AZ Snake Pit - Game #4: April 2, Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 7An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2018-04-03T13:17:32-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/169551072018-04-03T13:17:32-04:002018-04-03T13:17:32-04:00The marathon men: A look back at that epic 15-inning Diamondbacks win
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<img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6624UpNC6NPZhYjdEXHIJO33ln0=/0x0:5062x3375/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59253319/941244320.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Well, that was awesome</p> <p id="kmlp3W">Fangraphs and the GDT roll-call finally woke from their slumber - can hardly blame them! - so figured I might as well provide the updates on that, along with a few other interesting nuggets of trivia about last night’s contest. </p>
<h4 id="aVJeBT">Roll-call</h4>
<p id="n5L0BC">The final tally of comments was 1,181 from 50 different commenters, which is not bad for a midweek game! Michael and Cumulus were the engine-room, each passing the 150 mark: their stamina is appreciated! </p>
<p id="PCGhG4">All present were: AZDovs11, Andrew Chrun, AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, BobDolio, CumulusChoir, DORRITO, Dano_in_Tucson, Dcarbajal, DeadManG, DesertWeagle, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jackwriter, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Keegan Thompson, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeDavisAZ, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, PaulGoldsmith, RMHSVoice, Red Reign, Smurf1000, SongBird, SonomaComa1999, Sprankton, The so-called Beautiful, Wesley Baier, Wildcats4Life13, aldma, asteroid, cheese1213, coldblueAZ, edbigghead, eel, hobgobnob, hotclaws, kilnborn, luckycc, onedotfive, red_leader, rustynails77, shoewizard, since_98, smartplays, suroeste and tommyt_16.</p>
<p id="fsMjBg">Now that all the recs can be counted, the Comment of the Night goes to Sprankton:</p>
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<p id="qZwkER">I think we might be seeing that one again on Meme Monday. :) But, as is SnakePit tradition, I also want to name and shame the most wildly incorrect comment of the night. This was a close-fought race: I almost went with Jackwriter, who said the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> were “eyeing the pool already” - in the middle of the first inning of the opening game against them. Yeah. About that. But in the end, I went with SonomaComa1999:</p>
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<p id="x4lNBD">Even if everyone should have learned last year that this team never gives up (44 comeback wins), the “Dodgers” and “class” should <strong>never</strong> be used in the same sentence...</p>
<h4 id="pXANrr">Fangraph</h4>
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<p id="bwmdN6">I feel this would look very nice on T-shirts, mugs, mouse-mats, baseball caps, etc... The Dodgers managed to blow a win probability of 99.4% after Ketel Marte grounded out for the second out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Goldschmidt’s walk was worth 1.2%; his taking of second on defensive indifference, 0.2%; Pollock’s walk was 2.7%; then CO’s blast came in at 49.3%. Despite his heroics and the W, <span>Fernando Salas</span> was worth only 2.8%; the run he allowed in the top of the 15th, basically undid all his good work to that point. But there was no shortage of heroes and villains to be found last night:</p>
<ol>
<li id="TpBs7D">
<span>Nick Ahmed</span>, +46.5%</li>
<li id="36dX7B">
<span>Archie Bradley</span>, +30.2%</li>
<li id="Y5P8mH">
<span>Jeff Mathis</span>, +28.2%</li>
<li id="loDGGK">
<span>Chris Owings</span>, +19.7%</li>
<li id="ZjTQYg">Ketel Marte, +16.4%</li>
<li id="UuB4Gb">
<span>Brad Boxberger</span>, +15.2%</li>
</ol>
<p id="HCkklS">and at the other end...</p>
<ul>
<li id="GUCR7x">
<span>A.J. Pollock</span>, -11.3%</li>
<li id="1z1PI6">
<span>David Peralta</span>, -21.5%</li>
<li id="jUgQqf">
<span>Alex Avila</span>, -24.2%</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="pQMgMK">In the record books</h4>
<p id="qH3nm0">Appropriately, this was the 15th game in which the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> threw at least 15 innings. Impressively, they have a record of 14-1 in these contests, the only defeat the 8-7, 17-inning loss to the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201505310.shtml">in May 2015</a>. They allowed 19 hits, tied as the franchise record for most given up in a D-backs win with two other games, most recently a 13-9 win over the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL201309220.shtml">in September 2013</a>. [Admittedly, probably more impressive because that was a regulation game!] The 27 total base-runners we allowed last night was the highest total in a victory. The 280 pitches thrown by Arizona was second-most in franchise history, behind only the 317 required when we took 18 innings to <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI201308240.shtml">beat Philadelphia</a> 12-7. </p>
<p id="tzpEOP">The game lasted five hours and 46 minutes: as was well-recorded, that made it the longest in Chase Field history, but is only tied for fourth among all Diamondbacks contests. The three games, all on the road, which went longer were:</p>
<ul>
<li id="SJI0DA">
<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201505310.shtml">May 31, 2015</a> - The 8-7 loss to the Brewers in 17 innings mentioned above (5:49)</li>
<li id="mJTDfV">
<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200105290.shtml">May 29, 2001</a> - A 1-0 victory over the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> in San Francisco, which took 18 innings (5:53)</li>
<li id="qUrrGD">
<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI201308240.shtml">August 24, 2013</a><strong> - </strong>A 12-7 win in Philadelphia, that took 18 innings (7:06, and coincidentally, started at 7:06 - do the math, and you’ll see it finished at 2:12 am).</li>
</ul>
<p id="i9RD7B">What about Chris Owing’s game-saving homer, tying the game up when the team were trailing by three and down to their final out in the ninth? That’s pretty rare, too: in fact, the only time it has been done previously by a Diamondback was on <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200806110.shtml">June 11, 2008</a> when <span>Mark Reynolds</span> went deep off Billy Wagner. However, Arizona ended up losing that game 5-3 in 13 innings.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/4/3/17192996/the-marathon-men-a-look-back-at-that-epic-15-inning-diamondbacks-winJim McLennan2018-04-03T04:01:58-04:002018-04-03T04:01:58-04:00Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 7: One Down...Nineteen to Go
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<img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_H8jyL8g0s_YI6z75gx7BIueaNc=/0x0:2909x1939/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59248301/941243910.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Jeff Mathis saved us all from an uncertain end</p> <p id="rs3Y9l">A familiar opponent walked into Chase Field today, as game 1 of 19 against the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> went the way of the good guys. The team stayed resilient, which led to the longest game in Chase Field history. The 2018 Dodgers-Diamondbacks series will not start off like it ended. While only being 4 games into the season, the humidor effect seems to be real. It may be an overreaction, but it seems like it will damper power expectations for whatever team is at Chase Field.</p>
<p id="dAP5HE"><span>Taijuan Walker</span> had a really rough start to the game, allowing three runs in the first inning. Walker was not necessarily active in terms of pitching to contact. The tone was set from the beginning as Walker delivered high 90’s fastballs in the upper part of the zone. <span>Joc Pederson</span> has owned Taijuan Walker and that showed as Pederson worked the count and ripped a ball for a single. After Corey Seager drove Pederson in, <span>Yasmani Grandal</span> dropped a tank into the pool area. It seemed as if Walker tried to sneak a fastball in on Grandal, however as Bob Brenly pointed out on the broadcast, it snuck back into the lower corner of the plate. </p>
<p id="eKvAoz">Walker and Hyun Jin Ryu seemed to pitch two completely opposite games. Ryu pitched well in the early part of the game before getting pulled after 3 and 2/3<sup>rd</sup>s. Walker however, was able to make it through 5 after a rocky first inning. <span>A.J. Pollock</span> was the first D-Back to take advantage of Ryu as he lined one to <span>Matt Kemp</span> allowing <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> to score. In the 3<sup>rd</sup>, <span>Jake Lamb</span> would walk scoring Ketel Marte.</p>
<p id="y4FQVJ">Speaking of Marte, he was able to get past his first series struggles as he finished with 2 triples. The second, coming on an absolutely textbook swing. He took Ryu’s 70mph curveball the other way, Marte kept his weight back and delivered a strike.</p>
<p id="nb2wR7">For the bullpen, it is not looking so hot. Archie Bradley’s usage was certainly one of the biggest questions I had before the season. With an appearance in the 11th, it seems that Lovullo is throwing caution to the wind. It will be hard for Torey Lovullo to keep Bradley off of the mound, especially when Yoshi Hirano, <span>Andrew Chafin</span>, and <span>T.J. McFarland</span> all got tabbed for a run. Hirano’s run coming off of an absolute bomb from <span>Logan Forsythe</span>. Fernando Salas was able to be used as a long reliever, but if it wasn't for Jeff Mathis we wouldn't be praising Salas.</p>
<p id="xDlP2X">Kenley Jansen and his decreasing cutter velocity made it rather interesting in the 9th as Goldy reached on a single and took second base. Pollock would reach base as well and be driven in by a Chris Owings homerun. Lovullo surprised me when tabbing Brad Boxberger out of the bullpen in the 10th. Boxberger has a history of injuries so his usage rate will be key this year, even though he made light work of the Dodgers. Bradley was great even while allowing a single to Cody Bellinger to lead off the 11th. As the 15th inning came, Chase Utley was able to score Cody Bellinger which was seemed to be the end. The 15th inning was all she wrote as Nick Ahmed scored Jake Lamb and Jeff Mathis walked it off with a single.</p>
<p id="k2CTcJ"><strong>Snake Stars</strong></p>
<p id="NeGh0J">☆☆☆: Jeff Mathis: 1-1, Walk Off RBI Single, *Our Savior*<br>☆☆: Chris Owings: 1-5, 3 RBI, Game-Tying HR<br>☆: Ketel Marte: 3-7, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 3B</p>
<p id="drsu0I">The roll-call tool appears to have gone home early, registering only about half of the 1,147 total comments today from the Gameday thread, which hinted at my AZ Snake Pit demise if we lost. So if you showed up late you are probably not in this list: we still thank you for your efforts! But present to that point were AZDovs11, AzRattler, CumulusChoir, DORRITO, Dcarbajal, DeadManG, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jackwriter, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Keegan Thompson, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, Red Reign, Smurf1000, SonomaComa1999, Sprankton, Wesley Baier, Wildcats4Life13, aldma, asteroid, coldblueAZ, edbigghead, hotclaws, kilnborn, luckycc, onedotfive, rustynails77, shoewizard, since_98, smartplays and suroeste, with my favorite comment coming from Cumulus Choir:</p>
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<p id="SiyTTj">Similarly, Fangraphs went to sleep before the game ended, so we’ll provide the winners and losers there tomorrow, once the stats have been finalized. </p>
<p id="ffaYdp">Even though a win is nice, there are some things to discuss. The humidor will be an interesting thing to follow this year. Nick Ahmed seemed to have rocked a ball to left field, but it slowly died as Matt Kemp was able to get under it for an out. Even the Chris Owings homerun wasn't crushed like it sounded coming off of the bat. The metrics won’t be available for a long time. One way we can try to understand the humidor is through the amazing StatCast metrics including exit velocity, and launch angle. </p>
<p id="JzPUkT">With a team that has perhaps the best 1-4 hitters in the N.L., it is rather concerning to see the lack of production from the bottom half of the lineup. Even though they came up big in the 10th and 15th, it is still something to look at. The return of Steven Souza Jr will prove vital as it allows the lineup to change drastically. </p>
<p id="PtYcC8">In the end, this team never quits. Who would have thought that the longest game in Chase Field history would end with a Jeff Mathis walk-off single.</p>
<p id="0C6xYo"> </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/4/3/17191782/arizona-diamondbacks-los-angeles-dodgers-recapAlexander Boxwell2018-04-02T20:30:02-04:002018-04-02T20:30:02-04:00Preview, #4: 4/2 vs. Dodgers
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<img alt="MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks-Workout" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DzqDL1g6mj0T4_bNolqAeVbpXR0=/0x0:3400x2267/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59245639/usa_today_10613103.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Hopefully, it’ll go better than last time the Dodgers visited Chase Field. </p> <div id="8DHY1z">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra">
<thead>
<tr>
<th align="left">LOS ANGELES DODGERS</th>
<th align="left">ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Joc Pederson - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Corey Seager - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte - 2B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Yasiel Puig - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Paul Goldschmidt - 1B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Yasmani Grandal - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">A.J. Pollock - CF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Cody Bellinger - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Chris Owings - RF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Matt Kemp - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Jake Lamb - 3B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Chase Utley - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Nick Ahmed - SS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Logan Forsythe - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Alex Avila - C</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Hyun-Jin Ryu - LHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Taijuan Walker - RHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<p id="SKK6js">That last time was, of course, Game 3 of the 2017 National League Division Series, where the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> completed the sweep with a 3-1 win over the D-backs. It was the first playoff game Arizona had lost on home turf since the 2007 NLCS series against the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a>, and was likely one of the more irritating games I’ve been to at Chase Field. Tonight, we start <span>Taijuan Walker</span>, and will certainly be hoping for much better than he provided in Game 2 of the NLDS, where he lasted exactly one inning, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. Was it the pressure of his first post-season appearance, which triggered the worst <a href="https://bbref.com/pi/shareit/wKWjL">playoff start in franchise history</a>? [And, by a full two innings, the shortest too]</p>
<p id="MmvDZW">Taijuan had actually done reasonably well prior to that outing. Over his three starts against the Dodgers in the regular 2017 season, he went an undefeated 2-0, and had allowed six runs over 16.2 innings for an ERA of 3.24, with a K:BB of 17:5. That’s likely closer to what we’ll want to see tonight, though it would be nice if he could perhaps pitch a bit deeper into games - we’re still waiting for the first <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a>’ starter to make it through a full six innings this season. On the offensive side, we see the first of three straight left-handed starters who’ll be sent up by Los Angeles, so we’ll see how Lovullo handles line-up construction as a result. </p>
<p id="RI4aRi">Couple of bits of news out of this afternoon’s press conferences, including this optimistic bit of news about our wounder outfielder. </p>
<div id="CaoEEl">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dbacks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dbacks</a> mgr Torey Lovullo says OF Steven Souza threw from 90 feet today and took soft toss in cage. Big steps forward for him.</p>— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGilbertMLB/status/980942886706462720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dodgers Sign Daniel Hudson <a href="https://t.co/pOvIr2GbxG">https://t.co/pOvIr2GbxG</a> <a href="https://t.co/6wQdup9w5p">pic.twitter.com/6wQdup9w5p</a></p>— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/980951757080662016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a>
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<p id="xGqQjm">And this little nugget from the Byung-Hyun Kim chat on Twitter this afternoon:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I preferred starting and wish I had started my career as a starting pitcher, but I respected the team's decision and did my best. I think pitching too many games as a closer tired me out. I always had the mindset of a starter. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BKChat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKChat</a> <a href="https://t.co/RM2ksTVzFy">https://t.co/RM2ksTVzFy</a></p>— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/980954394777739264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
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https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/4/2/17191072/preview-4-4-2-vs-dodgersJim McLennan