AZ Snake Pit - Game #148, 9/18: Diamondbacks 6, Astros 4An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2021-09-18T23:21:02-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/224451592021-09-18T23:21:02-04:002021-09-18T23:21:02-04:00D-backs 6, Astros 4: Extra inning winning
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<img alt="Arizona Diamondbacks v Houston Astros" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WC18gCDVJlrT7RqLf8sLyZ1piF8=/0x155:3500x2488/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69877875/1341193535.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A Daulton Varsho homer in the 10th helped the Diamondbacks even the series in Houston. </p> <h4 id="imbf8N">Record: 48-100. Pace: 53-109. Change on 2004: +2.</h4>
<p id="14dHlc">Almost there folks. I can practically taste the off-season…..it smells like rebuilding and lockout.</p>
<p id="UbGt9z"><strong>Inning 1:</strong></p>
<p id="ajnvFP">1-2-3 we go in the first, so nothing there. The Florida v Bama game was exciting though.</p>
<p id="zCQSUS">Castellanos is pitching for us tonight and records his 1st K again Altuve, but immediately thereafter records his first Walk against Bregman. Alvarez makes him pay for that mistake with the launching of a later tater to make this a 0-2 Astros lead. Ughhhhhh</p>
<p id="n2KOe2"><strong>Inning 2:</strong></p>
<p id="qdcQwm">Varsho (one of the few bright things to come out of this bleak season) gets his 14th double of the year. McCullers Jr then walks Pavin Smith leaving up to the mostly underwhelming VanMeter to help even things up. Of course his at bat went as expected and we’re off to the bottom of the 2nd down by 2.</p>
<p id="G9Kxqf">No further fireworks from the Astros in the 2nd, though Chas McCormick was inches away from another 2run blast. Thankfully Pavin’s glove was there.</p>
<p id="k8bOwS"><strong>Inning 3:</strong></p>
<p id="N4wL1r">McCullers strikes out the side here in the top of the 3rd; feels like it’s gonna be that kinda game.</p>
<p id="z6zuNd">Yet another bloodless inning of work for Castellanos. Almost gives me hope we might have something here. <br>Heading to the 4th still down. 0-2.</p>
<p id="QrFuAS"><strong>Inning 4:</strong></p>
<p id="hJNzov">Peralta leads off the 4th with a double, but Cole falls victim to a vvvvveeeerrrrrryyy low strike. <br>Varsho’s easy groundout turns in to a Gurriel error allowing Peralta to reach home and make this a one run game. 1-2 Astros </p>
<p id="rK86vx">Walker then ties it all up with a double to drive in Varsho. Brand new game now folks: 2-2</p>
<p id="GpFADN">Make that 3-2 Dbacks off a Pavin Smith single. I like this kind of inning! Even VanMeter got a hit!</p>
<p id="l9Gtqb">The Stros threaten in the bottom of the 4th, but end up stranding two leaving our precious lead intact.</p>
<p id="xgCjpt"><strong>Inning 5:</strong></p>
<p id="VtuaX6">Leadoff double by Marte to start things off, not bad at all.</p>
<p id="3ptgG0">Sadly that’s all the action we see for us in our side of the 5th.</p>
<p id="OPjluK">Castellanos seems to have found his stride after a rough start to the night, but despite getting the first to outs relatively easily in the 5th a Altuve double followed by Bregman single brings those feelings of dread back once more.</p>
<p id="XfYkdF">Alvarez must have been feeling merciful as he grounds out to close out the 5th. Still 3-2 Dbacks </p>
<p id="9TROiY"><strong>Inning 6:</strong></p>
<p id="KgtfCo">The Dbacks had a chance to tack on another run after VanMeter gets aboard with a 2out walk, but he gets little greedy trying to score from 1st off a McCarthy double. He tried…..</p>
<p id="kHjinZ">Castellanos night is over after opening up the 6th with back to back hits, now it’s Sittinger’s turn with Astros on 2nd and 3rd.</p>
<p id="i7b65q">A sac fly ties things up at 3-3, but we exit in to the 7th without any further hurt.</p>
<p id="0Gzsxe"><strong>Inning 7:</strong></p>
<p id="qN3EyG">Nothing doing for us in the 7th, with Peralta being the lone runner, and we’re off to the bottom of the frame.</p>
<p id="xnWuHV">Widener is now in for Sittinger and promptly throws back to back hits, which leads to Rojas squandering what could have been a triple play. Feels like with all our errors and misplays that the team has mailed this season in as much as I have. 3-3 heading in to the 8th.</p>
<p id="ghTK7O"><strong>Inning 8:</strong></p>
<p id="MUGjYv">More arguing over pitches and strikes from our batters, but that avails us not and we’re still tied heading in to the bottom of the 8th.</p>
<p id="T5GLCh">And Mantiply takes over on the mound in the 8th and puts the Astros down 1-2-3.</p>
<p id="rr9ujv">On to the 9th…..</p>
<p id="TrAe66"><strong>Inning 9:</strong></p>
<p id="mEN2RQ">Hmmm. ASU game is about to start, but I must persevere and complete this game.</p>
<p id="Wb1xh3">Rojas shakes off his bad batting he’s endured this game with a 2out double, but Marte ends that brief hope by grounding out to end things.</p>
<p id="EGRHD8">Whelp, the Astros get denied in the 9th and we have free baseball. Woot.</p>
<p id="H1ZUUJ"><strong>Inning 10:</strong></p>
<p id="25jMtt">Though I don’t like the new rule I do like the 1run lead we quickly acquire in the 10th. <br>Thanks to a Calhoun single and a Varsho homer we now own a 6-3 lead.</p>
<p id="33JWxO">That lead turns to 6-4 as the Astros claw a run back in the bottom of the 10th, but that’s all they’ll get and we’re done. Yay Dbacks!!</p>
<h4 id="4m80w9">Bells and whistles, by Jim</h4>
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<div id="3hCflR"><p style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2021-09-18&team=Astros&dh=0&season=2021">Click for details</a> at Fangraphs.com
<br><b>Sky Captain: J.B. Wendelken, +30.6%</b>
<br>Commander Franky Cook: Varsho, +17.4%; Sittinger, +13.7%; Mantiply, +10.5%
<br><b><i>Dr. Totenkopf: Humberto Castellanos, -20.2%</i></b><i>
<br>The Mysterious Woman: Jake McCarthy, 13.7%</i></p></div>
<p id="jiG6iR">Present in the Gameday Thread were: AzDbackfanInDc, DeadManG, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jack Sommers, Makakilo, MrMrrbi, NikT77, Oldenschoole, Schilling2001, Snake_Bitten, azdbacksfan1, gzimmerm, kilnborn, makattack71 and since_98. Just the one Sedona Red comment. from GuruB:</p>
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<p id="nDDQvW">Since this one does require clicking through, here’s the <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blewesc01.shtml">BBREF Link</a>.</p>
<p id="7ICaiR">Rubber game of the series tomorrow morning, and should be an interesting one. It will be a battle of the Zac(k)s, with our Zac Gallen taken on their Zack (but our former Zack) Greinke. First pitch is at 11:10 am, Arizona time. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2021/9/18/22681468/d-backs-6-astros-4-extra-inning-winningTurambar2021-09-18T19:00:00-04:002021-09-18T19:00:00-04:00Gameday Thread, #148: 9/18 @ Astros
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<img alt="Premiere of “Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow” - Arrivals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/73Htg2NKy85PgXG8ic2WZEdMIHM=/289x0:3000x1807/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69877413/51307817.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>On this day in 2004, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was #1 at the North American box-office. </p> <blockquote><p id="zGbwUt">Alert the amphibious squadron! </p></blockquote>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2021/9/18/22681441/gameday-thread-148-9-18-astrosJim McLennan2021-09-18T17:30:00-04:002021-09-18T17:30:00-04:00D-backs Preview #148: 9/18 @ Astros
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<img alt="2021 Arizona Diamondbacks Photo Day" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kmwQs0fXnGR2Vz3ngk9D3ovaFec=/0x447:2730x2267/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69877211/1233363305.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Another day, another new bullpen arm...</p> <div id="0eTCU5">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra">
<tbody>
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<td align="left">DIAMONDBACKS
</td>
<td align="left">ASTROS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Josh Rojas - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Jose Altuve - 2B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Ketel Marte - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Alex Bregman - 3B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Yordan Alvarez - LF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Kole Calhoun - DH</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Yuli Gurriel - 1B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Daulton Varsho - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Kyle Tucker - RF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Christian Walker - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Carlos Correa - SS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Pavin Smith - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Marwin Gonzalez - DH</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Josh VanMeter - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Chas McCormick - CF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Jake McCarthy - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Martin Maldonado - C</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name"></td>
<td class="td-first td-name"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">H. Castellanos - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Lance McCullers - RHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="oKyPlN">
<h4 id="fhJouh">Roster move</h4>
<p id="Iy0HDl">The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:</p>
<ul>
<li id="tssWGk">Recalled RHP Luis Frías from Triple-A Reno.</li>
<li id="tb65bS">Optioned INF/OF Andrew Young to Reno following last night’s game.</li>
</ul>
<p id="YqH8AY">Frias will become the 64th player used by the Diamondbacks when he takes the mound. It will also be his major-league debut. It completes quite the meteoric rise, considering he started the year in High-A ball. He made two starts for the Hillsboro Hops there, before moving to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Double-A. His performances there included a seven-inning no-hitter on August 1, and a couple of weeks later, he received another promotion. has made five starts for Reno, going 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA. A good chunk of that was the result of his last outing, an ugly start in Las Vegas where Frias was charged with five earned runs in three innings. </p>
<p id="89yZTY">Though the right-hander only turned 23 in May, he has actually been rattling around the organization for close to six years. Frias signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in November 2015, getting a $50,000 bonus. He seems to have missed the 2017 season entirely, and spent all of 2020 at the alternate training site, but in between those, he has an overall 3.80 ERA in 63 starts and 3 relief appearances. That definitely has to be one of the shorter track records in the minor leagues for a Diamondbacks prospect before getting called up. He’ll be wearing #65, and is the first player for Arizona to have it. </p>
<h4 id="kZOHPF">Torey Lovullo notes</h4>
<ul>
<li id="maGlGb">
<strong>Luis Frias:</strong> He will work out of the bullpen. ”A very hardworking year, he progressed through 3 levels and continued to make strides. Hard throwing pitcher who is learning and growing. There’s a ton of strikeouts, it’s a high octane fastball and he’s been working on secondary stuff.”</li>
<li id="zQvSTX">
<strong>Andrew Young:</strong> Has been challenged again to improve in certain areas but Torey did not specify which areas, other than to not waste any time during his remaining time in Reno to improve. It’s the 7th time he’s been moved back and forth. </li>
<li id="NSjh4Y">
<strong>Ketel Marte: </strong> Will continue to get more starts at 2B, but probably still play some outfield. Torey is “curious” to see what it looks like at 2B. [So are we Torey, so are we...] He said they are also thin in the infield right now too, so it’s partly out of necessity. </li>
<li id="8vaF9D">
<strong>Seth Beer</strong> updates should come on Monday </li>
</ul>
<h4 id="r777iS">Torey Lovullo audio [<a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22860473/torey.mp3">or link</a>]</h4>
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https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/2021/9/18/22681126/d-backs-preview-148-9-18-astrosJim McLennanJack Sommers