AZ Snake Pit - Game #72, 6/15: Diamondbacks 10, Nationals 3An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2019-06-15T19:59:10-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/184443302019-06-15T19:59:10-04:002019-06-15T19:59:10-04:00Diamondbacks 10, Nationals 3
<figure>
<img alt="Arizona Diamondbacks v Washington Nationals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wxFzg3Gl8xzhy6mWJWl1d5TfeGQ=/7x0:4405x2932/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64011670/1150175747.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Well, one pitcher got knocked around a bit this afternoon. Maybe not the one you expected, but the one you wanted.</p> <p id="seQoyb">Before an out was recorded in the top of the second innings, the score was 4-3 to the D-backs, as an early home-run barrage broke out. Ketel Marte went deep on the first pitch, and Adam Jones followed, but the Nationals hit back with three runs and two home-runs in their half. A Christian Walker home-run followed to open the second, and Carson Kelly gave Arizona the lead for good with an RBI single. What looked like Meltdownpalooza 2019 for Taylor Clarke eventually resulted a decent outing, though he fell one out short of qualifying for a win over Stephen Strasburg. Clarke went 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, but walked none and struck out six. </p>
<p id="qvmCdA">The Diamondbacks offense kept on rolling, however, eventually tagging Strasburg for six earned runs. There was another homer for Marte, giving him 19 on the season, and one by Kevin Cron in the eighth. Ahmed went 4-for-5, finishing a home-run short of the cycle. The win guarantees Arizona a split of the four-game series, and they are now 7-2 on this road-trip. DbacksEurope will be along with the full recap in a bit!</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2019/6/15/18680598/diamondbacks-nationals-scoreJim McLennan2019-06-15T16:00:00-04:002019-06-15T16:00:00-04:00Gameday Thread, #72: 6/15 @ Nationals
<figure>
<img alt="Four Original Surviving Magna Carta Manuscripts Are Brought Together For First The Time" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1ONlozUehC7Iloe6i5NOoNv6Hjw=/54x0:2928x1916/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64011243/462654936.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<div id="XHS62S">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">June 15 - 1215: England - King John put his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or "Great Charter" ~ essentially a peace treaty between him and his barons. <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/1139868406822440961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2019/6/15/18680374/gameday-thread-72-6-15-nationalsJim McLennan2019-06-15T15:00:00-04:002019-06-15T15:00:00-04:00Preview, #72: 6/15 @ Nationals
<figure>
<img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Yi8nqZkPqZgud1tEedMtmSzdX3o=/1x0:4420x2946/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64011133/1154285567.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Taylor Clarke has the unenviable task of facing Stephen Strasburg</p> <div id="MyJ24x">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
<div class="lineup">
<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra">
<thead>
<tr>
<th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th>
<th align="left">NATIONALS</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Ketel Marte - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Trea Turner - SS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Ildemaro Vargas - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Adam Eaton - RF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Anthony Rendon - 3B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Adam Jones - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Juan Soto - LF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Eduardo Escobar - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Matt Adams - 1B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Christian Walker - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Brian Dozier - 2B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Nick Ahmed - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Yan Gomes - C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Carson Kelly - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Victor Robles - CF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Taylor Clarke - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">S. Strasburg - RHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="4pp8aj">
<p id="fINyzb"><span>Stephen Strasburg</span> turns 31 next month. I find this, frankly, startling. It hardly seems like yesterday that he was THE up and coming pitcher, to the point that we had a ‘Daily <span>Strasburg</span>’ section in Snake Bytes. But he actually is now in his tenth major-league season, and sits 37th on the list among active pitchers for innings pitched. He is basically a grizzled veteran at this point. [The two pitches immediately behind him are <span>Wade Miley</span> and <span>Clay Buchholz</span>, which gives you some idea] There was a point at which it seemed he was going to dominate in a Kershaw-like fashion. Through his age 24 season, he made 75 starts and had a sub-three ERA (2.96). But... it didn’t quite happen. </p>
<p id="hrx8dg">Oh, he has been a good to very good pitcher, with an ERA+ of 128 since then. But not elite, with only one Cy Young finish above ninth. Injury has certainly played an issue, with 2014 being the last season when <span>Strasburg</span> made over 28 starts. Over the last four full seasons, he has averaged only 24 games and 145 innings. So far this year though, he has avoided the injured list, going 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 outings; and with a fielding-independent ERA of 2.77, he has arguably been better still. 110 strikeouts in 91 innings suggests that the D-backs hitters will find this afternoon not much less of a challenge than was last night’s contest against <span>Max Scherzer</span>. </p>
<p id="IjXzgJ">Clarke, meanwhile, has found things tough after breezing through his first couple of outings. His last three starts have totaled only 10.1 innings and more earned runs allowed (11). He has been hit hard, with most of the fourteen hits allowed having gone for extra bases, including three home-runs and three triples. However, luck and/or defense might have played a part there, with a BABIP against of .361, even though his line-drive rate of 18% doesn’t seem particularly excessive. It’s too early to say he’s pitching for his spot in the rotation - especially with the question-mark over who’s going to replace Jon Duplantier. But better performances would certainly be welcome. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2019/6/15/18680284/preview-72-6-15-nationalsJim McLennan