Snake Bytes 8/3: Extra Innings. Extra Disappointment.

Arizona Diamondbacks 8, San Francisco Giants 11

[Arizona Sports] D-backs erase 6-run deficit but fall to Giants in extra innings - Taylor Widener took the bump for Arizona and gave up five runs – all earned – on five hits in 4.1 innings, but that pitching line doesn’t tell the whole story. Widener was cruising through the first four innings but hit a speed bump in the fifth. The only damage against Widener prior to the frame was a two-run home run off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski in the third inning. He would go on to retire six of the next nine batters. That’s when things fell apart for Widener. Following a leadoff strikeout of the pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, he allowed back-to-back walks to Yastrzemski and Kris Bryant and gave up a base hit to Brandon Crawford. That loaded the bases and resulted in him getting the hook after tossing 98 pitches.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks’ Taylor Widener struggles in third straight start; Giants win in extras - “I think for right now he’s one of our five and that’s what I’m going to focus on,” manager Torey Lovullo said when asked if the jury was still out on Widener’s ideal role. “We have discussions all the time about every player, (but) we haven’t gotten there with any of our five starters. We’re going to stick with him for right now and see where it leads us.”

[D’backs.com] ‘Prideful’ D-backs have plenty to play for - The D-backs know the score. They know their record and their standing in the NL West, just like everybody else does. Sure, they are in the midst of a challenging 16-game stretch against the titans of the division – the Dodgers, Giants and Padres — and next month won’t get any easier. Everybody knows that, too. But D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said his team still has several things to play for this season and he wants that to be known, as well. “One, we want to win as many games as possible,” the manager said. “Two, evaluations. We’re going to put these guys out into some situations and allow them to perform and show us what they can do. And look, we can play the role of a spoiler.”

Around the League

[NBC Sports] Yankees ace Gerrit Cole tests positive for COVID-19 - Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not make his scheduled start Tuesday. New York manager Aaron Boone made the announcement after Monday night’s 7-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Boone said he was informed of Cole’s positive test in the second inning. In his second season with the Yankees, the 30-year-old right-hander is 10-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts. The four-time All-Star is coming off a 14-0 loss at Tampa Bay on July 29 in which he allowed eight runs in 5 1/3 innings.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Angels Promote Jo Adell, Chris Rodriguez - The Angels have recalled outfield prospect Jo Adell and right-hander Chris Rodriguez from Triple-A Salt Lake, per a club announcement... This will be the second call to the Majors for Adell, 22, who struggle mightily in his first go-around last summer. At the time, Adell had just 27 Triple-A games under his belt when making the jump to the big leagues... So far in 2021, Adell has certainly looked like a player who’s benefited from the extra developmental opportunity in Salt Lake. After hitting just .161/.212/.266 in 132 Major League plate appearances last summer, Adell has returned to Salt Lake and posted a hearty .289/.342/.592 slash with 23 home runs in 339 plate appearances.

[ESPN] Chicago Cubs’ Jed Hoyer says inability to sign stars to long-term deals ‘greatest source of frustration’ - Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer says his “greatest source of frustration” was the team’s inability to sign any of their stars to long-term contracts before trading them last Friday. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez were the talk of the baseball world last week as all three were moved within a span of 24 hours before MLB’s trade deadline. After years of conversations with the trio — attempting to sign them to long-term contracts — Hoyer finally gave up and moved on. “That will probably be my greatest source of frustration from this era,” Hoyer said on ESPN 1000 radio in Chicago Monday morning. “I put my head on the pillow every night knowing we put our best foot forward. The extensions we offered these guys will hold up exceptionally well...against the open market. I don’t know why guys didn’t want to sign. I don’t know why guys didn’t want to even counteroffer, often times.”

[MLB Trade Rumors] Pirates Claim Anthony Banda From Mets - The Pirates announced they’ve claimed left-hander Anthony Banda off waivers from the Mets. Pittsburgh already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster. New York designated Banda for assignment over the weekend. Banda’s tenure with the Mets proved a fairly short one. New York acquired the 27-year-old in a minor league trade with the Giants in early July. He was selected to the roster a couple weeks later but let go after making five relief appearances totaling 7 1/3 innings. Banda was tagged for eight runs (six earned) on fourteen hits in that time, although he did strike out seven while issuing a single walk.