AZ Snake Pit - Game #112, 8/4: Diamondbacks 9, Giants 3An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2018-08-04T23:47:05-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/174158472018-08-04T23:47:05-04:002018-08-04T23:47:05-04:00Arizona Diamondbacks 9, San Francisco Giants 3: The sweet flavor of first inning tacos
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Mmmm... Delicious!</p> <p id="OydQKq"><strong>Record: 62-50. Pace: 90-72. Change on 2017: -2. </strong></p>
<p id="ywTdEB">It was a celebration at Chase Field today. Things started with the alumni game, which turned into a bit of a pitching duel. <span>Curt Schilling</span>’s Team Red edged <span>Randy Johnson</span>’s Team Purple 1-0, in the three inning game, with <span>Chris Snyder</span> driving in <span>Augie Ojeda</span> with the game’s sole score in the first inning. The D-backs’ 20th Anniversary Team was then honored, and the good vibes clearly carried over into the meaningful contest. Because, for the second day in a row, the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> scored early and scored often, putting up another five-spot on the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> and delivering free* tacos to the fans before they had recorded three outs. [* Between 4-6 pm, etc.]</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ketel Marte got all of this one, and then some. <a href="https://t.co/xL1anC1eB2">pic.twitter.com/xL1anC1eB2</a></p>— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1025908016883720193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2018</a>
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<p id="bypbJB"><span>David Peralta</span> continued his incandescent streak with a single, and one out later <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> was pitched extremely carefully, walking on four pitches. After Pollock popped out, Stephen Souza Jr. then banged the ball down into the right-field corner, where it was kicked around lone enough for Souza to end up on third. He was then able to trot home on a <span>Nick Ahmed</span> single, and the trotting continued, as <span>Ketel Marte</span> became the fifth D-back to reach double digits in homers, punching the ball 465 feet deep (above) to the walkway in left-center, for a 5-0 lead. [Last year’s team set the franchise record, with no fewer than ten different players hitting ten or more home-runs]</p>
<p id="3NPZKL"><span>Clay Buchholz</span> had seen considerable success since coming up, and one of the factors in that was his efficiency. He came in at 3.62 pitches per plate appearance, the lowest of any man with 25 or more batters faced for the Diamondbacks, and well below the team average of 3.93. But he was made to work relatively hard by the Giants’ batters. Through three innings, <span>Buchholz</span> had thrown 65 pitches, and had had to work through traffic; it took a nice bare-handed play from <span>Nick Ahmed</span> to avoid a bases-loaded jam in the third. The only damage allowed by Clay to that point was <span>Andrew McCutchen</span>’s solo home-run, leading off that inning. </p>
<p id="FUFmEi">Another solo homer in the fourth made the score 5-2 to Arizona, and Buchholz once again had to pitch out of trouble. He got <span>Evan Longoria</span>, representing the tying run at the plate, to take a change-up right down the pipe for strike three, though Clay’s pitch-count continued to escalate, reaching 87 by the end of the fourth. [Though trailing by three runs, Giants’ starter <span>Andrew Suarez</span> had thrown 62 pitches to the same point] Fortunately, he was then able to get a quick sixth, retiring San Francisco in order, and needing only six pitches to do it - including a lovely three-pitch K of <span>Austin Slater</span> for Buchholz’s seventh strikeout of the night.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Crushed. Ahmed adds 2 more 2-out runs with a blast only Ziegler could catch in the <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dbacks</a> bullpen. <a href="https://t.co/1P3Pzj7rhE">pic.twitter.com/1P3Pzj7rhE</a></p>— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSPORTSAZ/status/1025925939564167168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2018</a>
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<p id="ye432Y">As last night, the early offense from the Diamondbacks had not stuck around, with the team unable to add in innings two through four. But after Buchholz reclaimed momentum, the bats showed up again, with some more two-out magic. Souza should have walked in the third, and was instead rung up on a dubious call by home-plate umpire Bill Welke. Next AB, he took matters into his own hands, driving the ball a couple of feel short of a home-run to right center for an RBI double. Nick Ahmed then cleaned up, with his fifteenth home-run of the season (above), down the left-field line and into the Arizona bullpen (where <span>Brad Ziegler</span> made a nice play). That two-run shot made it 8-2 to the home side.</p>
<p id="o7HJmo">Buchholz went out for the sixth, probably on a relatively short leash, though the insurance runs just scored may have made it an easier decision for Torey Lovullo. Clay repaid that confidence with another 1-2-3 inning, and that was the end of his night, at 104 pitches. He went six innings - longer than it looked likely after the fourth - and it was another solid outing. Two runs allowed this evening, as he scattered seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.68. The seventh was given to new guys <span>Brad Ziegler</span> and <span>Jake Diekman</span>; it went rather better than their debut on Thursday. Brad got his first double-play since returning to Arizona, and Jake a one-pitch flyout to put up a zero. </p>
<p id="1EGMQ7"><span>Matt Andriese</span> continued the parade of new Diamondbacks with a scoreless eighth, and Nick Ahmed completed a fine night with his second homer. He had more HR tonight than his entire 25-game rookie campaign in 2014, and his more this year, in 356 AB, than over his first three seasons from 2014-16, covering 775 AB. [#MannyWho?] It was a great night for the bottom of the D-backs order, as #5-7, Souza, Ahmed and <span>Marte</span>, combined to go 7-for-11 with six runs scored, three homers and drove in all nine runs. Ahmed had three hits and a walk; <span>Marte</span> and Souza two hits apiece; while Goldy chipped in from higher up the order, reaching base three times on two hits and a walk. </p>
<p id="kN3qCF"><span>Andrew Chafin</span> did allow a run in the top of the ninth, as Andrew McCutchen notched an entirely irrelevant five-hit night, but the D-backs reclaimed first place in the NL West once more. With the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> and <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> both losing, and the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> also well behind the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> in the their game, it was a very good result, in front of an appreciative crowd of over 38,000 at Chase Field. </p>
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<div id="OlnUfL"><p style="text-align:center"><b>Click <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2018-08-04&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0&season=2018" target="_blank">here</a> for details, at Fangraphs.com</b>
<br><b>Dom Perignon: Steven Souza, +21.6%</b>
<br>Moet & Chandon: Buchholz, +12.8%; Ahmed, +11.8%
<br><b><i>Asti Spumante: A.J. Pollock, -6.4%</i></b></p></div>
<p id="kE9y2g">Roll-call tool is still not working, so count amongst yourselves. Just the one Sedona Red comment, so an easy decision to give Comment of the Night to aldma, for apparently calling Ahmed’s first home-run.</p>
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<p id="oOHp89">Though a quick pro-tip for future reference: avoid qualifiers like “maybe.” If you’re wrong, no-one will remember. If you’re right, it looks that much more definitive! :)</p>
<p id="JHYOFQ">And, so, we await the outcome in Los Angeles, but that appears to be looking good at this point for sole possession of first. Fingers crossed. We will also move on to the series finale tomorrow, when <span>Robbie Ray</span> takes the mound for the D-backs. At least a split is assured, now go for the victory. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/8/4/17652248/arizona-diamondbacks-san-francisco-giants-recap-nick-ahmedJim McLennan2018-08-04T23:10:36-04:002018-08-04T23:10:36-04:00Arizona Diamondbacks 9, San Francisco Giants 3
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<img alt="San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fwoccH1J-2SKh08r0OhjT0iVrCk=/0x0:2531x1687/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60729991/1011157004.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>As last night, a big first inning gave the D-backs all the offense they would need. </p> <p id="sAP4sR">For the second game in a row, the Diamondbacks put up five runs on the Giants in the first inning. Steven Souza got it started with a two-run triple, Nick Ahmed followed up with an RBI single, and Ketel Marte’s 10th home-run of the year quickly made it 5-0 to the home team. The Giants weren’t quite dead, and chipped away with a pair of solo home-runs off Clay Buchholz, but he was able to get the big outs when he needed them and stranded the Giants otherwise. </p>
<p id="KxaaLe">He went six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks, with eight strikeouts. The D-backs then added three more in the sixth, with a Souza RBI double, plus Ahmed’s 15th home-run of the year. He’d add his sixteenth long ball in the eight inning to complete the Arizona scoring. New guys Brad Ziegler, Jake Diekman and Matt Andriese combined for the seventh and eighth, though Andrew Chafin was unimpressive in the ninth. With the Rockies and Braves already having lost, this was a good day for the D-backs, and we can just hope the Astros can hang on to beat the Dodgers in LA, and give us sole possession of first place once more. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/8/4/17652456/arizona-diamondbacks-san-francisco-giants-scoreJim McLennan2018-08-04T20:00:02-04:002018-08-04T20:00:02-04:00Gameday Thread, #112: 8/4 vs. Giants
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<img alt="Palms Casino Resort Unveils Property Wide Renovations at From Dust To Gold Preview Party" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aKJnVK4p1GWyfwrCa7iufpxgvmU=/1006x524:2868x1765/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60728107/959750960.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Palms Casino Resort</figcaption>
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<p lang="fr" dir="ltr">August 4 - 1693: France - Dom Pierre Pérignon, a Benedictine monk, invented Champagne ~ Moet & Chandon's, Dom Perignon, was named after him. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/history?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#history</a></p>— Today In History (@Yesterday_Today) <a href="https://twitter.com/Yesterday_Today/status/1025746480865464321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2018</a>
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https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2018/8/4/17651894/gameday-thread-112-8-4-vs-giantsJim McLennan2018-08-04T19:00:01-04:002018-08-04T19:00:01-04:00Preview, #112: 8/4 vs. Giants
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<img alt="San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ISrh-PHU0gTGQJypuhfavXlQ15w=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60728065/179574193.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Alumni day at Chase Field and the team also celebrates the 20th anniversary team,</p> <div id="h5SmiA">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<th align="left">GIANTS</th>
<th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Andrew McCutchen - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Gorkys Hernandez - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Eduardo Escobar - 3B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Evan Longoria - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Paul Goldschmidt - 1B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Brandon Crawford - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">A.J. Pollock - CF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Austin Slater - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Steven Souza - RF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Joe Panik - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Nick Ahmed - SS</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Nick Hundley - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte - 2B</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Steven Duggar - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Jeff Mathis - C</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Andrew Suarez - LHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Clay Buchholz - RHP</td>
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<p id="1X0eAV">The fans voted for the 20th anniversary team, but I figured it might be interesting to put together a version based entirely on metrics. So, below, you’ll find two rosters selected by a) Total bWAR as a Diamondback, and b) highest single-season bWAR. Qualification at a position required 50% of games played there (career or season, as appropriate). But I’ve also added a couple of bench spots, to cover players who might otherwise have missed out. </p>
<ul>
<li id="RcSo68">
<strong>Catcher</strong>: <span>Miguel Montero</span> (13.3); Montero (2012, 4.5)</li>
<li id="HVovpk">
<strong>First base</strong>: <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> (38.2); <span>Goldschmidt</span> (8.7, 2015)</li>
<li id="b8eYUj">
<strong>Second base</strong>: <span>Orlando Hudson</span> (10.5); <span>Jean Segura</span> (5.5, 2016)</li>
<li id="LFIUfq">
<strong>Shortstop</strong>: <span>Stephen Drew</span> (13.2); Drew (4.0, 2010)</li>
<li id="dRhMT0">
<strong>Third base</strong>: <span>Matt Williams</span> (8.3); Williams (4.1, 1999)</li>
<li id="8LymvV">
<strong>Utility infielder</strong>: <span>Craig Counsell</span> (12.7); Counsell (5.5, 2005)</li>
<li id="ldLBvA">
<strong>Left field</strong>: <span>Luis Gonzalez</span> (30.1); <span>Gonzalez</span> (7.9, 2001)</li>
<li id="7GXJFs">
<strong>Center field</strong>: <span>A.J. Pollock</span> (19.7); <span>Pollock</span> (7.2, 2015)</li>
<li id="BVa5j4">
<strong>Right field</strong>: <span>Justin Upton</span> (13.7); <span>Gerardo Parra</span> (5.7, 2013)</li>
<li id="A96IyO">
<strong>Utility outfielder</strong>: <span>Steve Finley</span> (18.1); <span>Upton</span> (5.5, 2011)</li>
<li id="mDRPk4">
<strong>Starting pitchers</strong>: <span>Randy Johnson</span> (52.6); Johnson (10.7, 2002)<br><span>Brandon Webb</span> (33.0); <span>Curt Schilling</span> (8.8, 2001)<br>Schilling (25.9); Webb (7.0, 2006)<br><span>Dan Haren</span> (13.2); Haren (6.5, 2009)<br><span>Zack Greinke</span> (12.0); <span>Greinke</span> (6.1, 2017)</li>
<li id="wILbUF">
<strong>Relievers</strong>: Byung-Hyun Kim (8.3); Kim (4.0, 2002)<br><span>Brad Ziegler</span> (6.7); <span>Archie Bradley</span> (3.6, 2017)</li>
</ul>
<p id="Pymccv">A couple of things stand out. Firstly, just how damn good Goldy has been, and is still going. The second-best career 1B for the D-backs has barely one-tenth of the WAR: <span>Erubiel Durazo</span> at 4.3. Center was probably the most competitive position, with Pollock, Steve Finley and <span>Chris Young</span> all relatively close. The highest single-season bWAR in right was a bit of a surprise, but I imagine at least one SnakePitter will be pleased with the winner there. </p>
<p id="OrHHpC">The fan selected team is relatively close, with the differences to this one, mostly in the middle infield, where Jay Bell and <span>Tony Womack</span> were chosen over candidates who you could make a strong case were more productive. But flags fly forever, amIrite? However, Kim still hasn’t been forgiven for his role in the 2001 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>, despite being far and away the best reliever this team has ever had. Dan Haren is another unjustly overlooked, with his spot in the rotation instead going to Corbin. While no knock on Corbin, this seems like recency bias. Though the fact the Haren’s two seasons here were almost entirely forgettable from the team perspective probably makes a difference. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2018/8/4/17651802/preview-112-8-4-vs-giantsJim McLennan