamondbacks News:

Diamondbacks 0, Athletics 4

From the Keegan: The Arizona Diamondbacks have now lost 19 straight road games. That is the most since the 1985 Pittsburgh Pirates according to the Bally Sports television broadcast. They are finding new ways to lose every single contest and getting more creative in doing so.

Arizona’s dubious shot at history, summed up in one play (or two)

From the article: Arizona is a few losses away from the longest road losing streak in MLB history. A bizarre in the team’s latest defeat symbolize their struggles. If you had to pick an individual play to define the current moment for the Arizona Diamondbacks, you could do worse than this one, from the second inning of Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to the A’s:

Dbacks assistant GM Fitzgerald says team is pressing amid losing streak

From the article: “This is not an effort problem, this is not a guys being checked out problem, this is not a caring problem. If anything it might be too much in the other direction,” Fitzgerald said. “This is such a fine game of skill where trying harder doesn’t seem to reward you all the time.”

Baseball News:

ASU Hall of Famer is leading candidate for Baseball opening

From the article: Arizona State baseball appears likely to pull from its rich history for a new coach. Willie Bloomquist, an ASU All-America in 1998 and 1999 and ASU Athletics Hall of Famer, is the leading candidate to replace Tracy Smith. His hiring could be official by the end of this week.

The 43-year-old Bloomquist had a 14-year major league career after three seasons (1997-99) at ASU. He has worked since 2016 in the Arizona Diamondbacks front office including his current position as special assistant to team president/CEO Derrick Hall.

Met’s Pete Alonso posits that MLB ‘manipulates the ball’ based on free agent class

From the article: “The biggest concern is MLB manipulates the baseball year in and year out depending on free-agency class, or guys being in an advanced part of their arbitration,” Alonso said during a videoconference with reporters.

Ump accidentally hits Jose Abreu in knee with bat

From the article: Abreu, who had been on deck for the White Sox, had been running behind Bacchus so he could signal for baserunner Jake Lamb to slide at home, but was rewarded with a bat to the knee.

Snek Byte:

Charles Barkely terrorized by giant snake after he hit his ‘guarantee’ button

From the article: Charles Barkley and snakes do not get along, and this fact is something that his Inside the NBA colleagues have used to terrorize the Chuckster over the years with rubber snakes and other gags to get him to jump and squirm.