Snake Bytes 7/25: Var-Show

Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Chicago Cubs 3

[D’backs.com] Family in tow, Varsho (3 RBIs) keeps raking - In parts of three seasons with the Cubs, outfielder Gary Varsho hit three home runs in 99 career games at Wrigley Field. His son, D-backs catcher Daulton Varsho, made his Wrigley Field debut on Friday, and in two games at the Friendly Confines, he already has a pair of home runs. Varsho went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs on Saturday afternoon as the D-backs waited out a 1-hour, 39-minute rain delay after the top of the ninth inning to beat the Cubs, 7-3, and even the three-game weekend set at a game apiece.

[Arizona Sports] Daulton Varsho homers as D-backs beat Cubs after 9th-inning rain delay - Pinch hitter Andrew Young added a two-run homer in the ninth. Fans were urged to seek shelter and players left the field prior to the bottom half because of storms in the area as the grounds crew raced to get the tarp on the field. Once the game resumed, Rizzo doubled off the center-field wall against Brett de Geus. He moved up on a fly and scored on a wild pitch before pinch hitter Jake Marisnick struck out. Contreras then charged out of the dugout after Jason Heyward took a strike and was ejected by plate umpire Pat Hoberg. Heyward singled, and Nico Hoerner struck out to end the game.

[AZ Central] Daulton Varsho homers in 3rd straight as Diamondbacks beat reeling Cubs - Over the past four games, Varsho is 8 for 15 with two doubles, three homers and a walk. He is driving balls to all fields. He is doing damage in all counts; each of his homers the past two days have come with two strikes. He is impacting the game with his speed on the bases. And he is doing it all while bouncing between two positions not normally played by the same player, catcher and center field. “The fact that (manager) Torey (Lovullo) has the flexibility to put him in center field and run some balls down with his speed adds a different dynamic to our team and a different dynamic to him as a player,” Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly said. “He’s one of those guys that if he’s swinging it, with the other skills that he has, he’s a guy you definitely want in the lineup.”

Around the League

[Larry Brown Sports] Padres to call MLB over bad umpiring from Doug Eddings - The San Diego Padres plan to contact MLB over the umpiring in their 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Saturday. Numerous Padres players took issue with strike calls that went against them in the game. Fernando Tatis Jr., Wil Myers and Ha-seong Kim all were the victim of what they felt were bad calls by umpire Doug Eddings. Tommy Pham wasn’t happy with a called strike three he received in the eighth and got ejected. Even associate manager Skip Shumaker got tossed for complaining about a lack of a strike call while the Padres were pitching in the bottom of the eighth. Padres manager Jayce Tingler, who was not ejected, said his team was frustrated. He also said they would call MLB over the poor umpiring.

[Yahoo Sports] Bob Melvin details Athletics’ 2021 MLB trade deadline approach - The MLB trade deadline is just a few days away, and with the Athletics vying for a fourth straight playoff appearance, that means they’ll more than likely make a move before July 30. For manager Bob Melvin, he usually plays it cool during this time of the season. “You know what, I typically look at it as the team we have, we’re going forward with so I don’t get expectations too high,” Melvin said on Saturday. At the moment, Melvin is pleased with the current team he has, but is open to whatever moves general manager David Forst and the A’s front office make. “I do like our team, so if we make a move, then great, if not, I’m not disappointed. I’ve always kind of looked at it that way,” Melvin added.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Braves Designate Ender Inciarte For Assignment - The Braves have reinstated Ender Inciarte from the injured list and designated him for assignment, per Gabe Burns of Baseball America (via Twitter). This was Inciarte’s sixth season in Atlanta, but he slashes just .215/.276/.316 in 89 plate appearances. He missed time with a strained hamstring and then, more recently, was placed on the COVID-related injured list. Given the Braves’ current need in the outfield, it certainly speaks volumes to DFA Inciarte at this time. That said, given his $8.7MM contract for this season, there’s a pretty good chance he makes it through waivers and could remain in the organization. Atlanta holds a $9MM club option for Inciarte next season.

[The Spun] MLB Player, Wife Receive Death Threats After Bad Game - On Friday night, the Cleveland Indians face off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a four-game series between the two teams. With the score knotted at four runs apiece, Indians reliever Nick Wittgren took the mound. Unfortunately, he didn’t have his best performance as he allowed five earned runs in less than an inning of work. After a 10-5 loss to the Rays, Indians fans decided it would be a good idea to send death threats to Wittgren on social media. In a post on Twitter, he shared some of the terrible messages he received. “Thank you for all of the kind messages,” Wittgren said on social media. “Sadly this is considered “normal” in professional sports. It’s happened to 90% of players I know and basically after every bad outing a player has. But there is nothing normal about threatening someone and their families lives.”