AZ Snake Pit - Game #61: 6/7, Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Tampa Bay Rays 0An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2016-06-08T01:30:02-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/116441572016-06-08T01:30:02-04:002016-06-08T01:30:02-04:00Grienke, Lamb, Goldschmidt great
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<img alt="MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-J_cxJViz3Z4EEso3gAfhGu3HAk=/467x0:2089x1081/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49798859/usa-today-9329171.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Zack Grienke looked to follow up his dominating start against Houston last series with another against the Rays tonight. </p> <p>Both Grienke and Matt Moore were strong through the first three innings. They both only gave up a hit each over those three frames, and only one walk given up, by Grienke. The strikeouts weren't therpiling up for either pitcher, with Grienke only having two, but they were both getting the job done well.</p>
<p>In the bottom of the fourth, that changed for Moore and the Diamondbacks offense. Paul Goldschmidt continued his resurgance and hit a one out double. He was then sent to third thanks to a single from Beef.</p>
<p>Then things got interesting. Brandon Drury swung at a pitch. It looked like he may have fouled it off to stay alive. The home plate umpire, Mark Ripperger, called for a conference between the umpires to decide if it was a foul or a swinging strike. I'm radio only, but Schulte and Candiotti both seemed pretty confident that Drury had gotten a piece of it. The Meeting of the Minds decided that he had just swung and missed, striking out. Chip Hale didn't like that. He came out and argued with Ripperger, but to no avail. He was tossed from the game, and Drury was out number two.</p>
<p>Jake Lamb came to the plate. Now, Matt Moore is a left handed pitcher. I have it on good authority that Jake Lamb should never ever never face left handed pitchers. I'm pretty sure the last time it happened, we had to call The Doctor to fix a tear in the fabric of the universe. Some scientists also believe it's the reason the honeybees are dying. However, Chip Hale decided to risk it again when he wrote the line up. Torchwood was on standby, the Avengers assembled, and Yoda sensed a disturbance in the Force. The count was 0-1. Moore wound up, and threw a knuckle curve. It was as if time briefly stopped, just before the pitch reached the plate. Then, it was as if it sped up to double time as Lamb clobbered it into the stands. 3-0 Diamondbacks</p>
<p>They didn't stop there either. In the sixth, they kept up the pressure against Moore and the Rays. He walked Michael Bourn, ahead of Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt then happened. Two run homer to build the lead further and continue to distance himself from his poor start to the season. 5-0 Diamondbacks</p>
<p>That was all they got, and that was all they needed. Zack Grienke just racked up easy inning after easy inning. He didn't get a ton of strikeouts like his last outing, but he got a lot of easy ground ball outs. No Rays reached second base. He did give up two walks, but only three hits at the same time. With less than 100 pitches at the end of the eighth, Glen Sherlock, who had taken over as acting manager following Hale's ejection, let Grienke go out of the ninth, and that was it. He put the Rays away with one last 1-2-3 inning, and Arizona wins it.</p>
<p><iframe style="border:1px solid black;" scrolling="no" src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2016-06-07&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0" frameborder="0" height="450" width="450"></iframe><br><span>Source: <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2016-06-07&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0&season=2016">FanGraphs</a></span></p>
<p>Doctor Who, Series 4: Zach Grienke, 34.7%</p>
<p><i>Torchwood, Series 2</i>: Jake Lamb, 27%</p>
<p>Doctor Who, Series 7: Brandon Drury, -10.4%</p>
<p>Very quiet Gameday thread, which sadly I think will become more and more normal, the further we go into this increasingly lost season. Only 246 comments, split between 24 of us. In a serious throwback, I lead the way with 41 comments, songbird in second with 31, and hotclaws filling out our podium with 20. All present were:</p>
<p>AzRattler, Diamondhacks, GuruB, James Attwood, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, MrMrrbi,Oldenschoole, Re Tired, SongBird, Xerostomia, aldma, asteroid, baseball2015, catbat, coldblueAZ, datr22,hotclaws, imstillhungry95, nolanriley13, onedotfive, since_98, thunderpumpkin87</p>
<p>I'm going to give CotN to Oldenschoole. He might be on to something with this Goldschmidt guy...</p>
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<p>This Goldy kid</p>
<p>has Lamb-like power numbers.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: my views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the membership or management of the Snakepit nor that of Vox Media.</p>
<p>Chairman of the Goose Gossage for MLB Commissioner national committee.</p>
<p>by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Oldenschoole">Oldenschoole</a> on <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880554/gameday-thread-61-6-7-vs-rays#379405663">Jun 7, 2016 | 8:13 PM</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880554/gameday-thread-61-6-7-vs-rays#">reply</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880554/gameday-thread-61-6-7-vs-rays#"> rec (3)</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880554/gameday-thread-61-6-7-vs-rays#"> flag</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880554/gameday-thread-61-6-7-vs-rays#">actions</a></p>
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<p>Day game tomorrow, with first pitch being at 12:40 Arizona time. Archie Bradley tries to secure the series win for us against Jake Odorzzi. Join us then!</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/8/11880832/dbacks-5-rays-0-grienke-really-is-the-ace-we-signed-Imstillhungry952016-06-07T23:56:07-04:002016-06-07T23:56:07-04:00Dbacks 5, Rays 0
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<p>Great game all the way around, both offensively and pitching. Grienke continued to look like the pitcher we wanted when we gave him the biggest contract in team history. He threw a complete game shutout. He did give up two walks, and only recorded two strikeouts, but he also only allowed three hits. It wasn't the same sort of start as he had against the Astros, where he struck out everyone and their mothers, but he still did a masterful job keeping the Rays off the basepaths.</p>
<p>The offense was superb as well. They kept making opportunities for themselves, and, more importantly, cashing in on them. Jake Lamb hit a three run home run off lefty Matt Moore, and Goldy hit another two run shot to extend the lead even further. Great to see Goldy continue his return to form, and Lamb get a big hit off a lefty. Full happy recap to follow soon!</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11881076/dbacks-5-rays-0Imstillhungry952016-06-07T20:00:03-04:002016-06-07T20:00:03-04:00D-backs Game Preview, #61: Is it O'Brien Time?
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<figcaption>Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>And look! It's Jake Lamb! Versus a left-hander!</p> <div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
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<span>Matt Moore</span><br>LHP, 2-3, 5.46<br>
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<span>Zack Greinke</span><br>RHP, 7-3, 4.29</h5>
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<td class="td-last td-name" width="50%">
<span>Taylor Motter</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Jean Segura</span> - 2B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">
<span>Brad Miller</span> - SS</td>
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<span>Michael Bourn</span> - CF</td>
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<span>Desmond Jennings</span> - CF</td>
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<span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Logan Morrison</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Welington Castillo</span> - C</td>
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<span>Mikie Mahtook</span> - RF</td>
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<span>Brandon Drury</span> - RF</td>
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<span>Corey Dickerson</span> - LF</td>
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<span>Jake Lamb</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Tim Beckham</span> - 2B</td>
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<span>Yasmany Tomas</span> - LF</td>
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<span>Hank Conger</span> - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Zack Greinke - RHP</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Matt Moore - LHP</td>
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<span>Nick Ahmed</span> - SS</td>
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<p><span>Peter O'Brien</span> had two more hits this afternoon for the Aces against the Salt Lake Bees - for whom Goldie's chew-toy, <span>Tim Lincecum</span>, started and took the loss. That's 50 games with Reno now for O'Brien, and his line is .337/.362/.683 for an 1.045 OPS. Sure, his defense may be questionable, as is his plate-discipline (that's a K:BB ratio of 59:9). But he is, at least hitting the ball, unlike Yasmany Tomas, who seems to have all the same weaknesses as O'Brien, with the major disadvantage of hitting jack over the past four weeks. Since May 11, when he was batting .318, Tomas is hitting .173, with a .518 OPS. His last walk was May 24: he has fifteen strikeouts since then. Might be time for a change...</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Chip Hale must have been bundled into a closet and tied up with duct-tape, before being able to make out this afternoon's line-up, because it includes Jake Lamb against a left-hander. As we've seen a couple of times recently, Hale has a near-pathological aversion to this, preferring to send up Rickie Weeks Jr with the game on the line. The last time Lamb saw a left-hander in a situation that could be described as "late and close" was probably May 14, in the 7th inning against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a>, when he faced <span>Josh Osich</span>, representing the go-ahead run. So we'll see how long of a leash Lamb gets this evening.</p>
<p>We'll also see how Greinke responds after <span>Robbie Ray</span> stole his home-run thunder last night, with the first long-ball by a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a>' pitcher in over three years. Though ahead of Ray, Greinke is actually trailing <span>Patrick Corbin</span> in terms of OPS, .644 to .724. Both men have been worth 0.3 bWAR at the plate this year, which is kinda embarrassing for Corbin, because that's rather more than he has been worth as a pitcher (-0.1 bWAR). To this point, <span>Daniel Hudson</span> (1.0 bWAR) has been the team's most valuable pitcher, but if Greinke has another start like last time, he'll likely take over that title by the end of the night. We can but hope, anyway.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/6/7/11880024/arizona-diamondbacks-game-preview-tampa-raysJim McLennan