Snake Bytes 8/1: Like Sands of the Hourglass

Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 8

[D’backs.com] Lawlar signs with D-backs, throws 1st pitch - Hours before first pitch, D-backs first-round pick Jordan Lawlar was standing in the D-backs’ dugout at Chase Field with his family, fresh off officially signing his contract. “It’s great,” said Lawlar, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. “It’s fun to be on the field. Once you get down here, you realize it’s more of a normal baseball field. But looking from the stands, it’s crazy.” Lawlar then threw out the first pitch as the D-backs played host to the Dodgers, which was a reminder that while Lawlar’s future might be bright, Arizona’s present is still a struggle. The Dodgers pounded out 14 hits and scored four runs in the seventh to win, 8-3.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks can’t capitalize on strong Kelly start, fall to Dodgers - Manager Torey Lovullo made his way to the mound in the seventh inning on Saturday night, seemingly wanting to be talked into keeping right-hander Merrill Kelly in the game. Kelly has been the Diamondbacks’ best and most consistent starter this season. His pitch count was at 88. But he was going through the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the fourth time. In the end, Lovullo took the ball from Kelly, turned the game over to his bullpen and watched as the Dodgers erupted for four runs in the inning en route to an 8-3 victory at Chase Field. What transpired during the conversation between Lovullo and Kelly is somewhat unclear. Both expressed reluctance to go into too much detail — and the two contradicted each other on a key point. But it sounded like the discussion might have gone something like this: Kelly he wanted to remain in the game. He also admitted that his tank was running low. Lovullo decided enough was enough.

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks bullpen gives up 4 runs in loss to the Dodgers - Right fielder Kole Calhoun, who was the primary source of offense for the D-backs, was 2-for-4 with a home run, a single, and two RBI. Shortstop Nick Ahmed was 1-for-3 with a solo home run... Meanwhile, the D-backs weren’t able to do much at the plate, but they were able to tie the game by way of Calhoun’s two-run home run in the fourth that scored first baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and Ahmed’s solo dinger that led off the fifth.

[The Athletic] The Diamondbacks lock up first-rounder Jordan Lawlar, brightening the organization’s future - The Diamondbacks had three weeks to sign him, but they did not reach a quick agreement. By Thursday of this week, just days before Sunday’s signing deadline, the team began to feel like they’d get their man. That night, Lawlar booked a flight from Dallas to Phoenix to take his physical. En route, news broke that he’d reached an agreement to forgo college and enter pro ball. Still at the airport, Lawlar called Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin to share his decision. By Saturday, the deal was official. The Diamondbacks landed Lawlar for a signing bonus worth $6,713,300, nearly a million dollars over the slot recommendation for the No. 6 pick and the most the Diamondbacks could spend without paying a tax for busting their bonus pool. He’ll be playing games in the Arizona Complex League within a week. Almost immediately, he will become the organization’s first- or second-ranked prospect, depending on how evaluators feel about 2019 first-rounder Corbin Carroll following his season-ending shoulder surgery.

Around the League

[MLB.com] Votto JUST shy of record HR: ‘That’s baseball’ - So close. Just shy. Only inches from making some history. Instead of a record-tying eighth consecutive game with a home run Saturday, Joey Votto had to settle for an extremely hard-hit and very long single vs. the Mets in the top of the eighth inning. The first baseman finished 1-for-5 without a homer. As much as that may have stung, what hurt Votto and the Reds much more was blowing a late lead, missing some opportunities and ultimately losing the game, 5-4, in 10 innings at Citi Field. “It felt like we had it in hand, and coming up short is pretty frustrating,” Votto said of the loss. “It feels frustrating, for sure.”

[MLB.com] Grand slam, 7 RBIs: Dansby does it all in win - Pushed down a couple spots in the lineup to make room for the Braves’ newly acquired power hitters, Dansby Swanson enjoyed a two-homer game on Saturday, demonstrating how much deeper the lineup has suddenly become. Swanson capped his career-best seven-RBI performance with a seventh-inning grand slam and Jorge Soler made his presence felt in his Braves debut as the club continued to alternate wins and losses with an 8-1 victory over the Brewers at Truist Park.

[Yardbarker] Seby Zavala produces incredible MLB first with three-homer game - Seby Zavala went from being a little-known rookie catcher for the Chicago White Sox to the answer to an MLB trivia question in just one night. Zavala, a 27-year-old rookie for the White Sox, came into Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Indians with a .125 career average and no home runs in 17 games. That changed pretty quickly against Cleveland, as Zavala out of nowhere hit three home runs — the first three of his career. It was a feat no one in the history of the American or National Leagues has ever accomplished.

[MLB.com] No, THIS catch really is best you’ll ever see - What do you do when you’re climbing the outfield wall in order to rob a home run, but you’ve just misjudged how deep the drive is? Well, you catch the ball anyway, of course. And you do it in style. That’s what the Marlins’ Monte Harrison did in the second inning of Triple-A Jacksonville’s game against Charlotte at Truist Field on Saturday night. The 25-year-old center fielder drifted back toward the center-field wall on a high and deep drive, measured it up and made a climbing leap to the top before realizing the ball wasn’t going as far as he originally thought.