AZ Snake Pit - Game #11: 4/15, Arizona Diamondbacks 3, San Diego Padres 2An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2016-04-16T03:19:06-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/112065152016-04-16T03:19:06-04:002016-04-16T03:19:06-04:00Diamondbacks 3, Padres 2: The Great Escape
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<figcaption>Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Diamondbacks somehow managed to snatch victory from the jaws of, at least, extra innings, with Brad Ziegler picking up his 30th consecutive save. I think all 29 of the previous ones were probably easier. </p> <p><b>Record: 4-7. Pace: 59-103. Change on 2015: -2.</b></p>
<p>Free baseball seemed particularly inevitable, given this was a game that willfully and maliciously was scheduled by the San Diego Padres to begin at 7:40pm. Fortunately, we managed to dodge that fate, though I think the finish time of 10:48pm must be close to the latest ever for the Diamondbacks in a regulation game. This one ground to a halt, particularly in both ends of the eighth inning. The Padres used three different pitchers to get the three outs, while Daniel Hudson threw 14 pitches and recorded so many mound visits with various personnel, I was beginning to think he was getting his mail forwarded there.</p>
<p>However, probably the most important thing out of this was seeing a Zack Greinke who looked a damn sight closer to being the guy we signed; the one getting a million dollars per start. While he didn't get the W, becoming the 19th consecutive D-back starting pitcher without a win, this was clearly the best he has been in an Arizona uniform, mixing up his pitches and keeping the hitters off-balance. The six hits allowed included two infield singles, a seeing-eye single through the whole at short which scored San Diego's first run and a bloop to left-field that drove in their second - Tomas was charged with an error on his throw home, which allowed the hitter to reach second.</p>
<p>Indeed, the hardest hit ball was likely the final one of Greinke's night, a one-out double in the eighth inning into the left-center gap. That ended a streak of 11 consecutive Padres set down by Zack, including a completely clean sheet the third time through the San Diego order. He was efficient, taking only 95 pitches to get through those 7.1 innings of work, and threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 29 batters. He was charged with two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts, and the resulting Game Score of 62 was the best by a Diamondback this season, beating the previous high of 58, from Robbie Ray yesterday.</p>
<p>Daniel Hudson took over for the rest of the eighth, having to get two outs with a runner in scoring position, so having precious little room for error. He fell behind Matt Kemp 3-0, before they decided to go ahead and put him on, and then got Upton (no - the <i>other</i> one) to strike out, and Derek Norris to ground out, and so we went into the top of the ninth, with the score tied at two. For the Diamondbacks hadn't been able to get much done against James Shields either, although Welington Castillo did get his first home-run of the season to give us the lead, briefly, in the top of the second inning.</p>
<p>Indeed, after Jake Lamb legged out an infield single, immediately following the BeefBomb, the only hit we had through two outs in the sixth was by Greinke himself. It didn't help that we managed to run ourselves out of at least one inning. After a pair of walks in the fourth, David Peralta got himself thrown out, after unwisely trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt, the D-backs once again running into the final out of an inning at third-base. But with the team trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Yasmany Tomas and, one out later, Nick Ahmed, both managed to squirt doubles just fair down the right-field line, tying things up.</p>
<p>Which brings us to the ninth, where the D-backs scored without hitting the ball out of the infield. Lamb beat the shift with an infield single to short, then - just after the booth had finished talking about him not being a good base-runner - stole a base and advanced to third on an error, as Norris's throw tailed away from second into the outfield. Pinch-hitter Phil Gosselin then executed a swinging bunt to perfection, getting the ball just past the pitcher on the first-base side, and the fielder's throw home was too late to get Lamb, who slid safely in to give Arizona a 3-2 lead, allowing them to turn the ball over to Brad Ziegler for the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>Three pitches and two hits later, the Padres had men on the corners. This wasn't completely uncharted territory for Z. On <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201308270.shtml">August 27, 2013</a>, coincidentally against the Padres (but at Chase), he had gotten into the same situation - runners on first and third, no outs in the ninth and with a one-run lead. That didn't end so well, as he blew the save, although the D-backs won 10-9 in ten. I'd have settled for the same: give up a run and take our chances in extras. Ziegler, however, was having none of it, starting with a strikeout of Alexi Amarista - though the runner on first stole second, taking the double-play out of the equation, and putting the winning run in scoring position.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, did I say "taking the double-play out of the equation"? Simple solution to that: walk the next batter and load the bases up. Then, on a 2-2 count - and without having <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p3WkjMGWTxsjz6MZi0lT9yWJNzg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6347161/numlocation.png">thrown a strike</a> - you really could not have drawn it up any better than this:</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brad Ziegler did what he does best: <a href="https://t.co/F32R8IuKBv">https://t.co/F32R8IuKBv</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GetZiggyWithIt?src=hash">#GetZiggyWithIt</a> <a href="https://t.co/1Qeh4ExaGL">pic.twitter.com/1Qeh4ExaGL</a></p>
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/721217682805100544">April 16, 2016</a>
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Well, that was a nice surprise, wasn't it? Just as I was settling down, at best, for the long-haul, the game finished with a sudden, unexpected victory - bit like getting a ealk-off home-run from a relief pitcher or something. Still, after last night, I'll take the fourth win vultured by a relief pitcher this season - Hudson, in this case - and also out first non-teal tinged win of 2016.</p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2016-04-15&team=Padres&dh=0&season=2016"><img src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6347195/chart.0.png" alt="chart.0.png"></a><br>[<i>Click for details, at fangraphs.com</i>]<br><b>Steve McQueen: Jake Lamb, +27.7%</b><br>James Garner: Gosselin, +17.5%; Ziegler, +17.3%; Hudson, +14.7%; Ahmed, +12.8%<br><i><b>Hannes Messemer: Socrates Brito, -13.3%</b></i></p>
<p align="left">freeland1787, BenSharp and JoeCB1991 were the most active commenters this evening, with others present being: Airwave, Clefo, DbacksSkins, Diamondhacks, Fangdango, GuruB, Hazzard21, I suppose I'm a Pessimist, Jim McLennan, Majabe, MrMrrbi, Oldenschoole, RobertMerrill, Sprankton, Xerostomia, Zavada's Moustache, asteroid, datr22, dbrowell, ford.williams.10, hotclaws, jonparks, luckycc, makattack71, noblevillain, onedotfive, preston.salisbury, rd33, shoewizard, soco and thunderpumpkin87. preston gets the comment of the night, for this:</p>
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<h2 class="title collapse_toggle ">If there is no afterlife</h2>
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<p>why would anyone give themselves the penance that is eating Arby’s?</p>
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<p>Today we are making angst muffins</p>
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<div class="meta">by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/preston.salisbury" class="poster" target="_blank">preston.salisbury</a> on <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#370080183" class="date">Apr 15, 2016 | 7:33 PM</a> <span class="user_actions"> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#" class="up_link" title="scroll to parent comment">up</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#" class="reply_link" title="reply to this comment">reply</a> <span class="cactions mod "> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#" class="rec_link recommended"> rec <span class="rec_count"> (6) </span> </a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#" class="flag_link "> flag </a> <span class="mod_actions"> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442682/gameday-thread-11-4-15-vs-padres/in/11206515#" class="actions_toggle">actions</a> </span> </span> </span>
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<p align="left">I think it was a question for the SnakePodcast, so tune in Sunday for the answer! The win runs my recap record for the year to 3-0, so you'll be pleased to hear I will also be recapping tomorrow night, since Turambar is up in Sedona at a wedding. I hope he manages to avoid any vortices. However, at least Saturday's game starts at a much more civilized hour of 5:40pm, with Shelby Miller looking to follow Greinke down the improvement highway.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/16/11443040/diamondbacks-padres-recapJim McLennan2016-04-16T01:51:14-04:002016-04-16T01:51:14-04:00Diamondbacks 3, Padres 2
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<figcaption>Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>And... exhale.</p> <p>Zack Greinke may not have got the win, but this was certainly the best start he has for the Diamondbacks, as he pitched into the eighth inning and held the San Diego offense to two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. And, truth be told, the Padres were probably lucky to get that, as they had their share of infield hits and bloops. However, he got a no-decision, as Arizona had almost as much trouble with James Shields, and the score was tied at two when Greinke left with one out in the eighth.</p>
<p>The offense did just enough. Welington Castillo got his first home-run of the season in the second inning, and after San Diego had scored in the bottom of the second and the fourth, it took doubles from Yasmany Tomas and Nick Ahmed to even things up in the seventh. Arizona then took the lead in the ninth, after Jake Lamb singled, stole second and advanced to third on an error, coming home on a Phil Gosselin infield hit. Brad Ziegler got into a hellacious jam in the bottom of the ninth, but got a game-ending double-play ball to give the D-backs a very welcome win.</p>
<p>Full recap to follow, once I stop breathing into this paper-bag.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/16/11443028/diamondbacks-padres-scoreJim McLennan2016-04-15T21:00:02-04:002016-04-15T21:00:02-04:00Game Preview, #11: 42
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<figcaption><a href='https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/721109530717728769'>@dbacks, via Twitter</a></figcaption>
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<p>It's Jackie Robinson Day, so even with a scorecard, you won't be able to tell the players...</p> <div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
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<span>Zack Greinke</span><br>RHP,<span> </span>0-2, 9.90</h5>
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<span>James Shields</span><br>RHP, 0-2, 4.85</h5>
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<span>Jean Segura</span> - 2B</td>
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<span>Jon Jay</span> - CF</td>
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<span>Socrates Brito</span> - CF</td>
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<span>Wil Myers</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Matt Kemp</span> - RF</td>
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<span>David Peralta</span> - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Melvin Upton Jr. - LF</td>
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<span>Welington Castillo</span> - C</td>
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<span>Derek Norris</span> - C</td>
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<span>Jake Lamb</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Cory Spangenberg</span> - 2B</td>
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<span>Yasmany Tomas</span> - LF</td>
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<span>Alexei Ramirez</span> - SS</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Zack Greinke - RHP</td>
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<span>Alexi Amarista</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Nick Ahmed</span> - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">James Shields - RHP</td>
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<p>It's difficult for us in the modern era to grasp quite what Jackie Robinson must have gone through in his rookie season. I guess perhaps the closest might be to imagine what would happen if a big-name player came out as gay - though I think, even there, most people would perhaps be more tolerant nowadays. Hard to say: there'd still be Neanderthals, I'm sure, but suspect it would be a nine-day wonder for most people. Otherwise, we just don't have much reference point for Robinson's experiences in that rookie season. It's like trying to figure out what storming the beach at Normady was like. We know the stories, but the gap between that and the actual experience is probably unbridgeable.</p>
<p>Moving on to tonight's game, can I start off by saying this. 7:40pm start time? WTF? Apparently this is a regular thing on Friday night, and is not a one-off to allow an additional 30 minutes to honor Jackie. Interesting how the D-backs moved their home games half an hour <i>earlier</i> from the standard 7:10pm time, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">Padres</a> have gone the other way. That likely means not much chance of this finishing significantly before 10:30pm, so I'll be burning the midnight oil on the recap for this one! Maybe that's why Steve Berthiaume has called in sick today: Greg Schulte will be taking over as the PBP guy in the TV booth, with Mike Ferrin moving into the Gubnuh's seat. So don't be surprised by the strange voices!</p>
<p>As for the game, this sees a pair of underwhelming "staff aces", who have both gone 0-2 in their opening contests, and their teams go into tonight with identical 3-7 records. I'm surprised this game isn't on national television... For the D-backs, they will be hoping Greinke will finally be the ace they expected. I'm optimistic: we were one bad inning away from winning the series in Los Angeles, and if we'd done that, the tone of the conversations this morning would, I think, be radically different. The Padres, unlike the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> (who just beat the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> 6-1 at Wrigley today), do appear to be as bad as advertised, and I'd like to see the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> take advantage.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/15/11442364/arizona-diamondbacks-game-preview-san-diego-padresJim McLennan