AZ Snake Pit - Game #85: 7/10, Arizona Diamondbacks 2, New York Mets 4An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png2015-07-10T23:30:02-04:00http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/stream/86953462015-07-10T23:30:02-04:002015-07-10T23:30:02-04:00Diamondbacks 2, Mets 4: Well, this sucks.
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<img alt="Mt. .500 to D-backs: "O RLY?"" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zedlSxE--0KXniatDr5Vo5RtRQQ=/0x5:2277x1523/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46713244/GettyImages-72497554.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mt. .500 to D-backs: "O RLY?" | Agence Zoom/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>I trust you enjoyed our stay at .500. It's gone now. </p> <p><b>Record: 42-43. Pace: 80-82. Change on 2014: +7.</b></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eoy9PUR--E4?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p>Rather than representing another rung up the ladder for us, this evening's game in New York proved to be a painful reality check, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> offense was cut down like so much fresh hay by Noah Syndergaard. The brief hope of an early lead proved to be a short-lived mirage, as Chase Anderson's struggles with the long-ball continued during a four-run first inning for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. The way Arizona was swinging the bats tonight, they could continue hitting through the rest of the weekend without scoring four runs. This game not being televised on Fox Sports Arizona probably counts as a mercy, rather than any kind of issue.</p>
<p>And it began positively, too. <span>A.J. Pollock</span> doubled and stole third; one out later, <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> brought him home with a sacrifice fly, and the D-backs had a one-run lead. Surely that would be enough, against a team who came into this one having scored the smallest number of runs in the National League, with an average of just 3.45 per game. Unfortunately, they cruised past <i>that</i> number in the bottom of the first inning alone, with some two-out thunder. There was a man on first when Anderson recorded the second out, but a walk and a long three-run homer shattered any early complacency we might have been feeling. The Mets then added on, going back-to-back, for a 4-1 lead after one.</p>
<p>We were then reminded what it was like to face a good pitcher, after the break we enjoyed from that during the series against the Rockies and Rangers. From Yasmany Tomas's two out single in the first, through the end of the seventh inning, the Diamondbacks sent 22 hitters to the plate. They went 2-for-21 (a double by David Peralta and a single by Chase Anderson) with a walk and <u>12</u> strikeouts, including an inning when Syndergaard fanned Goldschmidt, Tomas and Jake Lamb in order. He ended up with 13 K's on the night, becoming the first pitcher to have more than 10 strikeouts against us, since Yu Darvish fanned 14 D-backs on August 1st, 2014.</p>
<p>From the second inning on, I suppose you <i>could</i> say that Anderson and the rest of the D-backs pitching staff matched Syndergaard zero for zero the rest of the way. That is probably being "somewhat kind" shall we say, as the number of hits and walks we allowed, as well as the number of strikeouts obtained, showed that not all zero are quite the same. Still, I guess some credit is due for settling in after a bad first, though Anderson's pitch count was hardly economical. He reached 100 pitches just one out into the fifth inning, though deserves credit for staying in the game after being taken down by a hard one-hopper off his leg. Personally, I might have bailed on this one at that point.</p>
<p>Given we will likely have a shortish outing from Patrick Corbin tomorrow, with his pitch count likely not much more than 90, we could probably have done with Anderson lasting a bit longer. He ended at just 4.1 innings, being charged with four hits on eight hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. The two HR allowed gives him nine over his last four appearances, in only 22.1 innings of work. We used four relievers the rest of the way, Andrew Chafin being the best of them, working 1.2 scoreless innings; though all were scoreless, Josh Collmenter looked the shakiest, leaving the bases loaded with Mets in the last of the eighth.</p>
<p>The ninth was, at least...interesting, albeit more in a meaning of the word you would use, when asked to critique a precocious niece's performance art project. Tomas got things going by rapping the ball down the right-field line, where it bounced around the corner. Inexplicably, given his run was entirely meaningless, Tomas opted to try for third where he was called out. However, fortunately for Tomas, review showed otherwise, though I still imagine a quiet word will be had by Dave McKay on the topic of not making the first out of an inning at third - especially when you are down by three runs. Admire the enthusiasm, question the execution.</p>
<p>Lamb struck out for the third time, but Welington Castillo singled through the left-side of the infield, to bring Arizona within two and get the tying run to the plate. Chris Owings grounded out weakly - fortunately, weakly enough he was able to reach first. Nick Ahmed was our final hope and popped up on the infield, only for the Mets' closer to make the most feeble attempt at catching a soft pop fly I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately - and I trust McKay will use this as a teaching moment - Ahmed was basically not bothering to run, and once the ball dropped, it was too late for him to do anything. Instead, the Mets recovered and threw to first: an appropriately crappy ending to a crappy game.</p>
<p>Tomas had two of our six hits, while Castillo and Pollock each had a hit and a walk. Every starter struck out at least once against Syndergaard, and the 14 total strikeouts tied a season high, set against the Dodgers on April 20. It's the first time this year we've fanned a dozen or more times than we walked. Caps duly tipped.</p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2015-07-10&team=Mets&dh=0&season=2015"><img src="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3863634/chart.0.png" alt="Fangraph"></a><br>[<i>Click for details, at Fangraphs.com</i>]<br><b>Odin: A.J. Pollock, +8.7%<br><i>Loki: Chase Anderson. -35.0%</i></b></p>
<p align="left">AzDbackfanInDc led the comments - so much for him <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#315829766">being scared to say anything</a>! :) GuruB and preston.salisbury followed in, with others present being: AzRattler, BIGredmc, BenSharp, Clefo, Dbackguy, DeadmanG, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, MrMrrbi, NumberOneIanKennedyFan31, Xerostomia, asteroid, benhat, freeland1787, gamepass, hotclaws, noblevillain, onedotfive, piratedan7, soco and xmet. Comment of the night to Preston, for his response to a suggestion Chris Owings should be given a plane ticket to Reno.</p>
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<h2 class="title collapse_toggle ">They did</h2>
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<p>but it was down and away so he missed it</p>
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<p>Today we are making angst muffins</p>
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<div class="meta">by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/preston.salisbury" class="poster" target="_blank">preston.salisbury</a> on <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#315834444" class="date">Jul 10, 2015 | 5:17 PM</a> <span class="user_actions"> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#" class="up_link" title="scroll to parent comment">up</a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#" class="reply_link" title="reply to this comment">reply</a> <span class="cactions mod "> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#" class="rec_link "> rec <span class="rec_count"> </span> </a> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#" class="flag_link "> flag </a> <span class="mod_actions"> <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931473/gameday-thread-85-7-10-mets/in/8695346#" class="actions_toggle">actions</a> </span> </span> </span>
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<p align="left">Things don't appear to get much easier tomorrow, as we face Matt Harvey, though it'll be interesting to see how Corbin does. It's an early game, with a 1:10pm first pitch, Arizona time,</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931795/diamondbacks-mets-game-recapJim McLennan2015-07-10T22:14:42-04:002015-07-10T22:14:42-04:00Diamondbacks 2, Mets 4
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kNR7ORqnMZLvd3EVcPopH3ZjWXw=/0x0:2157x1438/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46713120/usa-today-8688438.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Almost all the scoring here happened in the first, so if you missed the beginning... You are probably better off for it.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> made the breakthrough with one out in the top of the first. <span>A.J. Pollock</span> had doubled to get things going, and then stole third. After David Peralta was unable to bring him home, <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> sent a fly-ball <u>just</u> deep enough for Pollock to whizz home beneath the throw, for an early 1-0 lead. It was all downhill from there though, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> answered with a quartet of two-out runs in the bottom of the inning. Chase Anderson's home-run problem is still A Thing, as a three-run shot and solo bomb proved. That was all the scoring the Mets would get, though Anderson lasted only 4.1 innings.</p>
<p>That was also, however, easily more than enough, as the D-backs were flailing all over the place against <span>Noah Syndergaard</span>, who struck out 13 Diamondbacks over eight innings of work, easily a season high for any pitcher against us (the previous high was 10, also by a Met, <span>Jacob deGrom</span>, on June 7). After the first inning, they managed only a couple more hits off the New York starter, and never seriously threatened to get back into this one against Syndergaard. Hope flurried in the ninth after Yasmany Tomas tripled and Welington Castillo singled, to bring the tying run to the plate. But it was not to be, and the climb over .500 will have to wait for another day.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8931907/diamondbacks-mets-scoreJim McLennan2015-07-10T18:00:02-04:002015-07-10T18:00:02-04:00Game #85 Preview: 7/10, Diamondbacks @ Mets
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<img alt="Mets GM Sandy Alderson wishes he was any place else." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TxTda-2Dy9Qxp9yNo38xWQZcrtc=/0x71:2285x1594/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46712306/usa-today-8106531.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mets GM Sandy Alderson wishes he was any place else. | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After a pause yesterday to look around and enjoy the view from .500, can the Diamondbacks continue to climb? Or will they come down with a case of altitude sickness in the Big Apple?</p>
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<span>Chase Anderson</span><br>RHP, 4-2, 3.71</h5>
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<span>Noah Syndergaard</span><br>RHP, 3-4, 3.38<br>
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<span>A.J. Pollock</span> - CF</td>
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<span>Curtis Granderson</span> - RF</td>
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<span>David Peralta</span> - LF</td>
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<span>Ruben Tejada</span> - SS</td>
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<span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Daniel Murphy</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Yasmany Tomas</span> - RF</td>
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<span>Wilmer Flores</span> - 2B</td>
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<span>Jake Lamb</span> - 3B</td>
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<span>Lucas Duda</span> - 1B</td>
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<span>Welington Castillo</span> - C</td>
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<span>Michael Cuddyer</span> - LF</td>
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<span>Chris Owings</span> - 2B</td>
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<span>Kevin Plawecki</span> - C</td>
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<span>Nick Ahmed</span> - SS</td>
<td class="td-first td-name">Noah Syndergaard - RHP</td>
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<td class="td-last td-name">Chase Anderson - RHP</td>
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<span>Juan Lagares</span> - CF</td>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> should be feeling pretty good, having taken five of their last six. However, those were against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>; the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> should pose a significantly tougher test of whether the Diamondbacks are contenders or pretenders. And I should stress, I'm speaking in terms of the .500 mark for now: let's establish our credentials in regard to that first, before seeking to attain any loftier goals. Against teams with losing records, the team has done well, posting a 25-17 record that's fifth-best in the National League. But against opponents at or above .500? It's the reverse, a 17-25 mark that is four wins <i>below</i> league average.</p>
<p>Considering we currently sit four games back in the wild-card race, it's clear where the team needs to improve if they are to prosper. This series in New York and the one following it on the other side of the All-Star break, at home against San Francisco, will provide a better litmus test of our credentials. If we can at least split those six games, then we'll be in good shape going into what should be another "easy" stretch of games, against Miami, Milwaukee and Seattle, with seven of those ten contests being at home. But it would be particularly nice to take two of three here, so we can enjoy the four days off with a winning record.</p>
<p>It won't be easy, though it's worth noting we actually have a better run differential than the Mets, despite their better record. We have outscored our opponents by six runs, the Mets have <i>been</i> outscored by eight runs, so by this metric they have been "luckier" than us. Also worth noting, the Mets are where they are, largely because they have beaten up on their own division: they are 21-27 elsewhere [we are 18-19 outside the NL West]. They have also cooled off a lot, and don't have a winning record over their last 10, 20 or 30 games, while the Diamondbacks are above .500 in each of those. I'm cautiously optimistic for the series, and a win tonight would go a long way to confirming that optimism.</p>
https://www.azsnakepit.com/2015/7/10/8930843/arizona-diamondbacks-new-york-mets-previewJim McLennan