Snake Bytes 7/27: Pitching? Pfft. Who needs pitching?

Diamondbacks News:

[AZS] Diamondbacks’ poor form shows in loss to Cardinals

“It blew up in a hurry on us. … It was a good game until the seventh or eighth inning,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

Arizona’s runs scored were via a Christian Walker sacrifice fly, Dominic Canzone single, Emmanuel Rivera homer, Canzone fielder’s choice, Walker two-run long ball and Alek Thomas double.

The D-backs are now 3-9 since the All-Star break. Thanks to some slumps from other teams in the wild card hunt, though, Arizona remains within a game of the four other teams in the mix for the three spots.

[AZC] Diamondbacks squander chance at momentum in loss to Cardinals

The latest frustrating loss, this one 11-7 against the Cardinals, looked like so many of the afternoons and evenings that have sent the Diamondbacks’ season crumbling one game at a time.

Zac Gallen reiterated confidence afterward, saying, “We’re gonna be okay, nobody said this thing was gonna be easy.” Still, the Diamondbacks’ playoff odds have cratered from 79.8% on July 1 to 49.1% on Wednesday, per FanGraphs.

[SI] Cardinals home runs crush D-backs in series loss

Zac Gallen allowed a solo homer in the 2nd inning, another run in the third, and then a solo homer in the 6th. The two solo homers continued a trend of giving up at least one homer in nine of his last 10 starts. With his team having fought back to tie the game up at 3-3, more trouble followed him in the seventh, as he allowed a one-out double to Paul DeJong and a tie-breaking single to Andrew Knizner that gave the Cardinals the lead for good.

[MLB] Hazen looking to improve D-backs at trade deadline

“It’s been the roughest stretch of the season so far,” Hazen said. “But look, we’re still standing where we’re standing and year-over-year we’re pretty happy with where we’re standing. We think we have a good team. We have a good team that plays hard and there’s talent in the lineup, there’s talent in the bullpen and there’s talent in the rotation. So we’re out there looking to find ways to improve.”

[SI] Lucas Giolito trade to Angels reduces Mike Hazen’s options

Another significant ramification of this trade for Arizona is the cost the Angels paid. Giolito is a pure rental, as he is eligible for free agency at the end of the year. The Diamondbacks similarly ranked prospects to Quero are newly drafted Tommy Troy, (#86) and oft-injured Druw Jones, #96.

[PhoenixNewTimes] Bourbon and Bones officially opens at Chase Field

“This is a greatly anticipated location for the cocktail lounge,” S. Barrett Rinzler, Square One Concepts’ founder and CEO said in a news release. ”Our Bourbon & Bones signage inside Chase Field has been prominently displayed for nearly a year and we are now very happy to say we are open and ready to host downtown patrons and, of course, Arizona Diamondbacks fans.”

Baseball News:

[MLBTR] Dodgers, Guardians swap Ahmed Rosario for Noah Syndergaard

Los Angeles took a shot on a rebound in free agency. The Dodgers inked Syndergaard to a one-year, $13MM guarantee and installed him into the season-opening rotation. The move didn’t pan out, as he had a rather forgettable 12-start stint in Dodger blue. Through 55 1/3 innings, he posted a 7.16 ERA. A blister on his right index finger sent him to the injured list on June 8 and marked the end of his L.A. tenure.

[MLBTR] Angels acquire Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez

Both Giolito and López are firmly win-now pieces. Each is an impending free agent. Giolito is arguably the top non-Ohtani starter who’ll hit the open market. He’s on his way to exceeding nine figures. That always made it likely the White Sox — whose franchise-record expenditure is the $75MM Andrew Benintendi pact — would not re-sign him.