AZ Snake Pit - Game #107, 8/2: Diamondbacks 8, Giants 11An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2021-08-03T02:59:44-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/223707382021-08-03T02:59:44-04:002021-08-03T02:59:44-04:00Diamondbacks 8, Giants 11: A four-hour slog
<figure>
<img alt="San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1GT1bUXl6ATn1TMyuI7aFIZw9Xg=/0x26:3807x2564/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69670589/1332055408.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>D-backs pitchers have allowed 29 runs over their last 22 innings of work. </p> <h4 id="wVCGES">Record: 33-74. Pace: 50-112. Change on 2004: 0</h4>
<p id="QL8RVo">Credit the Diamondbacks offense for at least putting in the effort. After falling behind 7-1, as the J.B. Bukauskas Implosion Tour 2021 made its latest stop, they fought back, tying the game at 8-8 in the seventh inning and forcing unexpected extra innings. But this bullpen has never met a high-leverage situation which they couldn’t screw up, and it was Miguel Aguilar’s turn to be the goat - as opposed to the GOAT - tonight. He allowed three runs in the top of the 10th, and the Diamondbacks went down meekly in the bottom half. I’m neither surprised nor particularly upset. It’s one more step towards the top draft pick next year, and if it helps stop the Dodgers from winning the division... Hey, I’ll fall on that sword. It’s not as if we will.</p>
<p id="gTqCiO">Taylor Widener was the starter, and he came within two pitches of becoming the third D-backs starter this year to throw 100 pitches in a game (Caleb Smith has done so three time, Zac Gallen once). The bad news? He needed 98 to get through 4.1 innings, scattering five hits and three walks, though did strike out seven batters. The only damage while he was still on the mound came on a two-run homer in the top of the third inning off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski. Arizona got one of those back, as singles by Kole Calhoun and Asdrubal Cabrera put runners on the corner, and Giants’ starter Anthony DeSclafani obligingly uncorked a wild pitch to put the D-backs on the board. </p>
<p id="ICMNaT">The fifth inning took fifty minutes to complete, as both teams sent eight men to the plate, scoring a total of nine runs, including a trio of multi-run homers. As ‘hacks pointed out, before being injured, Widener had been solid, recording 22.1 innings over his four starts, going at least five innings on each occasion. But since coming back, he has made five starts and has yet to reach five innings. Injury derailed one, and he was likely still being stretched out in another. But as noted above, his efficiency appears to have been infected by a case of Robbie Rayitis. The same thing happened last start, when he took 87 pitches to get through 3.2 innings.</p>
<p id="632C7T">This evening, he loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on two walks and a single, which brought Torey Lovullo out with the hook. Given the pitch count, that was fair enough. But I’m not sure that J.R. Bukauskas would have been my <em>first</em> choice to pitch in a one-run game with the bases loaded. Admittedly, his three second-half appearances had all resulted in scoreless innings. This one? Not so much. First, he walked in a run to make the score 3-1. He then allowed a grand-slam to Alex Dickerson, whose last hit of any kind came on July 23rd. That made the score 7-1 to San Francisco, and even though Bukauskas escaped the inning without further damage, got his ERA back up to 8.27. </p>
<p id="gEZoFe">Arizona would have been forgiven for rolling over, playing dead, and perhaps warming up Daulton Varsho to pitch an inning or two. But Josh Reddick came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit, two-run homer, and Asdrubal Cabrera followed up with another one later in the frame, making the score 7-5 to San Francisco. The newest member of the Arizona WaiverWires, “Professor” Sean Poppen made his debut - as noted in the preview [stares at commentary booth], becoming the record 55th player used by the team this year. He showed why his rookie status is still intact, allowing a home-run to former D-backs Wilmer Flores, but otherwise keeping us in the game, pitching the sixth and seventh.</p>
<p id="Qj9qL4">Arizona loaded the bases with no outs, but it looked like this would another one of their patented Opportunity Squandering, as Carson Kelly flew out and Drew Ellis grounded out, albeit the latter bringing in a run to make it 8-6. Despite having scored six runs, Arizona were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and with Christian Walker up, things didn’t exactly look promising. He had been 0-for-3 on the night, making him just .176 (6-for-34) over his last nine games. But the team finally got the clutch hit they had been seeking, a double to left field (below) bringing home two runs, tying the game unexpectedly at eight apiece. </p>
<div id="cA80x6">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clutch Walker. Tie game!<a href="https://twitter.com/CWALK328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CWALK328</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RattleOn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RattleOn</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xf5h8JvWiu">pic.twitter.com/Xf5h8JvWiu</a></p>— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1422417718678999048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="q04A1F">Brett De Geus and Tyler Clippard worked scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. The former has actually been a waiver wire claim that has pitched pretty well for the Diamondbacks since being snagged from the Rangers. He has four earned runs over 12 innings, for a 3.00 ERA. His FIP with Arizona is higher - 3.97 coming into this game - but I don’t feel a Bukauskas-shaped cloud of dread forming when he enters the game. The same can’t be said of Aguilar, who has let all the goodwill created by his impressive first appearance to evaporate. This evening, he allowed not just the ghost runner to score in the tenth, but two more on two hits and a walk, finally putting the game beyond reach. </p>
<p id="HQ21sA">Positives would include multi-hit games for the top three in the D-backs’ order, Kole Calhoun, Ketel Marte and Cabrera. Negatives would include Nick Ahmed’s season OPS dropping below .600, to .598. The only qualified hitter in franchise history with a sub-.600 OPS for a season was Chris Owings’s .587 in 2015. That’s not the sort of company you want to keep. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yAsnkVGDM1V4iEr5cU8TjnaTMpw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22757940/chart.png">
</figure>
<div id="Cs5Ya1"><p style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2021-08-02&team=Diamondbacks&dh=0&season=2021">Click for details</a> at Fangraphs.com
<br><b>Signs: Kole Calhoun, +18.0%</b>
<br>The Sixth Sense: Cabrera, +17.9%; Walker, +16.9%; Clippard, +14.0%; De Geus, +10.8%
<br><b><i>The Happening: Josh Hager, -23.6%</i></b><i>
<br>The Village: Aguilar, -23.2%; Bukauskas, -21.8%; Kelly, -17.4%; Widener, -11.9%; Ahmed, -10.0%</i></p></div>
<p id="nQ2Vj8">A brisk GDT, getting past 300 comments. Present in the Gameday Thread were: AzDbackfanInDc, DBacksEurope, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jack Sommers, Jim McLennan, Keegan Thompson, Makakilo, MesaDBacksFan, Michael McDermott, NikT77, NinaT14, Oldenschoole, Smurf-1000, Snake_Bitten, Ubersnake, VW Beetle, gzimmerm and kilnborn. I’m awarding Comment of the Thread to Snake Bitten and Diamondhacks for their invaluable help in a performance of the rare unscheduled Triple Comment, after Poppen gave up a home-run to the second batter he faced in a D-backs uniform:</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/skMkmcw2giI1qSQbYyacm2hb_Ho=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22757938/capture.jpg">
</figure>
<p id="chL3cY">Second in the four-game series tomorrow night, and it should be an interesting one, as Madison Bumgarner faces his old team, and Johnnie Cueto. 6:40 pm first pitch. I believe I am not currently scheduled to recap. But I’m not making any plans. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2021/8/3/22607158/diamondbacks-giants-recapJim McLennan2021-08-02T21:30:00-04:002021-08-02T21:30:00-04:00Gameday Thread, #107: 8/2 vs. Giants
<figure>
<img alt="premiere of “Signs”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/exoOJvENxysd0eRk5l6ZjqzpJpg=/0x132:1648x1231/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69670001/113441345.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On this day in 2002, Signs was #1 at the North American box-office. </p> <blockquote><p id="26pwjX">Everybody in this family needs to just calm down and eat some fruit or something. </p></blockquote>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2021/8/2/22606760/gameday-thread-107-8-2-vs-giantsJim McLennan2021-08-02T20:00:00-04:002021-08-02T20:00:00-04:00D-backs Preview #107: 8/2 vs. Giants
<figure>
<img alt="Tampa Bay Rays v Cleveland Indians" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8JbTMdkwlB9SynwyPbV6eDQZW7Q=/0x0:4473x2982/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69669714/1330746518.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And player #56 arrives on the Diamondbacks</p> <div id="0eTCU5">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
<div class="lineup">
<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left">GIANTS
</td>
<td align="left">DIAMONDBACKS
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Mike Yastrzemski - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Kole Calhoun - RF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Kris Bryant - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte - CF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Brandon Crawford - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Asdrubal Cabrera - 3B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Buster Posey - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Carson Kelly - C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Alex Dickerson - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Darin Ruf - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Christian Walker - 1B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Steven Duggar - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Josh VanMeter - 2B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Donovan Solano - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Nick Ahmed - SS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">A. DeSclafani - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Taylor Widener - RHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name"></td>
<td class="td-first td-name"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="MHYF2g">
<h4 id="2uZnB2">Roster move</h4>
<p id="YpO4Hj">The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:</p>
<ul>
<li id="EpHO8S">Claimed RHP <strong>Sean Poppen</strong> (@SPoppen71) off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Poppen (No. 64) will be active for tonight’s game.</li>
<li id="AGUTXC">Returned RHP <strong>Stefan Crichton</strong> to Triple-A Reno following yesterday’s game.</li>
</ul>
<p id="B0xesk">The relentless chumming for pitching talent by the D-backs continues apace, with the arrival of Poppen. He was originally a 19th-round pick by the Twins back in 2016, out of Harvard. He has a degree in Chemistry and Physics, Engineering Sciences from there, so I will be referring to him going forward as Prof. Poppen [I’ll just adjust my degree, from a place already open for 141 years when Harvard was founded...]. Pittsburgh took him off waivers last October, then sold him on to the Rays for cash considerations. Over three years in the majors, he has only 21.1 innings of work, with a 6.33 ERA, though his FIP is far lower, all the way down at 3.85. He has a K:BB of 24:11. This year, he has mostly pitched in AAA, with a 1.95 ERA over 32.1 innings.</p>
<p id="VuGjmV">We’ll see if he sticks around in what is now more or less an open audition for bullpen spots going forward. Of the eight relievers who formed the Arizona Opening Day bullpen, Riley Smith is the only one still on the Diamondbacks roster. So pour one out for Taylor Clarke, Stefan Crichton, Chris Devenski, Kevin Ginkel, Yoan Lopez, Joakim Soria and Alex Young.</p>
<h4 id="v5KVtH">Torey Lovullo notes</h4>
<ul>
<li id="ds8b2T">
<strong>Josh Rojas: </strong> Has been taking BP and doing pre game activity. He will take live AB’s this Wednesday and if all goes well, they’ll then decide whether he goes out on rehab assignments. Interesting comments from Torey about his preference for players to go out on rehab games. In a couple of instances that hasn’t happened, and those decisions would seemingly have been made by medical staff, player, and front office, overriding Torey’s “preference”</li>
<li id="bYmgHX">
<strong>The schedule has a lot of games vs. the NL West in August and September. Regarding benefit for young players to face that level of competition: </strong><em>“I’m seeing it as only a positive... what we have to play for is several things, 1.) Winning as many baseball games as possible, 2.) Evaluations, we’re going to put these guys out in some situations and allow them to perform and show us what they can do. 3.) We can play the role of spoiler. That’s kind of the excitement of our season. </em>
</li>
<li id="tch4WJ">
<strong>Luke Weaver</strong> bullpen went well. Will throw live BP mid week</li>
<li id="5AND70">
<strong>Taylor Clarke </strong>will throw in another rehab game with Reno tonight.</li>
<li id="pcXnRU">
<strong>Stuart Fairchild</strong> and <strong>Noe Ramirez</strong> are still symptomatic with Covid.</li>
<li id="tSHrK2">
<strong>Pavin Smith, Riley Smith, and Joe Mantiply</strong> continue to test negative and remain asymptomatic. However they are still in the protocol. It is not entirely clear if they can return by this Friday if that continues to be the status. </li>
</ul>
<h4 id="pRca9H">Torey Lovullo audio [<a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22757342/torey.mp3">or link</a>]</h4>
<div id="AfnE5l">
<audio controls="controls" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22757342/torey.mp3">
Your browser does not support the HTML5 Audio element.
</audio>
</div>
<p id="V4Ohm8"></p>
<p id="JB99YH"></p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2021/8/2/22606705/d-backs-preview-107-8-2-vs-giantsJim McLennanJack Sommers