Snake Bytes 6/29: Streaking

Arizona Diamondbacks News

[MLB.com] 6th-inning moves, quiet bats spell latest loss - With the game reaching a turning point in the sixth inning of Monday’s series opener against the Cardinals, D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo made an interesting call, potentially one that led to the 7-1 loss at Busch Stadium... The D-backs’ offense started a rally in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. With the pitcher’s spot on deck, Lovullo had a choice to make: bring in David Peralta off the bench to pinch-hit or keep the fresh arm in the game. Lovullo opted to let Young hit for himself — ultimately surrendering a bases-loaded situation — as Young struck out on three pitches, stepping out of the batter’s box on every pitch he faced.

[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ Josh Rawitch to become president of Baseball Hall of Fame - Josh Rawitch will become president of baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 9 after spending 27 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Rawitch will be the eighth president in the Hall’s 82-year history. He is currently in his 10th season with the Diamondbacks, his sixth as senior vice president of content and communications.

[The Athletic] ‘Just 3 guys in a garage’: The story behind Chase Field’s roof music, an untouched piece of Diamondbacks history - Twenty-three years later, almost everything about the Diamondbacks has changed. Bank One Ballpark became Chase Field. Franchise godfather Jerry Colangelo was forced out in favor of current managing general partner Ken Kendrick. The team colors changed from purple and teal to red, black and “Sonoran sand,” and the jersey designs have gone through too many iterations to count. Even the iconic clock above the big screen in center field is gone. But the roof music remains untouched, the lone piece of franchise history that hasn’t been remade or refurbished time and again. For longtime fans, it is a cultural touchstone. They describe it as majestic and inspiring, like the music that would accompany the opening of the gates of heaven.

Around the League

[MLB.com] Bundy OK after heat exhaustion ends start - With unusually hot conditions at Yankee Stadium on Monday, right-hander Dylan Bundy left his start in the second inning of the Angels’ 5-3 win with heat exhaustion. With a gametime temperature of 90 degrees, and roughly 50 percent humidity, Bundy was visibly sweating throughout his outing. He had allowed two runs on four hits and was about to face DJ LeMahieu with two outs when he stepped off the mound before throwing a pitch. Bundy walked behind the mound and vomited before the training staff came out and removed him from the game.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Indians To Sign Zack Godley - The Indians are signing Zack Godley to a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (Twitter link). The veteran righty elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Brewers last week. Godley made a pair of appearances for Milwaukee this season, working a combined 3 1/3 innings of seven-run ball. He was far better with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, where he pitched to a 2.40 ERA with a strong 28.6% strikeout rate across six appearances (five starts). He has the third-lowest ERA and thirteenth-highest strikeout percentage among the 94 Triple-A hurlers with at least 30 innings pitched this season.

[Patch.com] MLB Umps Subject To Climate Change, According To Monmouth Study - When Fesselmeyer examined the accuracy of calls for 18,907 MLB games played between 2007 and 2017, he discovered a clear inverted U-pattern. Umpire accuracy was 86.3 percent when the temperature was below 50 degrees; 86.4 percent for temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees; 86.6 percent for temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees; peaking at 86.9 percent accuracy for temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees; falling to 86.5 percent for temperatures between 90 and 95 degrees; and 85.9 percent when the temperature was higher than 95 degrees. The analysis shows that the pitch-calling error rate is about 1 percentage point worse when temperatures are above 95 degrees, while accuracy is highest in games played in 80-to-90-degree weather...