Snake Bytes 9/5: Sometime This Decade

Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Seattle Mariners 8

[D’backs.com] D-backs’ celebration soured by M’s rally - The 2001 World Series banner hangs in the rafters at Chase Field far above the wall in left-center field. There are five division championship banners and a Wild Card one that are crowded around one another, but the World Series banner sits separate. It’s a reminder of what this franchise once accomplished and where it hopes to go again in the future. “We know what that standard is, and we’re chasing it every single day,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’m not going to lie to you, I look at that flag that’s hanging up there probably 75 to 100 times a game.” On Saturday night, the D-backs paid tribute to the 2001 World Series team with former players Luis Gonzalez and Mark Grace and manager Bob Brenly throwing out the first pitch. It was a feel-good night right up until Kyle Seager hit his second three-run homer of the game to lead the Mariners to an 8-5 win.

[Arizona Sports] Seager spoils D-backs’ 2001 World Series 20th anniversary celebration - In the top of the first inning, D-backs’ starter Humberto Castellanos gave up a three-run home run to Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager. However, Arizona came back in the bottom of the inning to score four runs on a Carson Kelly two-run home run and a Stuart Fairchild two-run double. When the Mariners scored two runs on a J.P. Crawford two-run single in the top of the fourth inning, Ketel Marte responded in the bottom of the frame with his 10th home run of the season to tie the game at five. However, Marte’s home run was the last time the D-backs showed any resemblance to the 2001 team in the game. The D-backs had four baserunners the rest of the game but were unable to plate any of them and Seager hit another three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning off of D-backs reliever Caleb Smith that proved to be the game-winning hit. The Mariners’ third baseman finished the game with six RBIs and extended his career-high in home runs to 33.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks can’t keep pace with Mariner(s), drop another at home - Seattle has won five of its past six games. The Diamondbacks have dropped seven of eight. Marco Gonzales (7-5) started for the Mariners and gave up five runs over five innings. Casey Sadler, Erik Swanson, Anthony Misiewicz and Diego Castillo all threw a scoreless inning of relief. Castillo earned his 16th save. It was an eventful first inning, with the Diamondbacks taking a 4-3 lead.

Around the League

[MLB.com] Ohtani wallops 43rd homer to pad MLB lead - After throwing a career-high 117 pitches over seven strong innings and reaching as high as 100 mph on the radar gun in a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Friday, Angels manager Joe Maddon wouldn’t have blamed two-way star Shohei Ohtani for asking for a day off on Saturday.But Ohtani asked to be in the lineup and again proved he’s not dealing with any late-season fatigue, as he crushed a three-run homer in the sixth inning of the Angels’ 4-1 victory over the Rangers at Angel Stadium. Ohtani leads the Majors with 43 blasts, three ahead of Kansas City’s Salvador Perez. No Angels player has ever outright led the Majors in home runs in a season (Reggie Jackson tied for first in HRs in 1982 with 39), and the club record is 47 by Troy Glaus in 2000.

[MLB.com] Braves infield makes history on Albies’ HR - Until Saturday night, only one team in Major League history had each of its starting infielders hit 25 or more home runs in the same season. That was the 2008 Marlins, for whom Mike Jacobs (32), Dan Uggla (32), Hanley Ramirez (33) and Jorge Cantu (29) accomplished the feat. That group has company after Ozzie Albies launched his career-high 25th home run of the season in the Braves’ 7-6 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field. The solo homer into Atlanta’s bullpen beyond the right-center-field wall in the third inning cemented the 2021 Braves in the history books. Albies joined Freddie Freeman (28 homers), Austin Riley (28) and Dansby Swanson (26) in the 25-homer club. Although he’s out for the season due to injury, Ronald Acuña Jr. is the Braves’ fifth hitter with more than 20 homers (24). Adam Duvall has 30 homers on the season, but 22 of those came with the Marlins. Jorge Soler has 22, of which 13 came with the Royals.

[MLB.com] Houser spins Brewers’ 1st shutout in 7 years - Adrian Houser took the mound Saturday at American Family Field and caught the edge of the zone one of his signature sinkers for a called strike one against Tommy Edman. It was the start of things to come. Houser filled up the strike zone in a 4-0 win over the Cardinals, dealing a three-hit shutout for the Brewers’ first nine-inning complete game since Jimmy Nelson went the distance against the Reds on Father’s Day in 2017, and their first shutout since Kyle Lohse blanked the Reds in September 2014. For those counting at home, that’s 1,011 regular-season games between shutouts for a Brewers pitcher — the longest drought for any team in Major League history.