Snake Bytes 9/6: Well that bites...

Diamondbacks News

[MLB] ‘You talk about frustration’: D-backs fall out of final Wild Card spot by Steve Gilbert

The D-backs knew it was a game that they couldn’t afford to let slip away. Not with the season winding down and the postseason stakes ramping up.

But Tuesday night, the game just seemed to have a bad feel for the home team right from the start, and two-plus hours and several missed opportunities later, the D-backs found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 loss.

The loss hurt the D-backs in the NL Wild Card race as they fell a full game behind the Reds, who currently hold the final Wild Card Spot, and they dropped one-half game behind the Marlins.

[MLB] Here are teh 10 hottest rookies over the past 30 days by Rob Terranova

4. Corbin Carroll, OF, D-backs (previously unranked): Carroll is no stranger to this list, and after missing it in August, he is right back near the top. A clear frontrunner for the National League Rookie of the Year, the 23-year-old fortified his case last week when he became the fourth rookie in AL/NL history with at least 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. He also became the first D-back to have a 20/40 season since Eric Byrnes in 2007.

Spencer’s Spicy Supplement: I had to Google this author because I’m a big fan of the 2011 TV Show Terra Nova starring Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang. Rob Terranova does in fact appear to be a real-life human being.

[Inside the Diamondbacks] D-backs Bats Quieted by Kyle Freeland in Loss to Rockies by Michael McDermott

The poor offensive showing wasted a fantastic performance by the bullpen, who retired 16 of the 17 hitters faced over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Left-hander Andrew Saalfrank, who made his major league debut, was the highlight of the night. The rookie left-hander was impressive in his major league debut, retiring all five batters faced with two strikeouts.

[Fangraphs] The Kids Are Alright: This Year’s Rookie Class Has Been Historically Great by Chris Gilligan

This year, an arguably more impressive barrage of talented youngsters has arrived in clubhouses across the league. Corbin Carroll currently ranks eighth in WAR thanks to a .376 wOBA and the most baserunning value in the league at 11.0 runs above average; he’s running away with the NL Rookie of the Year Award. James Outman is helping the Dodgers out with a productive (if streaky) bat and centerfield defense worthy of his name. Gunnar Henderson shook off a slow start at the plate with a productive summer, clearing 3.0 WAR before the calendar turned to September and positioning himself as an award candidate in the AL. Matt McLain (who is battling an oblique injury at the moment) and the Giants’ Patrick Bailey didn’t even arrive until mid-May, but both have reached the 3.0 WAR mark in under 100 games.

[MLB Pipeline] Lawlar gets even hotter with first multihomer game by Sonja Chen

MLB Pipeline’s No. 10 overall prospect went deep in each of his first two trips to the plate, hitting both round-trippers off right-hander Tanner Gordon (Rockies). Lawlar ended the night 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and three RBIs, one shy of his career high.

To top it all off, baseball’s third-ranked shortstop prospect made his first professional appearance at third base. He deftly handled a ground ball by Michael Toglia to end the third inning in his one fielding opportunity.

Spencer’s Spicy Supplement: “It’s Reno. Don’t trust the stats.” etc. It’s all true. But also, why deprive yourself of the hype and enjoyment of our next big prospect debut. If 2023 has taught us anything, it’s that even the best rookies struggle (Carroll’s slump, Pfaadt’s start), but they are also one of the best parts of being a fan of this team right now (Carroll, Pfaadt, Moreno, etc.).

Baseball News

[MLB] Postseason Watch: Bracket, tiebreakers and more by MLB AI Bot (Imma call him Albert)

Reminder: As part of the collective bargaining agreement made with the Players Association before the 2022 season, Major League Baseball expanded the postseason field from 10 to 12 teams. Both the AL and NL now have three Wild Card berths (up from two prior to 2022), with the top two seeds in each league receiving first-round byes. The other teams will pair up for the best-of-three Wild Card Series, in which all three games will be played at the home of the higher seed, with winners advancing to the Division Series.

[MLB] Elly wreaks havoc with speed in 9th inning of walk-off by Mark Sheldon

Not against Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh after Elly De La Cruz got thrown out trying to steal second base in the second inning. Not when Noelvi Marte met the same fate in the third inning.

“It doesn’t matter if they get me out 20 million times, I’m still going to be aggressive any time I go out there,” De La Cruz said via translator Jorge Merlos.

• Games remaining: vs. SEA (1), vs. STL (3), at DET (3), at NYM (3), vs. MIN (3), vs. PIT (3), at CLE (2), at STL (3)
• Standings update: The Reds (73-68) moved a half-game ahead of the Marlins (71-67) and a full game ahead of the D-backs (71-68) for the third National League Wild Card spot. Cincinnati has the head-to-head tiebreaker over the D-backs (4-3 in 2023), but it must rely on intradivision record for the tiebreaker with Miami after going 3-3 in the season series.

[MLBTR] David Stearns Has Spoken With Mets, Astros About Potential Front Office Positions by Anthony Franco

That’s no longer the case. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of the Athletic report that Stearns’ contract allowed him to begin speaking with other teams about a possible front office job following the August 1 trade deadline. Rosenthal and Sammon report that Stearns has already been in contact with both the Mets and Astros (potentially among other teams).

There has been plenty of speculation around the industry about the Mets turning baseball operations over to Stearns once his contract with Milwaukee was finished. Not only is he clearly well-regarded by Mets’ owner Steve Cohen, the 38-year-old executive is a Manhattan native who worked in the Mets’ front office early in his career. While New York signed Billy Eppler to a four-year contract to take over as general manager in the 2021-22 offseason, Cohen has gone on record about a desire to add a baseball operations president to take over above Eppler (who would remain as GM).

[MLBTR] The Mariner’s Quiet Offseason Bullpen Upgrades by Anthony Franco

The Mariners hold a tight lead in the AL West with less than a month to go. While certainly not assured, they’ve got a real shot at securing their first division title in over two decades.

While an offensive explosion in the second half is a big part of that success, Seattle’s pitching staff kept them afloat while the lineup was struggling for the bulk of the year. The M’s rotation deservedly draws plenty of praise, but their bullpen has arguably been even better.

Only the Yankees have gotten a lower ERA out of their bullpen than Seattle, whose relievers are allowing 3.43 earned runs per nine. The Astros’ group is the only one with a better strikeout rate than the M’s 26.5% clip; that’s also true of their 12.9% swinging strike percentage. Only the Yankees and Cardinals have kept the ball on the ground more frequently.

Spencer’s Spicy Supplement: On behalf of all Arizona Diamondback fans Mike Hazen, I implore you - Just do this! Seattle did it. How hard can it be? [This is obviously meant as sarcasm. While the bullpen is an obvious flaw in the team and Hazen’s ability as a GM, it is not as simple as just signing guys]

[MLBTR] Chat Transcript by Steve Adams

Spencer’s Spicy Supplement: I haven’t had a chance to actually read through this yet. But a quick scan and page search didn’t bring up any major Arizona information. Still, it’s usually worth a read to get a feel for how desperate other fanbases/teams might be going into a winter where Arizona is likely to need a big trade to really push into World Series Contender status for 2024.