AZ Snake Pit - Game #63, June 9: Diamondbacks 12, Rockies 7An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2018-06-10T00:28:51-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/172090192018-06-10T00:28:51-04:002018-06-10T00:28:51-04:00Diamondbacks 12, Rockies 7: The Shaw-shank Redemption
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<img alt="Arizona Diamondbacks v Colorado Rockies" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BUixvM1Epik9q31g4ZXiE0Gtmi0=/6x0:3438x2288/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60011365/970634986.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Especially at Coors, amIrite?</p> <p id="94uLT5"><strong>Record: 34-29. Pace: 87-75. Change on 2017: -3. </strong></p>
<p id="ha7FzA">You won’t win many games where your starting pitcher gives up 7+ runs. Since the end of 2011, the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> were 5-56 in such contests coming into tonight [the last such being the <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201803300.shtml">second game</a> of this year, also against the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a>]. But you can now make it 6-56, as the team engaged the home outfit in a typically Coorsian slugfest which included six home-runs, three for each side. <span>Matt Koch</span> was victimized early on, but the finest of vintage <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> kept Arizona in the game with a pair of homers. And the visitors took full advantage of a botch job by beleaguered reliever <span>Bryan Shaw</span> to bat around in the eighth, scoring six runs to pull away. </p>
<p id="sUC8dJ">Let’s start with Goldschmidt, who reached base five times. He homered in the first, a solo shot. He did strike out in the second, though was hosed by a pitch off the inside being called a strike by home-plate umpire Gabe Morales. He homered again in the fourth, this time with two men aboard. He led off the seventh with a single, was intentionally walked in the eighth, and then... got hit by a pitch with two outs in the ninth. I can’t say for sure if the last was intentional, but the optics did not look good, and Goldy certainly wasn’t happy about it. Would have been a move of supreme douchebaggery by the Rockies if so. I’m sure it will be remembered. </p>
<p id="afIMQK">We needed all the Goldschmidt we could get, because <span>Matt Koch</span> likely punched his ticket back to Reno whenever <span>Shelby Miller</span> is ready. His weird reverse splits seemed to continue, with Matt being able to handle the left-handed batters well, but getting tattooed by right-handers, serving up too many center-cut pitches. Here are the splits now: <br><strong>vs. LHP: </strong>.182/.248/.336 = .584 OPS<br><strong>vs. RHP</strong>: .339/.382/.643 = 1.026 OPS<br>Tonight, we was taken deep for a trio of two-run homers. He did get through five innings - one more than <span>Chad Bettis</span> - and wasn’t helped by a <span>Daniel Descalso</span> error, but five earned runs on eight hits and a walk isn’t good, even allowing for Coors. </p>
<p id="kmOr9I">As a result, even with Goldschmidt’s battering of Chad Bettis, and <span>Nick Ahmed</span>’s solo shot (he has now tied his career high in home-runs at nine, with a mere 99 games left in the season!), the Diamondbacks were 7-5 down. They had got to the soft, flaccid bullpen of the Rockies, but new arm <span>Jeff Hoffman</span> had settled things down for 2.2 innings, leaving the game with that two-run lead intact. Fortunately, he was not able to pitch any longer, and $27 million dollar men <span>Jake McGee</span> and Bryan Shaw were called upon. They combined to retire just three of the dozen men they faced, allowing six hits, two walks and six runs, plus the runner inherited from Hoffman to score.</p>
<p id="BVD6m8"><span>David Peralta</span> got things started in the seventh, with a double past the despairing dive of <span>Gerardo Parra</span> for an RBI double. But the wheels really fell off in the eighth. <span>John Ryan Murphy</span> opened with a bloop single off the bench, <span>Ketel Marte</span> than hit a comeback to Shaw, which he first booted towards third, and then threw wildly past first, instead of eating the error. Murply scored, tying the game, and <span>Marte</span> ended up on third. Before Shaw left the game, the boos of a thoroughly disgruntled Coors crowd ringing in his ears, <span>Jake Lamb</span> had given Arizona the lead with an RBI single, Peralta drove in two more with a single, and Ahmed added a two-run double. We sent ten to the plate, and scored six. </p>
<p id="3ZtV24">Credit should also go to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen who pitched four scoreless innings, something not easy to do in Coors. Particularly impressive was <span>Silvino Bracho</span>, who pitched two perfect innings, including a 12-pitch seventh where he struck out Mike Tauchmann, D.J. LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon. I’m really starting to think <span>Bracho</span> has figured it out, and deserves to stay in the bullpen. He has now pitched 10.1 innings of one-run ball while back and forth on the shuttle from Reno, with a mere three hits allowed and 16 K’s. Archie Bradley needed only eight pitches for the eighth, and <span>Fernando Salas</span> mopped up the last three outs, including a game-ending double-play. </p>
<p id="mYbw8r">Remember when we were worried about the offense? Over the last 11 games, they have scored 73 runs, the second-most in the majors since the end of the road-trip from batting hell. On this occasion all hail in particular the triumvirate of Goldschmidt, Peralta and Ahmed, who combined to go 10-for-14 with ten RBI. Goldy, the Freight Train and Marte put up a total of +101.4% of Win Probability. This was more than sufficient to negate the -40.2% delivered by Koch - though how much Marte deserves credit, and how much Shaw debit, is open to debate! This is the fourth regulation game in franchise history where three of our hitters have ended up with Win Probabilities of > 30%. The previous entries were: </p>
<ul>
<li id="rPu573">6-4 @ SDP, May 27, 2001 - Durazo (+30.4%), Dellucci (35.2%), Sanders (37.8%)</li>
<li id="ZAuRjq">10-9 vs. ATL, May 19, 2006 - Counsell (+43.8%), DaVanon (+42.4%), Green (+34.0%)</li>
<li id="Gsrk3h">6-5 vs. SFG, April 2, 2017 - Pollock (+37.6%), Owings (+42.7%), Descalso (+41.6%)</li>
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<div id="FVi2KY"><p style="text-align:center"><b>Click <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2017-04-02&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0&season=2017" target="_blank">here</a> for details, at Fangraphs.com</b>
<br><b>Andy Dufresne: Paul Goldschmidt, +38.4%</b>
<br>'Red' Redding: Peralta, +32.5%; Marte, +30.5%; Bracho, +10.3%
<br><b><i>Warden Norton: Matt Koch, -40.2%</i></b><i>
<br>Captain Byron Hadley: Jon Jay, -10.1%</i></p></div>
<p id="exbzAy"><span>Jon Jay</span> is still looking for his first hit as a D-back: so far he is 0-for-8 with a walk and five strikeouts, not quite the “hitting machine” we were promised... Still, we are 2-0 with him in the lead-off spot, and that’s what matters! Another solid GDT, with over seven hundred comments on a Saturday night. Those present were: AzCutter, AzDbackfanInDc, BobDolio, DORRITO, GuruB, Jackwriter, Jim McLennan, Joey Lewis, Johnneu, Keegan Thompson, LamparT, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, Renin, ShirtOffYourBack, Sprankton, asteroid, coldblueAZ, david.munter, edbigghead, hotclaws, lildbackfan21x, onedotfive, piratedan7, shoewizard and smartplays. shoe wins the thread:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Enjoying the game . Taking a dip in between innings makes this an outdoor activity even when its 110 degrees. <a href="https://t.co/MBwj8bGm55">pic.twitter.com/MBwj8bGm55</a></p>— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoewizard59/status/1005597800577392640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="GxVymh">Nice. We watched the early innings at Islands, then returned to SnakePit Towers to watch the rest of the game from the couch. It was a lot more fun after that eighth inning, needless to say! A good day for the D-backs, with the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> and <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> both losing, so we expand the division lead to 2.5 games. Tomorrow, it’s a “house money” game, with the series already in the bag, and a chance at the first sweep on the road of this season. <span>Zack Godley</span> starts for Arizona, so let’s just say that another 12 runs of offense would be very welcome! First pitch is at 12:10pm, Arizona time. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/6/10/17445576/arizona-diamondbacks-colorado-rockies-recapJim McLennan2018-06-09T22:51:40-04:002018-06-09T22:51:40-04:00Arizona Diamondbacks 12, Colorado Rockies 7
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<img alt="Arizona Diamondbacks v Colorado Rockies" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9UdkeTVHVn_hswK4cuX-_oV0HX0=/0x0:4076x2717/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60010975/970628244.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Two more home-runs from Goldy and a Rockies bullpen meltdown let the D-backs take the series</p> <p id="CXTBey">Early on, this was a battle of the long balls. <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> homered in the first, but it needed a <span>Nick Ahmed</span> homer in the second to tie things up, after a <span>Trevor Story</span> two-run homer. Story repeated that in the third, but a three-run bomb by Goldschmidt gave Arizona a 5-4 lead in the fourth. The <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> scored three in their half including another home-run, to retake the lead. <span>Matt Koch</span> was the victim here, being charged with seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk, with a pair of strikeouts.</p>
<p id="WGC6ML">The D-backs pulled to within one in the seventh, and the wheels fell off <span>Bryan Shaw</span> for the Rockies in the eighth, after he failed to field a comebacker. By the time the frame was over, Arizona had batted around, scoring six times, allowing <span>Archie Bradley</span> and Fernando Salas to close things out. Goldschmidt had three hits, a walk and four RBI (he was also hit by a pitch in the ninth...); <span>David Peralta</span> four hits and three RBI; and Ahmed three hits and three RBI. We go for the sweep tomorrow!</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/6/9/17445550/arizona-diamondbacks-colorado-rockies-scoreJim McLennan2018-06-09T18:00:02-04:002018-06-09T18:00:02-04:00Preview #63: 6/9 @ Rockies
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<img alt="Miami Marlins v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8OhSmVjF35amACQREznKTRtfwoE=/0x0:3115x2077/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60009523/966656544.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Can Koch avoid being cooked in Coors?</p> <div id="S0YII5">
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<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<th align="left">ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS</th>
<th align="left">COLORADO ROCKIES</th>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Jon Jay - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">DJ LeMahieu - 2B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Paul Goldschmidt - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Charlie Blackmon - CF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Jake Lamb - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Nolan Arenado - 3B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Daniel Descalso - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Carlos Gonzalez - RF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Trevor Story - SS</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Jarrod Dyson - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Gerardo Parra - LF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Nick Ahmed - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Ian Desmond - 1B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Alex Avila - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Tony Wolters - C</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Matt Koch - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Chad Bettis - RHP</td>
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<p id="sQbBod">First things first, because this is important. I’ll (maybe) remind you again in the Gameday Thread, but today’s game is not on Fox Sports Arizona. It’s being nationally-broadcast so is <strong>on Fox</strong>. Actually, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to mention it in the Gameday Thread, simply so I can tell who doesn’t read the previews, and know where to direct the air-strike by SnakePit Team Six... Hehehe. Hopefully it’ll go better than the last time we were exposed to a national audience - the Facebook game against the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> earlier in the week. On the plus side, no Eric Byrnes. At least, I presume, unless he storms the Fox booth like Jesse Ventura on a mission. </p>
<p id="9pC5vk">I can’t say I’m too confident. <span>Matt Koch</span> and Corrs Field [I’m leaving that typo there, simply for the amusing images it creates in my mind] are a troubling match. While his ERA is a very respectable 3.76, the expected value (FIP) sites north of five. However, his last outing was a significant uptick in terms of strikeouts: six in seven innings, while still being very efficient, throwing only 84 pitches. On the other hand, it was against the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> in Phoenix, and you’d think the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> in Denver might be more of a challenge. I say “might”, because collectively, <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=16,d">by wRC+</a>, Colorado’s hitters are actually worse than Miami, coming in 80 compared to 82, making them the very worst in the majors. </p>
<p id="pD9xMF">Playing half your games a mile high helps conceal this fact, with a very respectable OPS at home of .795. But take the team out of Coors and that drops by 127 points: the Rockies hit .222 with a .296 on-base percentage [this year they have hit significantly more home-runs on the road than in Denver, by a 43-32 margin, but that’s mostly an artifact of scheduling. Their slugging percentage is 82 points higher in Coors]. The problem is that Coors cuts both ways, with Rockies’ pitchers being tagged for a .290 average and .852 OPS. That’s why they are 11-17 so far there, a home record almost identical to those Marlins, who are 11-18. <span>Koch</span> willing, that’s where Colorado will end the day, too.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/6/9/17444976/preview-63-6-9-rockiesJim McLennan