AZ Snake Pit - Game #12: 4/20, Diamondbacks 11, Nationals 2An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2022-04-21T00:38:44-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/227985392022-04-21T00:38:44-04:002022-04-21T00:38:44-04:00Diamondbacks 11, Nationals 2: Oh, THERE’S the offense.
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<img alt="New Yorkers Celebrate 4/20 Day In Washington Square Park" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-Lq9TFQK67aUJixJBQkvLun-6_M=/0x0:3199x2133/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70774718/1392655433.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The D-backs had scored 22 runs over their first 11 games. They upped that total by 50% tonight in Washington.</p> <p id="e7S9Co">I should be honest. I am a terrible Diamondbacks fan. It’s redundant saying this, but I don’t really watch the team play on TV all that often, unless they have made the playoffs, or it is Opening Day. </p>
<p id="ilXIzw">I can’t use the excuse of “the regular season is boring” either, as what interests me about baseball has always been even more boring than actually watching live (bad) baseball. I am much more interested in the player development and statistical analysis aspect of the fandom. I have been excited about this season, especially with this fresh crop of talented prospects coming up. I haven’t been excited about this dreadfully mediocre major league roster. </p>
<p id="ktzWHE">The only reason why I volunteered to write this recap is because today is 4/20. I had planned to use it as an excuse to consume copious amounts of cannabis and write about baseball while high, and write a funny Weedcap style recap, as per tradition. Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way we plan, and I wasn’t able to procure the requisite funds required to make another “nine strains in nine innings” article happen. I actually started writing this article clear headed. I stopped, went outside, and then did multiple dabs of a cannabis concentrate in the spirit of the holiday, and then coughed my lungs out for the next twenty minutes.</p>
<p id="QIooua">Another confession: I didn’t really watch the first two innings of this game, and only started paying any attention to the game until the fourth inning. I was too busy video chatting with my girlfriend and had lost track of time. To my own credit, I did at least put it on the living room television before the game started, with the full intention of watching the entire game, and I *did* read the play by play, and scanned the box score multiple times while writing this. </p>
<p id="WM3cHC">To my surprise and delight, I didn’t need the nine different strains to make watching the team tolerable, as the Diamondbacks fired on all cylinders with some great pitching and offense. </p>
<p id="07OzTT">Merrill Kelly turned in a quality start, shutting out the Nationals through the first five innings, before coughing up a run in the sixth. Kelly went six innings total, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk, while striking out five. As I said before, I didn’t actually start watching the game until the D-backs were up 1-0, and when I sat down to actually paid attention to the game they were up 4-0 in the top of the third. Maybe Jim or someone else can provide the details of all of what happened before that. [<em>Jim: The D-backs did their best to squander chances in the second, scoring only once after loading the bases with no outs. But RBI hits by Christian Walker and Seth Beer, plus a Pavin Smith sacrifice fly made it 4-0 after three</em>]</p>
<p id="RASbMl">I started giving the game my full attention In the top of the fourth inning, Jonny Hernandez singled, stole second, and Daulton Varsho followed that up with a two run home run to put Diamondbacks up 6-0. Ketel Marte then singled, Peralta popped out for the second out of the inning, and Walker walked to put runners on first and second for Seth Beer. Beer doubled, scoring Marte and Walker, and putting the Dbacks up 8-0.</p>
<p id="0RknfI">The Dbacks tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth. Carson Kelly led off with a ground ball single up the middle to centerfield. Sergio Alcantara walked. Yonny Hernandez reached on a throwing error, scoring Kelly. Varsho then ground out scoring Alcantara, and Marte ground out scoring Hernandez, to put the D-backs up 11-0. The rest of what happened at the plate was really uneventful and no other runs scored, but I wasn't paying attention. </p>
<p id="UAFsP5">Kelly allowed a run in the bottom of the sixth, making the score 11-1. Corbin Martin relieved Kelly for the seventh. Although he did allow a run, making the score 11-2, he settled down and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Kyle Nelson relieved Martin for ninth inning, and pitched an uneventful scoreless inning, with a pair of strikeouts. </p>
<p id="gNTiOi">Overall, a very well played game. Maybe I should follow more games on television, since the team seems to almost always win when I am watching it ok television. I'll see you all back on 7/10, the other cannabis holiday. </p>
<p id="KR9pJN"><strong>Bells and whistles, by Jim</strong></p>
<p id="ddbaBg">The only other thing I’d like to add was an amusing message Mrs. SnakePit sent me this afternoon: “Did you see they evacuated the Capitol in DC because of the baseball pregame show?” I was not aware of that. Apparently, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/capitol-evacuating-police-say-aircraft-poses-threat-building-rcna25289">what happened</a> was “The Golden Knights parachuted into the stadium, blocks from the Capitol, as part of Military Appreciation Night. There was a miscommunication between Capitol Police and the organizers of the pregame events, two Capitol Police sources said. Initially, police ordered the building to evacuate, saying in an email to staffers at the Capitol, The USCP is tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat to the Capitol Complex.” Oops. They were lucky not to get a missile up them!</p>
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<p style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2022-04-20&team=Nationals&dh=0&season=2022">Click for details</a> at Fangraphs.com
<br><b>Benny Hill: Seth Beer, +19.6%</b>
<br>Hill's Angels: M. Kelly, +14.7%; Walker, +13.1%
<br><b><i>Benny and the Jets: C. Kelly, -7.8%</i></b></p>
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<p id="JG8kB0">Comment of the threat to kilnborn:</p>
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<p id="UvDDqM">Back to the park again tomorrow, for the finale, with the D-backs having a chance to snatch a split of the four-game series. It is (sigh...) another day game, though only somewhat, with a 1:05 pm first pitch, Arizona time. Zach Davies will start for the visitors, and we’ll see whether the offense remains as awake as it was tonight. The Diamondbacks managed to score 11 runs, on only five hits with runners in scoring position...</p>
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https://www.azsnakepit.com/2022/4/21/23034907/diamondbacks-11-nationals-2-oh-theres-the-offenseC.Wesley Baier2022-04-20T19:00:00-04:002022-04-20T19:00:00-04:00Gameday Thread, #12: 4/20 @ Nationals
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<img alt="Benny Hill" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HW-OJxmoWNZ7NdlqMbu__Nc9BjI=/0x0:3072x2048/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70773966/1327077237.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by TV Times via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>On this day in 1992, British comedian Benny Hill died. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2022/4/20/23034619/gameday-thread-12-4-20-nationalsJim McLennan2022-04-20T18:00:00-04:002022-04-20T18:00:00-04:00D-backs Game Preview, #12: 4/20 @ Nationals
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<img alt="Spring Tour" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KceIlxu-xaTVeExLKCddIS7Wfus=/0x6:4747x3171/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70773655/1239379672.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo credit should read Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Will April showers bring May flowers? So far, it has been more like April monsoons for the D-backs hitters. </p> <div id="OhBmgb">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix">
<h3>Today's Lineups</h3>
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<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra">
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<th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th>
<th align="left">NATIONALS</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Daulton Varsho - CF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Cesar Hernandez - 2B</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Ketel Marte - 2B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Juan Soto - RF</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">David Peralta - LF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Nelson Cruz - DH</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Christian Walker - 1B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Josh Bell - 1B</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Seth Beer - DH</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Keibert Ruiz - C</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Pavin Smith - RF</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Yadiel Hernandez - LF</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Carson Kelly - C</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Maikel Franco - 3B</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Sergio Alcantara - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Alcides Escobar - SS</td>
</tr>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Yonny Hernandez - 3B</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Victor Robles - CF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name"></td>
<td class="td-first td-name"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-last td-name">Merrill Kelly - RHP</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Erick Fedde - RHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<p id="q0ny5B">Hey, I’m not doing a preview as dawn creeps slowly over the Arizona horizon! So that’s nice. If only the team would play in a way that makes me interested enough to pay attention. The offense continues to struggle terribly. Arizona’s batting average of .156 is the lowest in recorded baseball history for March/April, currently undercutting the .167 mark set by the White Sox before the war. Uh, I mean the <strong>first</strong> war, since that took place one hundred and thirteen years ago, in 1909. Y’know: in the dead ball era? The lowest since the ball came to life was .176 by the 1972 Brewers. Who played one fewer game than the Diamondbacks already have, and of course, also had their pitchers hitting. </p>
<p id="jb9XoR">But there are a number of players on the 2022 Diamondbacks for whom a .156 average would be a marked improvement. Four qualifying batters are currently below .120: Christian Walker (.118), Cooper Hummel (.100), Geraldo Perdomo (.045) and Carson Kelly (.040 - very lucky to have that, his only hit being a result of Starling Marte losing a fly-ball in the sun). But there have been worse starts to the season. Indeed, 21 times a batter has had 25+ PA in March/April, and batted .039 or lower. That includes some well-known names, such as Scottish-born Bobby Thompson, author of ‘The Shot Heard ‘round the World’, who opened 1959 by going 1-fo-27, but ended up hitting .259 for the season. </p>
<p id="S2onCc">The worst was likely Richie Scheinblum, who was 0-for-30 through April 30th, 1969 for the Indians. He had two walks in the month, for an OPS of .061. The most recent players with a lower batting average than Kelly for March/April came in 2019, when three men did so. They included former Diamondback Daniel Palka, who was 1-for-35 (.029), though did at least draw six walks. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/MCll4">This season</a>, Kelly is tied at .040 with another catcher, the Rays’ Mike Zunino, Since his only hit was a single, Carson actually had the OPS edge on him, by 37 points. The four men mentioned above are all in the bottom twenty, of the 270 players to have had 25+ PAs to date. Seven are currently at or above .400. </p>
<p id="o7QMaG">But we are still very much in the “small sample size” part of the schedule, at least for individual stats. For the Diamondbacks’ overall though, they are now a hair short of 400 collective PAs, which is beginning to feel like a significant amount. Only one team in baseball history has played 20+ games by the end of April and averaged fewer than the D-backs’ current two runs per game. The Expos scored 45 runs over 24 games in April 2004. Arizona have eleven games left before the end of the month, so let’s see what happens in the second half of their April schedule. </p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2022/4/20/23034500/d-backs-game-preview-12-4-20-nationalsJim McLennan