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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>AZ Snake Pit -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and blog</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47033/azsnakepit_f.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-21T14:00:00-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-21T14:00:00-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-21T14:00:00-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Rockies Winning Streak : Why?</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Jordan Beck hit an RBI single." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w-XUTXHhLEKArcFwMjDhePYg9UU=/0x0:5561x3707/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73361477/2153150779.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jordan Beck hit an RBI single. | Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p id="ofZhkk"&gt;Surprise! The Rockies won 7 games in a row. Perhaps asking, “Why?” will provide inspiration for the Diamondbacks to achieve a long winning streak. Whatever the Rockies can do, the Diamondbacks can do it better!&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;h2 id="0TCyua"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There were three reasons for the streak.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="Zz1uxN"&gt;After a day of statistical machinations, my conclusion is there are three reasons. Instead of chronicling my tortuous exploration of statistical complexities, let’s jump right to the bottom line. From 9-15 May, the following reasons were found:&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;ul&gt;
  24. &lt;li id="r7B7t0"&gt;Six of eight batters with at least 20 PAs had excellent SLG when runners were in scoring position (RISP). Excellent means SLG ranged from .429 to 2.000 compared to league average of .402 with RISP.&lt;/li&gt;
  25. &lt;li id="Nqmezu"&gt;Pitching was awesome (starters’ ERA was 1.96, relievers’ ERA was 1.71).&lt;/li&gt;
  26. &lt;li id="EZmq2s"&gt;Depth position players performed well with Kris Bryant and Nolan Jones on the injured list (IL). One of those depth players was Jordan Beck (6 RBIs &amp;amp; .500 SLG with RISP).&lt;/li&gt;
  27. &lt;/ul&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="cXy1LE"&gt;During those same 7 days, the Diamondbacks win-loss record was 4-3.  Comparison details follow:&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;ul&gt;
  30. &lt;li id="zgT91O"&gt;Four batters had excellent SLG with RISP, ranging from .500 to .625 SLG (Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte, Kevin Newman, and Randal Grichuk). I’m confident when three batters (Christian Walker, Joc Pederson, and Corbin Carrol) join that group that the Diamondbacks will achieve a winning streak.&lt;/li&gt;
  31. &lt;li id="nSFTry"&gt;Pitching was good, but not as good as the Rockies during their streak (starters’ ERA was 4.28, relievers’ ERA was 2.74). When Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly return from the IL, I’m confident that starters’ ERA will improve and that the Diamondbacks will achieve a winning streak.&lt;/li&gt;
  32. &lt;li id="nqzusi"&gt;Depth position players performed well with Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas on the IL. Nevertheless, I’m confident when they return that it will improve the team and that the Diamondbacks will achieve a winning streak.&lt;/li&gt;
  33. &lt;/ul&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="S7BHDP"&gt;Last season the longest Diamondbacks winning streak was 6 games, which happened twice. During the offseason, the Diamondbacks improved the team (although that improvement is not yet seen because of injuries). Therefore, it is realistic to expect when the Diamondbacks are back to fuIl strength, they will achieve a winning streak matching or exceeding the Rockies’ streak.&lt;/p&gt;
  35. &lt;p id="eudAYC"&gt;The Rockies’ winning streak ended after 7 wins.  In the streak-breaking game, the starting pitcher had an ERA of 11.25, exactly matching the collective ERA of the relief pitchers. &lt;/p&gt;
  36. &lt;h2 id="RWXeSP"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instead of rebuilding, the Rockies are laying a foundation.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  37. &lt;p id="KOHOqZ"&gt;The Rockies are solidly in last place in the NL West, and they are competing for the worst record in the Majors.  Because of their seemingly inactive offseason, it’s insightful to listen to their GM.&lt;/p&gt;
  38. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="WjrC1u"&gt;“We broke in three young kids last year.  You mentioned Nolan Jones, who had 19 outfield assists, Brenton Doyle who won a Gold Glove, we brought him up in May, and Tovar was solid all year.  We are laying the foundation of a young club.  ...Our minor league system is way better than it was a year ago at this time.  We are laying a foundation.  We have some good young players coming....” — &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/rockies/video/bill-schmidt-on-development"&gt;Bill Schmidt, Senior VP and GM for Rockies, December 2023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  39. &lt;p id="OeWhX3"&gt;Two more possible core players may be recent winners of the Rockies’ Abby Greer Award:  Elehuris Montero in 2023, and Jordan Beck in 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
  40. &lt;h2 id="hYfjhj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jordan Beck is a depth player who is showing his potential to be an everyday player.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  41. &lt;p id="w18gP5"&gt;This season, Jordan Beck was called up on 30 April.  His batting during the streak (9-15 May) was better than league average, especially his .500 SLG with RISP.  &lt;/p&gt;
  42. &lt;p id="rkYE4i"&gt;He bats best against right-handed pitchers.  His first week of batting in the Majors was below average, but he effectively made adjustments to the better pitching. The following table shows his SLG and average EV against right-handed pitchers.&lt;/p&gt;
  43.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  44.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OmgVV8ok3zqZaNwUALNwhrAVFls=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25455748/PNG_Beck_Table_1_PNG.png"&gt;
  45.      &lt;cite&gt;Jordan Beck vs RHP, 2024 Season.  Data from Baseball Savant.&lt;/cite&gt;
  46.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  47. &lt;p id="KIKB5T"&gt;His biggest weakness is strikeouts.  The following table shows his whiff rate and strikeouts against right-handed pitchers.  In the Majors, the trend in whiffs was good, but the strikeouts per PA was consistently high (above .25).&lt;/p&gt;
  48.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  49.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-wE2yHNY9UxMI1sLmM27L4ZLZm4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25455750/PNG_Beck_Table_2_PNG.png"&gt;
  50.      &lt;cite&gt;Jordan Beck vs RHP, 2024 Season.  Data from Baseball Savant.&lt;/cite&gt;
  51.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  52. &lt;p id="dLyDxd"&gt;For readers who want to know more, in February Jeff Aberle of SB Nation wrote &lt;a href="https://www.purplerow.com/2024/2/21/24075388/colorado-rockies-prospects-no-6-jordan-beck"&gt;an article about Jordan Beck.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  53. &lt;h2 id="dusMOQ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summary.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  54. &lt;p id="YHQour"&gt;Reasons for the Rockies winning streak were:&lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;ul&gt;
  56. &lt;li id="yIVWC9"&gt;Excellent batting with RISP.&lt;/li&gt;
  57. &lt;li id="sGB09m"&gt;Pitching was awesome.&lt;/li&gt;
  58. &lt;li id="bFCXR5"&gt;Depth position players performed well.&lt;/li&gt;
  59. &lt;/ul&gt;
  60. &lt;p id="LiiAOA"&gt;More winning streaks could happen because the Rockies are promoting young foundational players.  One of those recently promoted players is Jordan Beck, who batted above league average in the streak.  If he reduces his strikeouts, then he could become an everyday player. &lt;/p&gt;
  61.  
  62. </content>
  63.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24159113/rockies-winning-streak-why"/>
  64.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24159113/rockies-winning-streak-why</id>
  65.    <author>
  66.      <name>Makakilo</name>
  67.    </author>
  68.  </entry>
  69.  <entry>
  70.    <published>2024-05-21T09:58:56-04:00</published>
  71.    <updated>2024-05-21T09:58:56-04:00</updated>
  72.    <title>Snake Bytes 5/21: “THE SKY IS FALLING” -AZ fans</title>
  73.    <content type="html">  
  74.  
  75.    &lt;figure&gt;
  76.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NJ0giVM6-8g_-F1_ZkhI3awPjFw=/0x0:4520x3013/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73360735/usa_today_23335160.0.jpg" /&gt;
  77.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  78.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  79.  
  80.  &lt;p&gt;Arizona lost a game against the poster child for successful MLB franchise of the century due to one horrendously pitched (or tipped?) inning&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 id="GLymuo"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diamondbacks News&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  81. &lt;h5 id="IKVfA7"&gt;
  82. &lt;a href="https://burncitysports.com/2024/05/20/spencer-giesting-northwest-league-pitcher-of-the-week/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[BurnCity Sports] Spencer Giesting Named Northwest League Pitcher of the Week&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Michael McDermott&lt;/strong&gt;
  83. &lt;/h5&gt;
  84. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="cktRTI"&gt;The Diamondbacks minor league system picked up their fifth league Player or Pitcher of the Week award for the 2024 season. This time, it’s left-hander Spencer Giesting of the Hillsboro Hops who won the Northwest League Player of the Week for May 13-19. In Hillsboro’s 4-1 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils on May 15, Giesting fired seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, walked one, and struck out nine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  85. &lt;h5 id="kytURs"&gt;
  86. &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/slade-cecconi-d-backs-opener-plan-falter-vs-dodgers"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[MLB] D-backs’ opener strategy with Cecconi falters in LA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Sarah Wexler&lt;/strong&gt;
  87. &lt;/h5&gt;
  88. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="EWIWF9"&gt;“It slipped away in a hurry,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ve seen that happen in this environment. Our young pitchers have got to be ready to step up and figure out a way to just stop the bleeding there.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  89. &lt;h5 id="1ixRL4"&gt;
  90. &lt;a href="https://burncitysports.com/2024/05/20/nightmare-third-inning-haunts-diamondbacks-in-loss-to-dodgers/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[BurnCity Sports] Nightmare Third Inning Haunts Diamondbacks in Loss to the Dodgers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Michael McDermott&lt;/strong&gt;
  91. &lt;/h5&gt;
  92. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="SBpnPZ"&gt;The shame about that inning was Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the inning. Kevin Newman roped a double down the left field line and Ketel Marte extended the inning with a two-out walk to bring Joc Pederson to the plate. Pederson entered that at-bat 3-for-4 against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, before roping a 109.7 MPH line drive into center field to score Newman. Christian Walker smoked a 109 MPH line drive toward the right-center gap, but Jayson Heyward closed it quickly to deny the Diamondbacks two more runs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  93. &lt;p id="GCEyiw"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  94. &lt;h2 id="5UcXQI"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baseball News&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  95. &lt;h5 id="Cj17x9"&gt;
  96. &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/juan-soto-mookie-betts-lead-second-2024-mvp-award-poll"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[MLB] Latest MVP poll shows rare battle brewing in NL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Thomas Harrigan&lt;/strong&gt;
  97. &lt;/h5&gt;
  98. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="UwGmlb"&gt;Others receiving votes: Bryce Harper, Phillies; Alec Bohm, Phillies; Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves; Shota Imanaga, Cubs; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres; Ketel Marte, D-backs; Jurickson Profar, Padres; Ranger Suárez, Phillies; Dylan Cease, Padres; Freddie Freeman, Dodgers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  99. &lt;h5 id="b3Je8H"&gt;
  100. &lt;a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[MLBTR] The Opener: Devers, Ross, MLBTR Chat&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Nick Deeds&lt;/strong&gt;
  101. &lt;/h5&gt;
  102. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="CMKubQ"&gt;3. MLBTR Chat Today:&lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="T7hjwA"&gt;The 2024 season is now in full swing, and we’ve seen a handful of names traded at an unusually early stage of the season (e.g. &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arraelu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;amp;utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&amp;amp;utm_campaign=2024-05-14_br"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Luis Arraez&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/guilllu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;amp;utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&amp;amp;utm_campaign=2024-05-14_br"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Luis Guillorme&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Robbie Grossman). If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. &lt;a href="https://live.jotcast.com/chat/chat-with-mlbtrs-steve-adams-5-21-24-18460.html"&gt;You can click here&lt;/a&gt; to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  106. &lt;h5 id="KDr6kp"&gt;
  107. &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/juan-soto-contract-extension-chances-with-yankees"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[MLB] Likelihood of Soto extension? Bichette, Vlad Jr. on the block? Execs weigh in&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; by Mark Feinsand&lt;/strong&gt;
  108. &lt;/h5&gt;
  109. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="YiXTZX"&gt;“A 25-year-old Juan Soto has to hit free agency regardless of the agent,” the AL exec said. “He’s too good a player having too of a good year.”&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="HAmZOG"&gt;Another AL executive pegged the Yankees’ chances of signing Soto before the end of the season at 5%, citing the risk of injury and the potential pressure of a contract year – including his performance in the postseason – as reasons for Soto to listen to New York’s offer.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="milqR6"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  114.  
  115. </content>
  116.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24161533/snake-bytes-5-21-the-sky-is-falling-az-fans"/>
  117.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24161533/snake-bytes-5-21-the-sky-is-falling-az-fans</id>
  118.    <author>
  119.      <name>SpencerO'Gara</name>
  120.    </author>
  121.  </entry>
  122.  <entry>
  123.    <published>2024-05-21T01:56:09-04:00</published>
  124.    <updated>2024-05-21T01:56:09-04:00</updated>
  125.    <title>D-backs 4, Dodgers 6: Normal service has been resumed</title>
  126.    <content type="html">  
  127.  
  128.    &lt;figure&gt;
  129.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rZPldG93NwNXCCxz1911QEtkAK4=/0x0:4076x2717/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73360186/usa_today_23334383.0.jpg" /&gt;
  130.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  131.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  132.  
  133.  &lt;p&gt;Can’t spell Monday without an L. Er, or something...&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h4 id="gOrztp"&gt;Record: 22-26. Pace: 74-88. Change on 2023: -6.&lt;/h4&gt;
  134. &lt;p id="zrEiCo"&gt;“I came back from Mexico for &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;?” So was my thought in the bottom of the third inning, as Los Angeles scored six runs without Slade Cecconi even retiring a batter. Though that certainly seemed a reasonable sentiment at the time, this ended up being a considerably closer game than it looked like it was going to be at that point. Indeed, save for a couple of pieces of bad batted-ball luck, the Diamondbacks could have ended up coming back for a memorable victory. But the Dodgers’ billion-dollar men proved just a little too much for the Diamondbacks to handle, in their first game at Dodger Stadium since last year’s NL Division Series.&lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="utCtFQ"&gt;It began promisingly. While nothing came of it. Ketel Marte extended his hitting streak to 19 games in the top of the first. That’s now tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history, and is the best by a Diamondback since Paul Goldschmidt got a hit in 26 straight games, more than a decade ago, back in 2013. In the bottom half, Torey Lovullo then opted to use Joe Mantiply as a starter, to avoid the top of the Dodgers order getting too familiar with Cecconi. Mantiply faced the minimum, a bunt single by The Gambler being erased immediately by a double-play from Freddie Freeman. Mission accomplished, and Mantiply’s ERA as a starter is now 2.25. &lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;p id="hdhjQ6"&gt;Neither team could score in the second, Cecconi taking over on the mound for the D-backs. But Arizona then took an unexpected lead in the third. Kevin Newman doubled with one down, and one out later, Joc Pederson singled Newman home. It was one of three hits Newman would have on the night: his OPS of .750 is now higher than Blaze Alexander’s for the season. We should have stopped there. The lead didn’t last one batter in the bottom half. Indeed, by the time Cecconi recorded the first out, the Dodgers were 6-1 up. Homer, single, single, walk, grand-slam, homer, scoring six runs on 20 pitches. Admittedly, LA got &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746146/play/23"&gt;some help from the umpire on the walk&lt;/a&gt;. But that’s hardly an excuse.&lt;/p&gt;
  137. &lt;p id="C3D6qb"&gt;There’s some suggestion that Cecconi &lt;a href="https://x.com/TheRealTyMacias/status/1792761113618309282"&gt;was tipping his pitches&lt;/a&gt;, though that may be &lt;em&gt;post facto&lt;/em&gt; rationalization. Poor execution from a guy who came in with a 5.27 ERA and has been home-run prone. seems like an equally credible explanation. &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746146/play/20"&gt;Belt-high 92 mph fastballs&lt;/a&gt; are not typically a recipe for success. To Cecconi’s credit, he stopped whatever he was doing, and settled down admirably. Indeed, after allowing the third home-run of the inning, he then retired the next dozen Dodgers’ hitters in order. Still not a good line: six runs, all earned in five innings, on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts. That’s eight HR in 32.1 innings this year for Cecconi, and his K-rate is only 6.1 per 9IP. &lt;/p&gt;
  138. &lt;p id="M1jOwC"&gt;Bryce Jarvis then posted a couple of zeroes, though not without adventure. In the eighth, he loaded the bases with one out, before escaping courtesy of a double-play. That set up a potentially exciting finale: former D-back Daniel Hudson, currently the Dodgers’ closer, was forced into unexpected action to protect what was then a two-run lead. It ended up being drama-free, as he did retire Arizona in order: Huddy has a K:BB ratio of 22:1 this year. That is not a misprint. Hudson wasn’t the only former D-backs to come out of the LA bullpen, as we also saw Anthony Banda, who debuted for Arizona back in 2017, after coming from Milwaukee in the Gerardo Parra trade. The Dodgers are his eighth major-league team. &lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p id="mkMqaC"&gt;The need for LA to use their closer came as a result of Arizona having chipped away at the home team’s lead. In the seventh, Newman made it 6-2 with an RBI single. In the eighth, Lourdes Gurriel and Jake McCarthy went deep, back-to-back, and it was suddenly a game. It could have been closer still. In the third, after Pederson’s RBI single put men on second and third, Christian Walker hit one at 109.0 mph, with an xBA of .900, which ended up being the third out. And in the seventh, again with two in scoring position, Marte had the hardest hit-ball of the year by a Diamondback, with an exit velocity of 117.0 mph, straight at Mookie Betts, once more for the final out. xBA there = .720. If either had dropped in...&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;p id="nKqKtq"&gt;The D-backs actually outhit the Dodgers, 10-9, and had more extra-base hits as well (4-3). In addition to Newman’s three-hit night, McCarthy also had two hits, while Marte had the team’s only walk, in addition to his first-inning hit. Carroll did get a hit, but was 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, so his batting average remains mired below the Uecker Line. The top half of the Arizona order continued to struggle, #1-4 going 3-for-16 with one walk and eight strikeouts. I do credit the D-backs for not imploding entirely after that disastrous bottom of the third. I know I was ready to phone it in, but the pitching staff buckled down, and the hitters did at least make things interesting late. &lt;/p&gt;
  141.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  142.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ODkKEgRTG99kK--0-u9pl2-vudU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25457801/chart.png"&gt;
  143.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  144. &lt;div id="OVczoW"&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Click &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2024-05-20&amp;amp;team=Dodgers&amp;amp;dh=0&amp;amp;season=2024" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details, at Fangraphs.com&lt;/b&gt;
  145. &lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Burritos: Joc Pederson, +9.4%&lt;/b&gt;
  146. &lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Montezuma's Revenge: Slade Cecconi, -42.1%&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;
  147. &lt;br&gt;Feral dogs: Christian Walker, -10.2%&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="sFJyJi"&gt;Comment of the night to samath:&lt;/p&gt;
  149.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  150.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yByy1nRR2p8oyqFqmX0fIqdk49M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25457804/capture.jpg"&gt;
  151.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="BJChQJ"&gt;He’s not wrong. Oh, well: can’t say this was a game which I had much expectation of winning. The inevitable Dodgers’ march towards another division title seems, as predicted, inevitable. All being well, I won’t have to do another recap vs. LA until September, so wake me when the post-season starts.  Tomorrow night though, it’ll be back to Dodger Stadium for another contest, with Brandon Pfaadt seeking to build off his good outing against the Reds, by facing some rather tougher opposition. Another 7:10 pm start for that one, so see you here for that. &lt;/p&gt;
  153.  
  154. </content>
  155.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24161423/d-backs-4-dodgers-6-normal-service-has-been-resumed"/>
  156.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/21/24161423/d-backs-4-dodgers-6-normal-service-has-been-resumed</id>
  157.    <author>
  158.      <name>Jim McLennan</name>
  159.    </author>
  160.  </entry>
  161.  <entry>
  162.    <published>2024-05-20T21:30:00-04:00</published>
  163.    <updated>2024-05-20T21:30:00-04:00</updated>
  164.    <title>Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #48: 5/20 @ Dodgers</title>
  165.    <content type="html">  
  166.  
  167.    &lt;figure&gt;
  168.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Cubs v Arizona Diamondbacks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IGWPCnD3nls6LOatp_5uHomxPjk=/0x0:3263x2175/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73359939/2149769103.0.jpg" /&gt;
  169.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  170.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  171.  
  172.  &lt;p&gt;Joe Mantiply, starting pitcher&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div id="i6sqO2"&gt;If you are reading this, then there is no wifi at Puerto Vallarta airport for me to update this with the line-up. :)&lt;/div&gt;
  173. &lt;p id="AAk8rl"&gt;Rirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="Zw1dVT"&gt;Interesting move by Torey to go with Joe Mantiply as an opener tonight. It does appear to be for tactical reasons, rather than particularly a lack of an available starter. The thought process seems to be, keep Slade Cecconi away from the ferocious trio at the top of the Los Angeles order for as long as possible, thereby not allowing them to get to accustomed to his arsenal. But it is still not going to be easy: series do not get much harder than facing the Dodgers on their home turf. Though I was surprised to check the standings this morning and realize the PHILLIES have the best record in all baseball. They’re five up on Atlanta in the NL East, though weirdly, have played six games more than the Braves.&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="ylVsVm"&gt;Right now, there are only five teams in the entire National League with a winning record. Normally, that could be a sign of the league being weak as a whole. But the NL is only -11 in record against the AL, and has an overall W% of .493. It seems more to indicate a gulf between the best and worst teams. The Marlins and Rockies are very, very bad this year - both on pace for around 110 losses or more - last season, Colorado (103) were the only team with more than 91 defeats. That may end up putting teams in the Central at a disadvantage in the season, without the ability to grow fat on more games against a very weak divisional rival. We’ll see how that plays out later in the year, &lt;/p&gt;
  176.  
  177. </content>
  178.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160827/diamondbacks-gameday-thread-48-5-20-dodgers"/>
  179.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160827/diamondbacks-gameday-thread-48-5-20-dodgers</id>
  180.    <author>
  181.      <name>Jim McLennan</name>
  182.    </author>
  183.  </entry>
  184.  <entry>
  185.    <published>2024-05-20T15:00:00-04:00</published>
  186.    <updated>2024-05-20T15:00:00-04:00</updated>
  187.    <title>Recap of the Week That Was</title>
  188.    <content type="html">  
  189.  
  190.    &lt;figure&gt;
  191.      &lt;img alt="Deyvison De Los Santos hits the ball against the Midland RockHounds on May 3, 2024" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/59fcTIypzKJvHKdcvQH8UUH2kls=/0x0:4822x3215/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73359258/2151908322.0.jpg" /&gt;
  192.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Deyvison De Los Santos is surely hitting his way out of Amarillo | Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  193.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  194.  
  195.  &lt;p&gt;A look at how prospects performed over the past week at various levels&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="Zvi5Vx"&gt;Due to traveling commitments, I was unable to post very many recaps this past week. So here is a general summary of where teams are, how prospects of interest are doing, and so forth. I didn’t get to watch much baseball this week, so I’m not going to give out any awards or stars, because I don’t know how much of the stats comes down to luck and how much to dominance.&lt;/p&gt;
  196. &lt;p id="C0aGy9"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reno Aces&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  197. &lt;p id="kqw3ZG"&gt;The Aces traveled to Texas this past week to take on the Round Rock Express, affiliate of the Rangers. They won the first and last games of the series, but lost the four intervening games.&lt;/p&gt;
  198. &lt;p id="OhNoo6"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tommy Henry&lt;/em&gt;: Made one start and gave up four runs, including two home runs, as part of a 14-0 loss. After he left, Francisco Morales and Ian Clarkin combined to give up 10 runs, so very little of the loss was Henry’s fault. He did strike out five and walk three, so it was far from his best outing.&lt;/p&gt;
  199. &lt;p id="ACKm8q"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cristian Mena&lt;/em&gt;: Made one start and worked five innings, giving up two runs (both on solo home runs) and striking out four. He continues to not get as many swings and misses as he has in the past. He left the game trailing 2-1, and the Aces later tied things up, but a bullpen meltdown by Scott McGough and Christian Montes De Oca made it an 8-2 final.&lt;/p&gt;
  200. &lt;p id="Mqz0cl"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Blake Walston&lt;/em&gt;: Walston was in line to start twice, after working five innings, striking out seven, and picking up the win on Tuesday. However, he did not pitch on Sunday. A possible move back to the big club might be in store for him, or it just might be workload management.&lt;/p&gt;
  201. &lt;p id="gr7a7S"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Andrew Saalfrank&lt;/em&gt;: My trip was to Andrew Saalfrank’s home town (ish, as I think he’s actually from a small town a few miles away) of Fort Wayne, IN. While there, I passed by a dental practice operated by a Saalfrank, who is most likely somehow related. Andrew’s week was like pulling teeth in some ways; he got the save on Tuesday despite loading the bases with a hit and two walks, and took the loss in one of Saturday’s games as he walked in the tying run in the sixth and gave up a walk-off home run on his only pitch of the seventh.&lt;/p&gt;
  202. &lt;p id="dqJXPT"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Andrés Chaparro&lt;/em&gt;: Chaparro started every game at third base and had a decent week in terms of getting on base, but not with the power that he’s shown in other recent weeks. He went 6-for-23 with five singles and a double. &lt;/p&gt;
  203. &lt;p id="Pm7D1G"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Adrian Del Castillo&lt;/em&gt;: Del Castillo started every game in Round Rock, three behind the dish and three as DH. It was a week to forget, as he picked up just three hits and slashed .136/.208/.364. His hits were a triple and a home run. He did only strike out five times in 24 plate appearances, so he was putting the ball in play, but had a .125 BABIP on the week. It’ll get better.&lt;/p&gt;
  204. &lt;p id="pYhlhg"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tristin English&lt;/em&gt;: English started every game at first base and had a terrible week. He went 2-for-21 and struck out at least once in every game, while only drawing one walk. Both hits were singles.&lt;/p&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="7m4Uwf"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jorge Barrosa&lt;/em&gt;: Barrosa did not play this past week, but I am happy to report that he is now listed as “Active” on the Aces roster. Hopefully he will be back on the field on Tuesday.&lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;p id="r2Ul3F"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amarillo Sod Poodles&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  207. &lt;p id="MDsVSI"&gt;The Soddies split another series this week, winning on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. They were blown out 10-2 in both halves of a doubleheader on Thursday, and dropped a close one on Sunday that would have given them their first series win of the year.&lt;/p&gt;
  208.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  209.        &lt;img alt="Caleb Roberts crouches behind home plate" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2MpXxnvneVrJVd70bDcWeaz_lKI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25456484/2151908378.jpg"&gt;
  210.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  211.      &lt;figcaption&gt;Caleb Roberts provided one of the two walk-off wins for the Sod Poodles this past week&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  212.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="ZJDZDB"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Billy Corcoran&lt;/em&gt;: Corcoran isn’t a prospect, but he’s been surprisingly good this year in Hillsboro and earned a call-up to Amarillo. He was scheduled to start on Wednesday but it was pushed back a day due to rain, and it &lt;em&gt;did not go well&lt;/em&gt;. He lasted 2.1 innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk. He is not the first call-up to find that life in Amarillo is a bit more difficult than Hillsboro, but he can take encouragement from how Cole Percival has performed since his first start.&lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="1O9kDc"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Yilber Diaz&lt;/em&gt;: Diaz pitched twice and had a rougher week than in the past, but on the whole was still pretty good. On Tuesday, he struggled with command and lasted just four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out just two, five fewer than his second-lowest total of the season. His game score of 40 also matched his lowest of the season. But the Soddies won. On Sunday, he was much better, as he worked 6.1 innings and struck out eight with no walks while allowing two runs on four hits. Unfortunately, he got a no-decision in the 3-2 loss.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="R0EVUl"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dylan File&lt;/em&gt;: After three rough starts to open the season, File has now turned in four consecutive solid outings, and has not allowed more than two runs in any of them. On Saturday, he went 6.1 innings and allowed two runs of six hits, striking out three. He’s not a strikeout pitcher or a prospect, but the pitcher (born in Lake Havasu City, by the way) deserves recognition for what he is doing. He is yet another pitcher the Diamondbacks have signed after he spent some time in Korea, and could be a fast mover and a valuable depth piece if he continues adjusting well.&lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="CuIn9W"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Will Mabrey&lt;/em&gt;: Mabrey saw his string of eight consecutive outings without allowing a run come to an end on Sunday, but it was an unearned run as a passed ball allowed the runner to reach third base, and he scored on a balk. He worked 2.1 innings, struck out three, and walked one.&lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="hGuojU"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cole Percival&lt;/em&gt;: The son of Troy Percival had probably the best outing of his career on Friday, working 7.2 innings (I believe the longest outing of the season for any pitcher in the Diamondbacks’ system) and allowing one run on eight hits. It was his fifth start for Amarillo and definitely his best. If I were giving out awards, I think he’d be pitcher of the week. He and Billy Corcoran should talk about how to turn things around after a horrible start in Amarillo.&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;p id="juNKMe"&gt;&lt;em&gt;J.J. D’Orazio&lt;/em&gt;: D’Orazio went 3-for-16, but two of the hits were doubles. He continues to catch half of the games.&lt;/p&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="cTwbaw"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Deyvison De Los Santos&lt;/em&gt;: Another week, another dominant performance by De Los Santos, who looks to be on track to win Player of the Month for May as well. He slashed .450/.542/.900 (albeit with a BABIP of .546) while hitting three more home runs and being intentionally walked three times. Now that he’s getting the Barry Bonds treatment, there’s absolutely nothing left for him to prove offensively at AA, and it might start hindering his development with the bat if he doesn’t get moved up a level, since teams are pitching around him. &lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;p id="fynu6b"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ivan Melendez&lt;/em&gt;: The “Hispanic Titanic” had the best game of his minor league career on Tuesday, picking up four hits (two of them home runs) including a walk-off hit in the tenth inning that hit high off the wall in left and probably would have been a triple if the winning run had not scored. On the whole, his numbers don’t look as good, but it was still a good week. An encouraging sign is that he drew three walks; he had drawn just one walk in the last three series combined.&lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;p id="OtGhSD"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Caleb Roberts&lt;/em&gt;: The other half of the catching duo played in every game while catching half of the games, but struggled at first glance, going 3-for-14. Looking deeper, though, he had a good week. He walked nine times for an OBP of .542 on the week, and he picked up one of the highlights of the week, hitting a walk-off home run in Saturday’s win. &lt;/p&gt;
  222. &lt;p id="hHf4dZ"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kristian Robinson&lt;/em&gt;: Robinson went 0-for-14 on the week, and struck out eight times. He needs to turn it around soon, or it will be clear that he’s regressed from last season.&lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p id="KVvNom"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tim Tawa&lt;/em&gt;: How long will it be before Tawa gets another shot at AAA? His .227/.280/.409 week doesn’t look good on the surface, but he posted a BABIP of .222 and struck out just four times. He also hit another home run, although he no longer is the franchise leader in home runs, with De Los Santos having well surpassed him at this point.&lt;/p&gt;
  224. &lt;p id="OOQI4d"&gt;&lt;em&gt;A.J. Vukovich&lt;/em&gt;: Vukovich also had a disappointing week, going 2-for-17. At least the two hits were on Saturday and Sunday, so perhaps he’s getting back to the way he started the season.&lt;/p&gt;
  225. &lt;p id="vwfYD1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hillsboro Hops&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="UZIh34"&gt;The Hops did their best impression of the major league club, losing the series in Tri-City 2-4 despite outscoring the opposition by a run. &lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p id="QLLX7T"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Spencer Giesting&lt;/em&gt;: The other person who, from just looking at the stats, would be deserving of a pitcher of the week nod. He worked seven innings, struck out nine, and allowed just three baserunners. His ERA for the season is 0.79, and even though he’s allowed as many unearned runs as he has earned runs, his RA/9 is 1.59. But, in the “wins are a meaningless stat” department, he’s just 2-2 on the season and has only allowed earned runs in one game. He boasts four game scores of 65+ in six starts. He’s got to be advancing to Amarillo soon.&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;p id="TpXRzb"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Zane Russell&lt;/em&gt;: In the good injury news department, Russell, who left the game on April 28&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; after pointing to his forearm, returned and pitched a scoreless inning on Friday.&lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;p id="7yHIv1"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ricardo Yan&lt;/em&gt;: Yan got the win on Saturday despite not having his best outing, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in five innings. He continues to be what he has been: practically unhittable on most days, but also as likely to walk the world as to set down the side in order. But he’s just 21 and was a late signer for a player from the Dominican Republic.&lt;/p&gt;
  230. &lt;p id="83YExz"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Christian Cerda&lt;/em&gt;: Cerda caught three games and was the DH in another, and showed slightly improved offense. He got on base half of the time, with two hits and five walks, while striking out just three times.&lt;/p&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="FoHLVR"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gavin Conticello&lt;/em&gt;: After his blazing start to the season, Conticello has cooled considerably, but showed some signs of breaking out again. He played in every game and slashed .238/.333/.381, picking up a double and a triple. Of concern is that he struck out nine times. &lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;p id="FStEaT"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jack Hurley&lt;/em&gt;: Hurley had a rough return from injury and found himself below the Uecker and Wine lines for a while (batting average below .200 and OPS below .550.) But he’s been good all month, and last week slashed .296/.345/.482. He continues to show some pop, with another home run (giving him four on the year) and two doubles, as well as playing good defense.&lt;/p&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="dsgUCb"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Andrew Pintar&lt;/em&gt;: Pintar finished a triple short of the cycle in a four hit performance on Saturday, and slashed .360/.429/.680 on the week, with two home runs and two doubles. He’s been the most consistent offensive force in Hillsboro this season, a nice turn of events for a player who struggled in returning from injury in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;p id="6UAf2w"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Visalia Rawhide&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  235. &lt;p id="xoyPCZ"&gt;It was another series loss for the Rawhide, winning on Tuesday and Friday but losing the other four games. &lt;/p&gt;
  236.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  237.        &lt;img alt="Cristofer Torin fields a ground ball." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MRL2m9JNdaFQJmbt373pjMhLb3M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25456495/usa_today_22988615.jpg"&gt;
  238.      &lt;cite&gt;Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA TODAY NETWORK&lt;/cite&gt;
  239.      &lt;figcaption&gt;Torin might have had a rough week at the dish, but even in a rough week, he still walked more than he struck out&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  240.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="Hw6L1u"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Caden Grice&lt;/em&gt;: The left handed pitcher had one of his worst outings, taking the loss on Wednesday after allowing four runs in four innings. He allowed just one hit; unfortunately it was a home run, and he allowed five walks.&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="OMgsJL"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edgar Isea&lt;/em&gt;: Isea isn’t a name on a lot of prospect lists, but he’s a right handed reliever who can hit triple digits. In other words, the kind of pitcher the Diamondbacks have had difficulty finding (Justin Martinez being the exception) despite every other team seemingly having an inexhaustible supply. He had a good week, not allowing a hit and striking out three in facing seven batters across two appearances.&lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="OrDZO7"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Landon Sims&lt;/em&gt;: Sims may be back officially in the bullpen, but he still worked just once this week. It was a solid outing on Friday, as he faced six batters, struck out three, and walked one.&lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="Wuu2W0"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jacob Steinmetz&lt;/em&gt;: After consecutive scoreless starts, Steinmetz came crashing back to earth on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and walking two. He did strike out six in his 3.2 innings, so it wasn’t all bad. &lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="rEUF1m"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kenny Castillo&lt;/em&gt;: Castillo hasn’t been regarded as a prospect, but perhaps he should be. Despite his rough game on April 23&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; that I detailed last week, he’s had a great season. He just turned 20, so he is young, and has been one of the more consistent offensive performers for Visalia. He went 3-for-17 this past week, but with two doubles. His .745 OPS on the season is above more highly regarded prospects like Jansel Luis, Anderdson Rojas, and Ruben Santana.&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="xEWkz7"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Druw Jones&lt;/em&gt;: Jones had a bipolar week. On the one hand, the prospect with just two three-hit games to his name had his first ever four-hit game on Thursday, including his second home run of the season. On the other, in his other four games he collected one hit, one walk, and seven strikeouts. The overall numbers look better than they ever have, and that’s a good thing. Because of how good his defense, speed, and arm are, he doesn’t ever have to grow into power to be a major league player; he just has to start hitting with acceptable levels of consistency.&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="9cdaWt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jansel Luis&lt;/em&gt;: The 19-year-old got a hit in every game he played this week, and now has an eight game hitting streak. He slashed .476/.522/.810, including two triples in a game on Thursday. He struck out just four times. As with most of the infield prospects at Visalia, he’s been tasked with playing three positions (2B, 3B, SS) and has handled it fairly well.&lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="ygbeeJ"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Anderdson Rojas&lt;/em&gt;: The once red-hot Rojas has cooled off, and struck out four times against just two hits on the week. He got hits in 13 of 15 games in April, including a 12 game hitting streak. Since the calendar turned to May, however, he’s slashing .218/.214/.273. No, that is not a typo; his OBP is really lower than his batting average. It’s not all bad luck, either, as his BABIP sits at .273.&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="WSPSXs"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ruben Santana&lt;/em&gt;: Santana played every game last week, an unusual occurrence in Visalia. He didn’t collect any extra base hits but was an acceptable 6-for-24. He did strike out 11 times and have a BABIP of .462, though, so it’s still concerning.&lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="mH5FrW"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cristofer Torin&lt;/em&gt;: Your reminder that Torin is one of the youngest players at his level: he turns 19 on Sunday. He struggled to a 1-for-19 performance this past week, but still walked three times against just one strikeout. (That’s a BABIP of .053 and a batting average of .053, as a sacrifice fly counts against his BABIP but not his batting average.) His OBP for the season still stands at .390, and he’s still walked more times than he’s struck out. There’s no need to worry about Torin.&lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;p id="6nPRcL"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ACL D-Backs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="Z5EanP"&gt;The complex league group went 2-2, including a completely nuts 16-13 win in seven innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  253.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  254.        &lt;img alt="Nate Savino, a left handed pitcher, throws a pitch during the 2021 College World Series." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/brOdZkPaENUBz4IwZWA7YwHspXs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25456502/usa_today_16305201.jpg"&gt;
  255.      &lt;cite&gt;Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/cite&gt;
  256.      &lt;figcaption&gt;If Nate Savino continues to pitch well, perhaps there might be an updated picture of him&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  257.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="7OPROa"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nate Savino:&lt;/em&gt; Savino is building up his length and worked two innings on Thursday. He struck out four and allowed a hit and a walk. He has yet to allow a run in 5.1 innings against much younger and overmatched competition. Hopefully he will get to face a stiffer test at Visalia soon.&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;p id="fiGJLp"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Alberto Barriga&lt;/em&gt;: Barriga got a hit in each game last week, although it was just one hit per game and only one extra base hit, a double. He also committed his first error. The diminutive catcher (he’s generously listed at 5’9”) struck out four times and now has an OPS on the season of .826.&lt;/p&gt;
  260. &lt;p id="8c9RkY"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Demetrio Crisantes&lt;/em&gt;: The Nogales native played in each game and collected his second triple of the season. He also singled three times and stole two bases. &lt;/p&gt;
  261. &lt;p id="5PrQeT"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abdias De La Cruz&lt;/em&gt;: De La Cruz had struggled at the plate so far this season as he makes the change from the infield to the outfield, but he broke out with a four hit day on Thursday as he singled three times, doubled, and stole a base. Granted, he also struck out nine times in 18 plate appearances and had a BABIP of .714, so there’s still some work to do.&lt;/p&gt;
  262. &lt;p id="6Fqcw0"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jakey Josepha&lt;/em&gt;: Josepha turned 20 on Wednesday, and had an interesting week. The overall numbers look great: 5-for-14 with a double and a home run for an OPS of 1.000. However, he also had a BABIP of 1.000. He played three games and collected a golden sombrero twice before going 5-for-6 in the 16-13 win on Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="Ha1PfG"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Yassel Soler&lt;/em&gt;: I regard Soler as the highest-ceiling offensive prospect currently in the complex, and possibly the greatest sure-thing. And he’s living up to that so far, with hits in all ten games he’s played this season. This past week, he went 9-for-15 with three doubles, plus he walked twice and was hit by a pitch against only three strikeouts. He’s slashing .439/.500/.659 on the season, and he only turned 18 in January. The only question mark so far is his defense, and he’s committed three errors at third base, but none of those came in the past week.&lt;/p&gt;
  264.  
  265. </content>
  266.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160850/recap-of-the-week-that-was"/>
  267.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160850/recap-of-the-week-that-was</id>
  268.    <author>
  269.      <name>Steak85</name>
  270.    </author>
  271.  </entry>
  272.  <entry>
  273.    <published>2024-05-20T13:00:00-04:00</published>
  274.    <updated>2024-05-20T13:00:00-04:00</updated>
  275.    <title>Series Preview #16 : D-backs @ Dodgers</title>
  276.    <content type="html">  
  277.  
  278.    &lt;figure&gt;
  279.      &lt;img alt="Brandon Pfaadt" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O0NilGoLOsLu0RXmVVzEbUaxOf8=/0x0:3276x2184/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73358895/2153128731.0.jpg" /&gt;
  280.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brandon Pfaadt | Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  281.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  282.  
  283.  &lt;p id="jDcllE"&gt;&lt;em&gt;In this series, the Diamondbacks will face a challenge. One challenge is that in this series the Diamondbacks’ top rotation starters (Gallen, Kelly, and Rodriguez) will not be pitching.  Another challenge is that position players Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas have not yet returned from the IL.  Yet another challenge is that this season’s Dodgers are greatly talented.  &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="1gnCTB"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Each Diamondbacks’ win will be cause for celebration, knowing that as a team that is not yet back to full strength, they demonstrated team concepts to beat a greatly talented team.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="blr97i"&gt;“Team concepts show up on days that are positive.” — Torey Lovullo, postgame on 19 May&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  286. &lt;h2 id="SsAzqc"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This season’s Dodgers are a different team.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  287. &lt;p id="1KxxOe"&gt;It’s different NOT merely because the billion-plus dollars committed during the off season. &lt;/p&gt;
  288. &lt;p id="OtykPU"&gt;Let’s look at what Dave Roberts, their manager, said:&lt;/p&gt;
  289. &lt;ul&gt;
  290. &lt;li id="dr14xK"&gt;
  291. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;He cannot remember a season with less carryover from the previous season&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. Details in &lt;a href="https://www.aol.com/news/not-revenge-dodgers-earn-series-043543078.html"&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
  292. &lt;li id="dMDCIP"&gt;
  293. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The team is consistently playing complete baseball. All facets are as good as he has ever seen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. Details in &lt;a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wire/634767/"&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://dodgerblue.com/dave-roberts-dodgers-recent-play-has-been-as-good-as-hes-seen/2024/05/10/"&gt;this article.&lt;/a&gt;
  294. &lt;/li&gt;
  295. &lt;/ul&gt;
  296. &lt;p id="lLTG8G"&gt;The Dodgers recently had a 7 game winning streak.  Then they crashed, losing a series against the Padres.  Last week they lost a game against the Giants, then against the Reds.  Their winning streak is over.&lt;/p&gt;
  297. &lt;h2 id="eaXFU1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Pitching Matchups.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  298. &lt;p id="NyC7T5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monday 7;10 PM Arizona time, Joe Mantiply (Likely Opener) &amp;amp; Slade Cecconi (78 ERA+) vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto (128 ERA+).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  299. &lt;p id="PCPGAB"&gt;Joe Mantiply will likely get a chance to show that his last appearance (3 batters faced with zero outs against the Tigers) was an unfortunate anomaly.  &lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;p id="viHHPE"&gt;Slade Cecconi has been inconsistent.  In his best three starts, his ERA was 2.08.  In his worst two starts, his ERA was 10.8.  The Diamondbacks need his best to have winning chances.&lt;/p&gt;
  301. &lt;p id="jCNCaC"&gt;The Dodgers signed Yamamoto (a pitcher from the Japan Western League) in the offseason.  In his last start, Yamamoto allowed 4 earned runs in 5.2 innings against the Giants.  &lt;/p&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="zWGnZz"&gt;This matchup is advantage Dodgers. &lt;strong&gt;  &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;p id="ZopfDR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday 7;10 PM Arizona time, Brandon Pfaadt (98 ERA+) vs Gavin Stone (125 ERA+)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="0KIZet"&gt;In his last start, Brandon Pfaadt pitched a gem.  In 7 innings, he allowed only 2 hits and 1 run.  Also, he struck out 9 of 25 batters.  That doesn’t happen every day!&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;p id="x5Qbsf"&gt;Gavin Stone is on a hot streak.  In his last four starts he allowed exactly one earned run per start (6 or more innings each start). &lt;/p&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="5gCg2x"&gt;This matchup is a slight advantage Dodgers.  Nevertheless, the Diamondbacks will likely have winning chances.&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="MYp3PR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday 7;10 PM Arizona time, Ryne Nelson (58 ERA+) vs Tyler Glasnow (141 ERA+).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="toED01"&gt;In his last start, Ryne Nelson allowed 8 earned runs in 4 innings.  Prior to this game, the most earned runs he allowed in a game was 7 (both Majors and minors).  Nevertheless, Torey Lovullo showed his confidence in Ryne Nelson’s pitching by saying he will make this start.  &lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="ZlwNAV"&gt;Tyler Glasnow stumbled in his last start, allowing 4 earned runs in 5 innings against the Reds.&lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;p id="xnTUOv"&gt;This matchup is a slight advantage Dodgers.  The Diamondbacks need to win this game!&lt;/p&gt;
  311.  
  312. </content>
  313.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24153908/series-preview-16-d-backs-dodgers"/>
  314.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24153908/series-preview-16-d-backs-dodgers</id>
  315.    <author>
  316.      <name>Makakilo</name>
  317.    </author>
  318.  </entry>
  319.  <entry>
  320.    <published>2024-05-20T10:00:00-04:00</published>
  321.    <updated>2024-05-20T10:00:00-04:00</updated>
  322.    <title>Snake Bytes, 5/20: Tiger hunt successful</title>
  323.    <content type="html">  
  324.  
  325.    &lt;figure&gt;
  326.      &lt;img alt="Beauty And The Beast" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QM8h9tlmi4L2gACsdSPNjROn4FA=/0x1220:4244x4049/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73358401/2716791.0.jpg" /&gt;
  327.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  328.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  329.  
  330.  &lt;p&gt;The Snakes successfully stopped the Tigers on Sunday&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h4 id="wgcz4z"&gt;Recaps&lt;/h4&gt;
  331. &lt;p id="vWwZwo"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/arizona-diamondbacks-game-day/gritty-offensive-performance-powers-diamondbacks-to-6-4-win-01hy994c5cva"&gt;[SI] Gritty Offensive Performance Powers Diamondbacks to 6-4 Win&lt;/a&gt; - Christian Walker specifically had a big game with two sacrifice fly’s, and a huge single in the 7th inning against Alex Faedo. He set the bar early on a trend that would continue throughout the game of “team at-bats”. Walker had some thoughts about the team’s mentality coming into today’s game after the final pitch. “Today’s game was about us. It was about proving something to ourselves...manufacturing runs and doing anything we can to keep ourselves in a spot to win”. While Walker himself showed the team mentality it was something that flowed throughout the whole lineup. &lt;/p&gt;
  332. &lt;p id="6ERsq5"&gt;&lt;a href="https://arizonasports.com/story/3547858/diamondbacks-prevent-go-ahead-inside-the-park-hr-in-win-over-tigers/"&gt;[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks prevent go-ahead, inside-the-park HR in win over Tigers&lt;/a&gt; - Carpenter came up with two outs as a pinch hitter and pumped a deep fly ball off the tall wall in center. Corbin Carroll went to the wall unsure whether it would be catchable, but both corner outfielders were there to back him up. Pavin Smith picked up the ball, bobbled it but delivered a clean throw to Newman to start the game-saving relay. “The two outfielders converged on that and we talk about that a lot, just go help your off outfielder and both of them were there,” Lovullo said. “I love that play. The entire team is engaged. Everybody has responsibilities. Everybody’s rotating. You got to think fast.”&lt;/p&gt;
  333. &lt;p id="uorCS8"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fdiamondbacks%2F2024%2F05%2F19%2Fdiamondbacks-escape-tigers-to-avoid-sweep%2F73763794007%2F&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azsnakepit.com%2F2024%2F5%2F20%2F24160456%2Fsnake-bytes-5-20-tiger-hunt-successful" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;[AZ Central] Diamondbacks escape Tigers to avoid sweep&lt;/a&gt; - Even in a win over those Tigers, the Diamondbacks narrow margins persisted for nine innings. In the bottom half of the seventh, they had runners on the corners with one out for Pavin Smith, who bounced a groundball to Javier Baez. The Tigers’ shortstop fired home, trying to cut down Randal Grichuk at the plate. Except his throw — unlike Newman’s in the top half of the inning — bounced just in front of home plate, creating a difficult play for catcher Jake Rogers. Rogers tagged Grichuk in time, but couldn’t hold on to the ball. The play ultimately enabled both of the Diamondbacks’ runs in the inning, after their next run scored on a groundout.&lt;/p&gt;
  334. &lt;h4 id="OdCnkN"&gt;Team news&lt;/h4&gt;
  335. &lt;p id="ZOydwB"&gt;&lt;a href="https://burncitysports.com/2024/05/19/joe-mantiply-to-start-for-diamondbacks-against-dodgers/"&gt;[Burn City Sports] Joe Mantiply to Start for Diamondbacks Against Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; - Instead of Slade Cecconi, who was originally scheduled to take the mound, the Arizona Diamondbacks will hand the ball over to Joe Mantiply to start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, as announced by Torey Lovullo after Arizona’s series finale win over the Tigers. This will mark Mantiply’s first start of the season and only the fourth of his career. Last season, Mantiply stepped into the starting role three times due to injuries plaguing the Diamondbacks’ rotation, allowing just one earned run over three innings in those appearances.&lt;/p&gt;
  336. &lt;p id="Upxcap"&gt;&lt;a href="https://arizonasports.com/story/3547841/what-has-made-diamondbacks-star-ketel-martes-hitting-streak-so-unique/"&gt;[Arizona Sports] What has made Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte’s hitting streak so unique?&lt;/a&gt; - The switch-hitter had exactly one hit in 15 consecutive games entering Sunday, which had only been done three times, according to Baseball Reference’s database. Over his 18-game streak, his batting average has actually dropped from .307 to .292. Marte, though, has 10 extra-base hits on this run with four homers. Ted Sizemore in 1975 for the St. Louis Cardinals remains the only player with 16 straight games picking up exactly one hit. Jimmy Rollins in 2014 and Alex Gonzalez in 2005 did it for 15 games each.&lt;/p&gt;
  337. &lt;p id="Qr9cEd"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/tickets/packs/summer-pass"&gt;[dbacks.com] D- backs Ballpark Summer Pass: three months for $179&lt;/a&gt; - “Experience a summer like never before! The D-backs Ballpark Summer Pass, presented by Bar-S, is now available and it gives you access to all games in June, July, and August for just $179. Create unforgettable memories, watch all the exciting matchups, and get all of the incredible giveaway items with your D-backs Summer Pass!” Rather more expensive than last year’s edition, which cost only $99. But winning the National League pennant comes with a higher price tag. That Jordan Montgomery contract isn’t going to finance itself...&lt;/p&gt;
  338. &lt;h4 id="Hx6s1L"&gt;And, elsewhere...&lt;/h4&gt;
  339. &lt;p id="8XHgSP"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUxvW-wpyzg"&gt;[YouTube] A history of baseball contracts&lt;/a&gt; - thanks to Wes for pointing me in the direction of this deep dive (almost two hours long!) into baseball players’ salaries through the decades. I still haven’t finished watching it myself yet, but I’ve already learned a lot.&lt;/p&gt;
  340. &lt;div id="bdULND"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uUxvW-wpyzg?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  341. &lt;p id="Yu3Big"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/should-umpires-use-pitchcom-twins-carlos-correa-floats-idea-ahead-of-possible-arrival-of-abs-system/"&gt;[CBS Sports] Should umpires use Pitchcom?&lt;/a&gt; - Carlos Correa, frustrated by ball-strike decisions during his team’s loss to the Guardians, gave voice to an idea to provide a bridge to the (possible) eventual arrival of the ABS system in the majors. ”I feel like pitchers are too nasty right now for umpires to see. I feel like if the umpires knew what was coming and they had a Pitchcom they would make calls so much better. It’s really hard for them to just be able to call pitches, especially the way the catchers are framing nowadays. If they had a device where it says slider and they are anticipating the slider and they know where it has to start and land for it to be a strike, then we would get so many calls.&lt;/p&gt;
  342.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  343.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QmelsUzV0NtoWs5PkbNwwAnsZOs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25455862/abigail2.jpg"&gt;
  344.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  345. &lt;h1 id="upFuBV"&gt;Abigail (2024)&lt;/h1&gt;
  346. &lt;h3 id="uU601m"&gt;Rating: C+&lt;/h3&gt;
  347. &lt;h4 id="PlRfAT"&gt;Dir: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett&lt;br&gt;Star: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton&lt;/h4&gt;
  348. &lt;p id="3tdFQZ"&gt;This is nominally a remake of, and was originally titled &lt;em&gt;Dracula’s Daughter&lt;/em&gt; – if so, it may set a record for the most microscopic levels of “nominally”. That any connection is in name only, becomes absolutely clear when we see how the vampires here react to sunlight. Or stakes. It’s… messy, and probably has far more in common with &lt;a href="https://filmblitz.org/blade-1998/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Blade&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Certainly, the human characters here could have used the help of Wesley Snipes, because these “motherf_____s are always trying to ice skate uphill.” They are a group who are hired to kidnap Abigail (Weir), the 12-year-old daughter of an extremely rich businessman. Only they find nothing is what it seems – in particular, the victim is an ageless vampire, and not happy about her abduction. &lt;/p&gt;
  349. &lt;h4 id="xk8Oq7"&gt;&lt;a href="https://filmblitz.org/abigail-2024/"&gt;Read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  350.  
  351. </content>
  352.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160456/snake-bytes-5-20-tiger-hunt-successful"/>
  353.    <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/20/24160456/snake-bytes-5-20-tiger-hunt-successful</id>
  354.    <author>
  355.      <name>Jim McLennan</name>
  356.    </author>
  357.  </entry>
  358.  <entry>
  359.    <published>2024-05-19T23:30:00-04:00</published>
  360.    <updated>2024-05-19T23:30:00-04:00</updated>
  361.    <title>SnakePit Round Table: Onwards and (somewhat) upwards</title>
  362.    <content type="html">  
  363.  
  364.    &lt;figure&gt;
  365.      &lt;img alt="Mountaineers on Agentiere Glacier" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FaDGT6QYZBvq9uSuysL4f-aFR90=/0x63:5455x3700/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73357781/1150989319.0.jpg" /&gt;
  366.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Icas94 / De Agostini via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  367.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  368.  
  369.  &lt;h4 id="qQr3yu"&gt;How does Corbin Carroll get fixed?&lt;/h4&gt;
  370. &lt;p id="EiuRP7"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James: &lt;/strong&gt;I give Carroll a few days off, maybe as much as a week. During that time, he’s putting in extra work in the cages and against live pitching (preferably a few different arms/looks) to get a massive jump on fixing the flatness in his swing that he has developed, a problem he himself has already identified. He still might get some PR/PH/Defensive replacement opportunities in that time, but he needs to step back just a bit and see if he can get his head on straight.&lt;/p&gt;
  371. &lt;p id="dpE0NQ"&gt;If that doesn’t start a new trend upward, I send him down to Reno with a very definitive plan of what he needs to achieve to return. It will not be based on gut feeling or a subjective evaluation of how Carroll compares to other members of the 26-man roster. It will be clear-cut, black and white numbers that he can track from one PA to the next to earn his way back up, with the notion that it should not take more than a few weeks at most. But, optioning him, the team needs to make sure that he and the development team are all on the same page to make the trip as short as possible, not entirely unlike when Chris Young went through something similar before he started putting balls in seats and proving to be quite gifted with his OBP, even when his average was dipping.&lt;/p&gt;
  372. &lt;p id="3to81X"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo:&lt;/strong&gt; Three signs show that Carroll has been fixed (and his batting results will soon reflect his improvements).  First his weekly whiffs on fastballs fell dramatically.  Second, his slump in putting fastballs in play is over.  Third, his average exit velocity on fastballs put in play rose dramatically.  For details, see the following table (data from Baseball Savant). &lt;/p&gt;
  373.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  374.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M4NAXzpEvBgMMntnEgXpDMlFR28=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25455838/Capture.PNG"&gt;
  375.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  376. &lt;p id="NRFfQ2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: I really like James’ take on this. I think just flat out sending him to Reno without trying out other options first might mentally effect him or something. Hopefully someone gets what I’m trying to say lol. &lt;/p&gt;
  377. &lt;p id="sGGw9w"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1:&lt;/strong&gt; I’m inclined to agree with Makakilo. From April 29th to now (the start of the Dodger series) his Barrel+Solid Contact rates have doubled compared with the start of the season to April 28th. They still aren’t quite at ROY-Corbin levels, though. His average EV on all Batted Ball Events since the beginning of that Dodger series, however, is 92.6 mph, greater than his EV in 2023 (90 mph) and his HardHit% is equally ahead of last year. It’s just he’s been incredibly unlucky on his batted balls. In fact, among all MLB hitters with at least 48 BBE since April 29th (Carroll’s amount of BBE in that time), Corbin has the fifth-most underperformance from xwOBA to wOBA. I think he’s shown enough that I’d rather him start over Jake or Pavin once Alek returns. Don’t waste any of Corbin’s turnaround in Reno. You want him at Chase when his luck turns.&lt;/p&gt;
  378. &lt;p id="7Oswwu"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley: &lt;/strong&gt;I dont really have much to add here. There have been some troubling signs in his batted ball data since July of last year, mostly an inability to hit the four seam fastball. It does seem like he is finally starting to turn it around. If the struggles continue you I do think a medical evaluation, a trip to Reno and a well thought out plan to get him on track needs to be in consideration.&lt;/p&gt;
  379. &lt;p id="uTjAZI"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;I tend to agree with Makakilo as well, but every time it seems like Corbin has gotten into a rhythm, he has an 0-fer or another slump. It’s difficult to tell if it’s physical or mental. Opposing pitchers have increased their fastball usage against him (56% to 61%) and he has really struggled to catch up this year (.296 to .170). That would seem to indicate a little bit of both: pitchers have adjusted to him and he hasn’t adjusted accordingly as well as a possible physical problem with speeding his bat up to meet that increased velocity. But as long as the team continues to flounder in inconsistency, it might be worthwhile to allow him to try and work through the issues and see where he is next year.   &lt;/p&gt;
  380. &lt;h4 id="tQc4Lr"&gt;Any thoughts on this more balanced schedule, which includes a series against every other team, now that we’re in its second season?&lt;/h4&gt;
  381. &lt;p id="b0wtV1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spencer: &lt;/strong&gt;Going back to any other schedule would be an awful idea. Fans get to see every star from every team every season. The team gets to put its strength against every team instead of only the ones arbitrarily in select divisions. &lt;/p&gt;
  382. &lt;p id="AfoLaq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James: &lt;/strong&gt;I prefer this schedule to the one they just abandoned by leaps and bounds. I still preferred it when the NL and AL rarely played each other, but the days of segregating the leagues is over now. The days of segregating the leagues to drive a bigger, league-wide rivalry are over. I think the game is poorer for that, but times change and the game apparently has to evolve to be more inclusive in that regard.&lt;/p&gt;
  383. &lt;p id="hHFTp3"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo:&lt;/strong&gt;  I like the balanced schedule because there are more games outside the NL West.  The NL West includes an almost no-limit spending team (think $311 Million and Dodgers) and a go-all-in team (think Padres in the last three seasons). Close games are exciting! 5 of the 10 games against the three AL teams mentioned were decided by 1 or 2 runs.   &lt;/p&gt;
  384. &lt;p id="54iaV3"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: I really like it. I like getting to see players that I wouldn’t normally see. Like Skubal the other night…&lt;/p&gt;
  385. &lt;p id="MjZujW"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1: &lt;/strong&gt;I love being able to see every team every year. I do wish there was more divisional games, but I’m in the minority on that I believe. It’s not fun playing the Dodgers every month, but I kinda like the “These guys again” feel that division rivalries take on during a year. It’s only two less series per year, but it seems like lightyears away from how it used to be.&lt;/p&gt;
  386. &lt;p id="EZJv8W"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley:&lt;/strong&gt; PERSONALLY, I fear and hate change, so mlb should cater to those feelings and revert all the rules back to the 1920s deadball era. (Sorry, someone needed to play the role of contrarian)&lt;/p&gt;
  387. &lt;p id="FOjA6y"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;I personally love it. It allows fans to see all of the young talent that’s seemingly bubbling everywhere and lowers the possibility of a super team beating up on the lower rungs of their respective division. Plus, I would argue that decreasing the number of intra-division games increases the stakes for each individual game.  &lt;/p&gt;
  388. &lt;h4 id="NFACCo"&gt;Should the D-backs sign Zack Greinke?&lt;/h4&gt;
  389. &lt;p id="hKKnca"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo:&lt;/strong&gt;  See &lt;a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2024/5/18/24159757/zack-greinkes-remarkable-day"&gt;Zack Greinke’s Remarkable Day.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  390. &lt;p id="6fOpGy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: I wouldn’t mind it. Blake and I actually talked about that a couple weeks ago and he pointed out that if Greinke was willing to sign for league minimum, then great!. It would take him a few weeks to get into game shape. If it took Jordan Montgomery 3 weeks, it might take ZG more. &lt;/p&gt;
  391. &lt;p id="5Py2Od"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spencer: &lt;/strong&gt;I love me some Wacko Zacko and I’d love to have him back. But realistically I prefer him as a pitching coach of some sort, not a player. Get his intelligence into the system and see what he can do with the likes of Gallen down to Ray and future draftees.&lt;/p&gt;
  392. &lt;p id="8cuaSr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1:&lt;/strong&gt; Zack’s awesome. As a pitcher, he’s probably not going to pitch to better than the 5-ish ERA he had last year, but as a personality and baseball mind who would bring value to this clubhouse/organization, I can’t think of a better addition.&lt;/p&gt;
  393. &lt;p id="5mqo8z"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;I miss seeing that crazy bastard every 5 days and the additional rules might increase the entertainment value. If he’s somehow willing to sign for the league minimum, then it’s a pretty low risk move that increases the depth of the pitching staff. I’d also be willing to bet that he would be willing to take on just about any role on that staff too - long reliever, spot starter, closer, catcher, shortstop /s. &lt;/p&gt;
  394. &lt;p id="t7Q6OK"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley: &lt;/strong&gt;James and Spencer can already vouch for the fact that I suggested signing Grienke during the offseason AND spring training. I would love a reunion so much thaprivatevly advocated for a rule change that would make signing aging vets near milestones worth it. Zach at the very least would provide some much needed entertainment.&lt;/p&gt;
  395. &lt;h4 id="8nbVRT"&gt;After Friday night’s 7 ER debacle, should Ryne Nelson lose his rotation spot? If so, who should take his place while we await the return of ERod and Merrill Kelly?&lt;/h4&gt;
  396. &lt;p id="yJ1qow"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: I thought I read somewhere that the team or TL already said they are sticking with Nelson, for now (so the question was written before that, obviously) I think he is done as a starter. 5.31 era last year and what we have seen this year… As to who would replace him, I have no idea lol. Why not give Walston a shot?&lt;/p&gt;
  397. &lt;p id="PFHbeF"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo:&lt;/strong&gt;  If he sticks with Ryne Nelson, I trust Lovullo’s judgment.  Earlier in the season, Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry were competing for a spot in the rotation. So if Ryne Nelson gets optioned, then Tommy Henry would be a logical promotion. &lt;/p&gt;
  398. &lt;p id="44sqgq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spencer: &lt;/strong&gt;The bullpen is the biggest issue in my opinion. Followed by our young starters’ inability to succeed after 1-2 times through the order. I suggest using Nelson, Henry, Cecconi, Walston and maybe Pfaadt in a piggy backed start situation until ERod is back. Send Ginkel and another bullpen arm down to Reno to make room and see if we can capitalize on the best parts of Slade/Ryne while getting Henry and Walston some more MLB time. Promote Jarvis or Martinez to the back of the bullpen where necessary and hope. It really can’t be worse can it? &lt;/p&gt;
  399. &lt;p id="ilCoYj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1: &lt;/strong&gt;The team is best served by keeping Ryne stretched out for this year, but, barring a Pfaadt-like breakout over the last couple months of the year, I think Ryne has proven he should be the first of the not-quite-MLB arms (Slade, Blake, and Tommy being the others) to be converted to full-time bullpen use in 2025. I don’t necessarily know that Tommy Henry is a better option than Ryne right now (had a rough Friday night in Reno, himself), but Walston and Mena are waiting in the wings and deserve a shot after this.&lt;/p&gt;
  400. &lt;p id="dTl6Y5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;If he doesn’t lose his rotation spot, he should at the very least be moved into an opener style role. Not only are the top line numbers ugly (7.06 ERA, 1.875 WHIP), but the underlying numbers are discouraging as well (.497 xSLG, 16.3 K%). Even worse, he’s actually &lt;em&gt;regressed&lt;/em&gt; in some of those underlying numbers since making his debut in 2022 (.174, .269, .310 xBAA over that period). It’s not even a matter of times through the lineup a la Slade Cecconi, or issues with walks, or even platoon splits - it’s just lack of effectiveness. &lt;/p&gt;
  401. &lt;p id="Fb7E8z"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley: &lt;/strong&gt;I am not an advocate of converting a starter to relief unless they’re absolutely certain they won’t be making the switch back. If they’re certain his time as a starter in AZ is done, then by all means, convert him to relief. Like Spencer said, that’s one of the team’s biggest needs.&lt;/p&gt;
  402. &lt;h4 id="TFJq6p"&gt;Calling balls and strikes: do you want the current human system, an automated one, or something in the middle?&lt;/h4&gt;
  403. &lt;p id="ch98cv"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spencer: &lt;/strong&gt;I’m a fan of the challenge system used in the minors but it doesn’t bother me much either way. I’d rank them as Challenge, full AI strike zone, umps as is. If MLB wanted to test one final offering before changing, take the box off screen and see how many fans still think they know when a call was correct or wrong. &lt;/p&gt;
  404. &lt;p id="WUyfjn"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James: &lt;/strong&gt;I think the current challenge system that is being tested in the minors is a decent compromise. I still prefer the slightly differing strike zones from umpire to umpire, zones that both batters and pitchers learn and then adapt to. I am one of those people who likes the uncertainty of the human element. However, the officiating has gotten terrible enough over the last decade that something drastic needs to change, especially with the way pitchers are hurling the ball these days compared to past generations of players. The pitches are coming in faster, with tighter spins and much larger breaks. No generation has ever seen this level of pitching talent before - not on a league-wide scale. There are #4 ⁄ 5 pitchers and middle relievers in the game today that would be borderline aces in the not-too-distant past. This increase in pitching ability makes strike calling accuracy much more difficult. Giving both the players and the umpires the challenge system provides some additional help to get things right in this new era of skill. Once the players and umpires are both happy, most fans will follow suit.&lt;/p&gt;
  405. &lt;p id="pRObEi"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo&lt;/strong&gt;:  I liked the automated system I saw in the spring breakout games.  It allowed replays of automated ball-strike calls and I was pleasantly surprised to see wrong calls correctly overturned.&lt;/p&gt;
  406. &lt;p id="OJQ9K1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: Robo umps now!&lt;/p&gt;
  407. &lt;p id="DmmTHB"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1:&lt;/strong&gt; I liked the challenge system in the Breakout game, as well. Full on robo ump is still a bridge too far for me, but I wouldn’t be upset if that’s the direction MLB decides to go. If you really put a gun to my head, I would say just leave it as is because it all evens out in the end, but with the daily Ump Scorecard updates and the massive amount of gambling money being poured into game outcomes daily, I doubt Baseball can wait this out.&lt;/p&gt;
  408. &lt;p id="NboE6o"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;Yeah, I think I’m generally in-line with everyone above. I want the human element to be primarily focused on the players rather than the umpires, but a complete robotic zone is still too much for me. There needs to be some flexibility for blowouts, inclement weather, etc that can’t be fully accounted for by a computer. But no matter how good the umps are - and despite my near constant grumbles about them, they’re trying to make correct calls on 200+ pitches with more movement, speed, and distinction than ever before with more scrutiny than they’ve ever had. Even with all of those elements, they’re still around 90%+ accurate and they should be congratulated for that. But ultimately, we now have the technology to boost that number closer to 100% and there isn’t a satisfactory reason in my opinion to not utilize it other than pride from the umpires and a near-religious nostalgia for “tradition” from a very vocal minority of fans. &lt;/p&gt;
  409. &lt;p id="1lXr7J"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley: &lt;/strong&gt;I’ve advocated for the challenge system since i saw it in action in the ‘22 PCL playoffs. (Or if you want an ultracontrarian take: PERSONALLY, I think they should fire every single ump EXCEPT Angel Hernandez, and replace all those fired umpires with clones of Angel Hernandez)&lt;/p&gt;
  410. &lt;h4 id="e3qZwg"&gt;Favorite baseball movie?&lt;/h4&gt;
  411. &lt;p id="UwJRy1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spencer: &lt;/strong&gt;Moneyball, 42 and Field of Dreams. &lt;/p&gt;
  412. &lt;p id="ecW37N"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James: &lt;/strong&gt;Uhmmmm…I watch entirely too many movies and have a heaping pile of baseball and baseball-related movies that I watch with some frequency, depending on my mood. Gun to my head, split-second decision, probably &lt;em&gt;Major League, &lt;/em&gt;though &lt;em&gt;A League of Their Own&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;42&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;The Natural&lt;/em&gt; all pop to mind as well in terms of ones I regularly reach toward.&lt;/p&gt;
  413. &lt;p id="i5VAmq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Justin&lt;/strong&gt;: Honestly, Bull Durham was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this question. I love Major League. Eight Men Out, too. My best friend liked Moneyball. &lt;/p&gt;
  414. &lt;p id="VLsdvW"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Makakilo:&lt;/strong&gt;  My top three are &lt;em&gt;Major League&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Bull Durham&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;League of Their Own&lt;/em&gt;.  Each has their own je ne sais quoi.&lt;/p&gt;
  415. &lt;p id="bomj5R"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1AZfan1:&lt;/strong&gt; I’m a big fan of &lt;em&gt;Moneyball &lt;/em&gt;so that is my answer here, but I watched &lt;em&gt;Pride of the Yankees&lt;/em&gt; a couple times as a kid with my dad and enjoyed it. Would recommend it if you happen to see it come across cable or something.&lt;/p&gt;
  416. &lt;p id="33gmVZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ben: &lt;/strong&gt;I think &lt;em&gt;Moneyball&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Field of Dreams&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;League of their Own&lt;/em&gt; are a tie in my personal rankings. There are too many baseball movies that aren’t really about baseball, but more about romance or something larger and I’m too much of a purist to enjoy those as much. &lt;/p&gt;
  417. &lt;p id="aqksxE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wesley: &lt;/strong&gt;Probably Moneyball or Major League. If not those two, then The Natural or A League Of Their Own. Alternatively, I’m going to go with “No-No: A Documentary” as my favorite baseball documentary. 42 i would go so far as to elevate it to being the best sports biopic.&lt;/p&gt;
  418.  
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