AZ Snake Pit - Game #87, July 7: Diamondbacks 6, Reds 3An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2017-07-08T02:18:29-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/157042272017-07-08T02:18:29-04:002017-07-08T02:18:29-04:00Diamondbacks 6, Reds 3: Where We Forget Last Night Happened at All
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<p>Well, last night’s debacle needs something more fortified than beer to help one move on and forget. For that, one needs harder stuff. I’m talking about bourbon, scotch and tequila of course.</p> <p id="euQ9Ts">Lets begin shall we?</p>
<h4 id="dHy0qR">Drink 1: Knobb Creed Small Batch on the rocks</h4>
<ul>
<li id="iqY9mu">Tried and true, much like Greinke’s starts, this fine Kentucky bourbon is an old standby and one that upon the first sip sees me through the first half of the 1st. I don’t need to preach to anyone that this should be a series we should win, especially after being thoroughly frustrated in LA </li>
<li id="Ok5UIC">The 1st was uneventful, so let’s pause and speak upon what’s on all our minds: <em>Game of Thrones</em>. Yes I know the Dbacks are shamelessly using the wildly popular show to get tickets sold, but damned if they’re not right on how popular it is. Just 10 days away and I’m pumped more than anything to see Clegane Bowl. Seriously, the Hound vs. the Mountain will be the most watched/anticipated fight in history. Forget the Thrilla in Manilla, Clegane Bowl should be and likely will be a pay-per-view event in every bar in the US and beyond.</li>
<li id="VqrtbC">Greinke would have make a better White Walker for this promo game. No not because of any skin tone issues, but strictly because his face looks devoid of any emotions other than uninterested loathing and hate. Not to mention he’s already cutting though this <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> lineup faster than the White Walkers did through the Night’s Watch at the Fists of the First Men. 0-0 going in to the bottom of the 2nd.</li>
<li id="pIzp8I">Dbacks strike first with Drury redeeming himself with a double, much like Jamoe tries to redeem himself (in the books mostly) bringing in the first run of the game. Mathis then piles on the fun with a double of his own bringing in another. 2-0 Dbacks</li>
<li id="my9zoL">Grienke, hit by a pitch, tires of these mortals feeble attempts to stifle his chill reign. He’ll be sure to greet the Reds with a very cold reception in the 3rd. (haha, get it? Cold)</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="4XXQz5">Drink 2: Tears of Llorona Anejo Tequila served neat</h4>
<ul>
<li id="KricH4">Never heard of this stuff before tonight but it’s smooth as silk, or perhaps as smooth as Little Finger’s meddling throughout the <em>GoT</em> series. Yes, it’s that good.</li>
<li id="kOY9Nj">Kinda like Greinke through 4 frames tonight. Like I said, he was most displeased with being hit last inning.</li>
<li id="fmu9kg">He carries his cold-detached sense of hate over to the bottom half of the 4th with an RBI single. It’s summer in Phoenix, but winter has come for the Reds... 3-0 Dbacks </li>
<li id="TKlcPf">Goldy tacks on another run in the 5th making me wonder if he might have had a better chance at the Mountain than Oberon. Then again I’m sure he would have ended up on the DL with a victory or not, so I think we’ll pass on that bit of fiction. 4-0 Dbacks.</li>
<li id="hBmiW7">Jumped on the game day thread here only to discover EdBiggHead has hijacked said thread with obscure geo-political rants. This is why I love <a href="http://AZSnakepit.com">AZSnakepit.com</a>.</li>
<li id="YO3DZ7">Just realized I have no idea if Goldy will be in the HR Derby or not next week. Do we even want him to be? The world wonders.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="nva0iG">Drink 3: Johnnie Walker Blue Label served neat</h4>
<ul>
<li id="Vrl6QJ">Yes, I am super fancy on this night, and this is a super fancy scotch. Nectar of the gods, and I’ll be sure to have a cigar with it later tonight. A fine scotch such as this, coincidentally, goes very well with excellent Dbacks games. Still 4-0 Dbacks and the Dbacks own the tone and the pace of the game.</li>
<li id="upxYsF">Greinke’s night is likely over after throwing an excellent 7 innings of no-run ball. I pray I don’t have to see Rodney tonight.......</li>
<li id="D8x4aI">The Dbacks must have heard me with the score now 6-0 after two insurance runs in the 8th.</li>
<li id="z3vkxK">McERA (as EdBiggHead calls him) has not quite calmed my closer-anxiety here in the 9th. As I type this the one base runner with no outs turns in to a 2run blast by Vatto 6-2 Dbacks as the chill of winter creeps back in...........</li>
<li id="gagoLE">The chill wind now turning in to a light gale at this point with Barrett now alowing a second HR after McERA’s exit, followed by a infield single. Wish I had some dragon glass for those white walkers that must be near. </li>
<li id="7K7mzk">...Then there was Rodney. That same Rodney who betrayed us in a Red Wedding-esque inning last night. May the Seven protect us.........</li>
<li id="PMMRGk">Despite his best effort, we win!!!!! Night all!!!!!!!</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="RFxyDc">Bells and whistles, by Jim</h4>
<p id="H365tV">We were actually at the game, and had a blast. It was nice of the D-backs to turn Chase Field into Vaes Dothrak by turning the air-conditioning off. Or perhaps it was just me. See Twitter for pics of me, SnakePit and her dragons, the Iron Throne and the (varying successful) attempts to morph various D-backs players into <em>Game of Thrones </em>characters. Oh, and <span>Taijuan Walker</span> bobblehead acquired, natch. Onwards.</p>
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<div id="3x3uWl"><p style="text-align:center"><b>Click <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2017-07-07&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0&season=2017" target="_blank">here</a> for details, at Fangraphs.com</b>
<br><b>Robb Stark: Zack Greinke, +33.6%</b>
<br>Ned Stark: Brandon Drury, +18.%
<br><b><i>Joffrey: Gregor Blanco, -8.3%</i></b></p></div>
<p id="NeEx6W">To be found in the Gameday Thread were: AzDbackfanInDc, BenSharp, BobDolio, Cumulus Choir, DORRITO, DeadManG, Fangdango, GuruB, Jackwriter, Keegan Thompson, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MrMrrbi, PaulGoldsmith, SongBird, Steven M. Taylor, Turambar, aldma, asteroid, edbigghead, hotclaws, onedotfive and smartplays. A five-way tie of comments with three recs as I scan the thread. Hmm... To which one shall I bestow the fourth rec and the turning of the Sedona Red? Let’s go with Steven’s celebration of the greatness which is Goldschmidt.</p>
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<p id="CuaSBd">Tomorrow, it’s the same two sides, with tonight’s bobblehead honoree, Taijuan Walker, starting for the D-backs, and a 7:10pm start, in the penultimate game before the All-Star break. Let’s make it two in a row. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2017/7/8/15940566/arizona-diamondbacks-cincinnati-reds-recap-zack-greinkeTurambar2017-07-08T00:37:55-04:002017-07-08T00:37:55-04:00Diamondbacks 6, Reds 3
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<p>The Diamondbacks send their regards...</p> <p id="7cHsnR">If there was a good way to flush the taste of last night's horrid loss out of the way, it was tonight's victory. <span>Zack Greinke</span> tossed seven innings of shutout ball, and <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> smacked his 20th homer, as the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> ended their losing streak at three games. <span>Brandon Drury</span> got Arizona on the board with and RBI double in the second, and was driven in by Jeff Mathis. Greinke helped his own cause with an RBI single, then Goldschmidt went deep to get the game #RodneyProofed. Or so we thought...</p>
<p id="IV43s2">On the mound, Greinke went seven innings without allowing a run, giving up only four hits and walking none, striking out seven. He only really had any traffic in his last inning, but finished strong, getting his final K with men on the corners. <span>T.J. McFarland</span> couldn't complete the shutout, allowing a two-run homer in the ninth. <span>Jake Barrett</span> gave up another homer. Suddenly, it was the Fernando Rodney Experience. But at least there was only one out needed, and he got it done.</p>
<p id="bquM1X">Turambar will be along with the full recap in a bit.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2017/7/8/15940812/arizona-diamondbacks-cincinnati-reds-scoreJim McLennan2017-07-07T21:30:02-04:002017-07-07T21:30:02-04:00Gameday Thread, #87: 7/7 vs. Reds
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<figcaption>Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p><em>A man with no motive is a man no one suspects. Always keep your foes confused. </em></p> <p id="MM6u97"></p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2017/7/7/15940240/gameday-thread-87-7-7-vs-redsJim McLennan2017-07-07T20:30:02-04:002017-07-07T20:30:02-04:00Preview #87: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds
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<figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Porter - Pool/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Game of Thrones Night at the old ballpark...</p> <div id="XSVBwX">
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<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<th align="left">CINCINNATI REDS</th>
<th align="left">ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS</th>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Billy Hamilton - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">A.J. Pollock - CF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Zack Cozart - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">David Peralta - RF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Joey Votto - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Paul Goldschmidt - 1B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Adam Duvall - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Jake Lamb - 3B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Eugenio Suarez - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Chris Owings - SS</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Scott Schebler - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Brandon Drury - 2B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Jose Peraza - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Gregor Blanco - LF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Tucker Barnhart - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Jeff Mathis - C</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Tim Adleman - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Zack Greinke - RHP</td>
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<p id="9iAYai">Meaningful <em>Game of Thrones</em> quotes for tonight’s contest. </p>
<ul>
<li id="jZuHjA">“The powerful have always preyed on the powerless, that's how they became powerful in the first place.” After suffering the baseball equivalent of the Red Wedding in the final game against the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>, what better cure than to stomp on the team currently occupying last place in the National League Central?</li>
<li id="mkodZB">“I’m Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home. And you can’t frighten me.” With 32 home wins, the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> have five more victories in their own park, than any other team in the majors, bar the Dodgers. We’ve outscored the opposition here by an average of more than two runs per game, having averaged a score of over six runs, while conceding fewer than four. </li>
<li id="Wa0BJX">“It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it if it were easy.” The same can be said about getting to the playoffs. Even with the addition of the extra wild-card team, two-thirds of major-league teams will be sitting at home in the post-season. That’s the highest fraction of failure, for any of the major sports. </li>
<li id="UnFcrB">“Winter is coming.” As we mentioned on one of the many occasions this team has previously had a three-game losing streak (this is our <em>sixth</em> such, and we’re not even at the All-Star break!), almost every playoff team will have a longer losing streak than the 2017 D-backs have had to endure to date. Brace yourself. </li>
<li id="TtuBE4">“A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of a sheep.” I’m not quite sure how to tie that quote to the Diamondbacks, but it probably has something to do with the irritating Dodgers fan at work. Though to his credit, he was more sympathetic than gloating at work today. Which may have been worse. </li>
<li id="1VrcrW">“Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” One bad outing for Rodney. One game lost. In the overall design of things, these likely won’t matter too much. But it’s up to the team as a whole, who cannot let last night’s loss get to them. Put it behind us, and get back to the winning form which has been the standard in 2017. </li>
<li id="gm8xlL">“Are you afraid? Good. You're in the great game now. And the great game's terrifying.” It would likely have been much better if last night’s loss had been like the opener, with the D-backs mounting a ninth-inning recovery, and falling short by the same one-run margin. But take a moment to appreciate: <em>deeply meaningful baseball in July</em>. And we’re far from done yet. There will be more dispiriting losses to come. And, I trust, equally joyous victories. Enjoy the ride. </li>
<li id="DbKOOo">“There is only one god and his name is Death, and there is only one thing we say to Death: ‘Not today’.” Go, kick Cincinnati ass. We’ll be watching from the stands. </li>
</ul>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2017/7/7/15940192/preview-arizona-diamondbacks-cincinnati-redsJim McLennan