D-backs Buzz

Absolutely brutal bullpen woes

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:12:00 PDT

As unbelievable as Dan Haren was tonight...and I mean spectacular...from both the bump and at the plate...for him to go out without a win was an absolute disaster. I really feel for Haren - the guy does everything possible, and that corps of guys out in that pen are a complete disaster. Tony Pena looked worse tonight than last night...loading the bases up before handing the ball over to newcomer Daniel Schlereth - which in my mind was inexcusable to put him in that situation. Hinch doesn't have many options out there, but for a guy just called up last Friday, it's not the right call in that big of a stage. Sure hope that doesn't hurt his confidence down the road.

This was one of the most disappointing losses I can recall in the last 10 years. Just when you think they're coming together...they fall right back apart.

Well....let the Hinching begin

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:53:00 PDT

I'm a bit skeptical as the A.J. Hinch era officially began tonight at Chase Field. I think Hinch may end up getting the job done, but signing him to a contract through 2012 seems absolutely absurd. I mean...based on what? Sounds like a whole lot of wishful thinking going on in the upstairs of Chase.

While I certainly agree that this team has underperformed tremendously over the past year, I'm still not sold on the fact that sacking BoMel was the right call here. A change was certainly necessary here as the team has clearly stagnated since the start of the year.

But could effective change have been accomplished with Melvin still at the helm?

Yes, and here's how it could have happened:

1.) Fire the hitting coach, Rick Schu.

2.) Send Chris Young and Conor Jackson down to Reno for a couple of weeks, minimum. It would clearly send a message to the rest of the team that it's time to put up or realize that your major league career is in serious jeopardy.

3.) Hope and pray.

For the sake of this team and the fans, let's hope the Josh Byrnes/A.J. Hinch marriage works out. I'll evaluate after a month and see where we are.

Bob Melvin was an incredibly classy guy and will be missed by many, including myself. Good luck BoMel.

Some impressive looks in Spring

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:20:00 PDT

The one guy that I have been impressed with thus far this spring is Ryan Roberts. The 29-year old journeyman second baseman has put up some pretty good numbers. Hitting .344 with 3 stolen bases, and leads the team with 32 ABs. I got to see him for the first time yesterday in game action, and while the tatted up Roberts is not likely destined for the 40-man roster, a good spring will give the D-backs some options with him.

Conor Jackson continues to rake....and made more than a few excellent catches in the outfield. A couple against the wall....a shoestring catch on a ball in shallow left. It's going to be very difficult for Mr. Eric Byrnes to make a case for playing time in left. He will need to hope that Conor ends up playing a lot more first than Jackson would like.

D-backs Spring '09 Report - Part 2

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:26:00 PST

Talk about a hitting clinic. The Sunday edition of the spring workouts at TEP brought a trio guys together that just smoked the ball for a good 20 minutes or so. The three guys: Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes, and Chad Tracy. I haven't seen a dinger barrage like that in quite some time.

Even Bo Mel was quite impressed. He came over in the middle of it all, and it was obvious he was happy with what he saw. He was congratulating the BP coach when the rare ground ball would find it's way off of a bat. For the most part, all that was seen were either screaming line drives, or towering home runs. And of course Susan the super fan was right there giving her hoopla to the festivities. It was good stuff.

I think there really is something to make of the Jackson and Byrnsie competition. I'm just a guy on the outside looking in, but there seems to be a little fight there...and who could blame either guy. Nobody wants to lose their job. Not that last year wasn't a good year for Jackson, but I really believe this will be a breakout season for him.

First game is on Wednesday, and I will certainly miss the workouts. It's the one time of year where getting so close to the action truly gives you the inside perspective on how the team operates, both from the standpoint of strategy and the relationships that can be seen and developed.

D-backs Spring '09 Report

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:30:00 PST

There's nothing quite like spending an hour or two watching Spring Training workouts. To get insight into their workouts and seeing what the coaching staff is stressing in practice is really quite interesting.

One of the things that bench coach Kirk Gibson and Brett Butler have been emphasizing is smarter base running. In a workout on Friday, Gibson was emphatic to the young players in his approach to taking the correct angles on the bag, accelerating into the turn, and pushing off in order to maximize the chances of taking the next base. While this team does have decent home run power, running the bases properly is easily worth a few wins a year. Given the competition they will face with the Dodgers this year, that can't be understated.

As for batting practice, the guys that jumped out to me were Justin Upton and Conor Jackson. Both guys were smoking the ball. Not so much out of the park, although Upton did hit a couple of monster shots, but more the bat speed and ferocity that both were taking to the plate. Eric Byrnes didn't look too bad either, as he will certainly have his hands full getting playing time this year. But knowing Byrnsie, he'll be in there more than he's not.

As for the up and comers, Gerardo Parra has always impressed me, and continues to do so. He and fellow outfielder Trent Oeltjen will both be participating in the World Baseball Classic in early March (Parra with Venezuela and Oeltjen with Australia), so will miss a chunk of the early games, but I think both will make a good impression in limited action. Oeltjen is a fun guy to watch. Always smiling and kidding around with the guys. They all seem to get a kick out of his funky Aussie accent.

More updates to come....

A-Rod story is sad for the kids...

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:22:00 PST

For all of you out there in the 30+ age bracket like myself, yesterday's revelation that Alex Rodriguez used steroids in 2003 is the nail in the coffin for a complete era in baseball.

Sad....so sad.

When I was growing up, major league baseball players were viewed in such high regard and esteem by us Little Leaguers. Certainly the players of the 70's and 80's were not perfect, not by any stretch. But they were truly my heroes. My friends and I all looked up to them; wished we could be just like them; dreamed of someday playing like them.

Unfortunately, today's kids don't have that luxury. Sure, they have the PlayStation and Wii that we never had. But they've been stripped of their imagination to dream of becoming someone that they really believe in. They can't believe in these players today...and it's sad.

Pitchers & catchers in less than 2 weeks

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:11:00 PST

Wow....what better gift could I imagine my wife getting me for Valentine's Day than the D-backs pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Yeah, it's a bit lame, but this is the date we hard core seam heads wait for three months to see every year.

And it's really hard to believe it's less than two weeks away now.

From mlb.com, here are some important dates upcoming in February:

FEB. 1-21, 2009

Salary arbitration hearings

FEB. 2-7, 2009

Caribbean Series

FEB. 14, 2009

• First date injured players, pitchers and catchers may report to Spring Training.
• All World Baseball Classic players for the teams from China, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei must report to Spring Training.
• All pitchers and catchers for other World Baseball Classic teams must report to Spring Training.

FEB. 17, 2009

• First date all players may report to Spring Training.
• Remaining World Baseball Classic position players must report to Spring Training.

FEB. 22, 2009

Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players.

D-backs finally snag Garland in rotation

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:51:00 PST

Well, it wasn't easy....but the D-backs were able to get back with Jon Garland today and sign him to a 1-year deal with an option for 2010. This will definitely help the rotation with the loss of the Big Unit. No specifics were available on the money, but believe to be in the $6 - $8 million range. Not too bad. Although Randy did sign for $8 million with San Francisco, the front office obviously sees more value in the 29-year old Garland.

Garland has never been able to reproduce his 2005 World Series winning season with the White Sox where he went 18-10 with a 3.50 ERA (although he did have a 18-7 and 4.51 ERA in '06), he is certainly a durable pitcher when you look at his innings.

Thumbs up on the move Josh Byrnes.

New MLB network

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:28:00 PST

Gotta admit...seeing the new MLB network come to life on my cable system on Jan 1 was better than any Xmas present I could have received. For die hard seam heads like myself, I can't get enough of it. Although, I still have to challenge my four and seven year old kids between the Disney Channel and Game 5 of last year's World Series, I'm winning at least some of the time.

The Hot Stove show has caught my interest the most thus far. It's just the kind of junkie outlet that I can turn to at various times in the day. And the classic World Series games are truly epic...especially for somebody like myself who grew up watching the Game of the Week on NBC in the late 70's...seeing these old time games is awesome.

So, many thanks to MLB for putting this network on the air. It is already starting to fire me up for Spring.

D-backs ink 2B Lopez

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:09:00 PST

Jon Heyman from SI.com has indicated that the D-backs have signed a 1-year deal with Felipe Lopez. That's not a bad signing. Lopez, who played with the Nationals and Cards last year, hit .283 and is a lifetime .262 hitter over eight seasons. It's obviously a stop gap measure to fill at second base for Arizona, so hopefully something bigger will pan out in the coming years.

But, the best part of the Lopez signing for the D-backs, is that they now pick up one of the "hot baseball wives" according to umpbump.com. Here's a shot of the infielder's wife on umpbump.

D-backs pick up Rauch option?

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:46:00 PDT

Well...not much suprises me anymore...but the when I saw that the Diamondbacks decided to pick up the option year of Jon Rauch yesterday, well....that was an unpleasant surprise. The D-backs were on the hook for $2M for him next year, and decided to pick up the 2010 option year at $2.9M.

"He's been a successful Major League reliever," Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes said. "Having Jon for two more years is a good thing.

Had they not picked up his option year he would have been eligible for salary arbitration in '10. So....the D-backs are locking up their big gun Jon Rauch because they expect a banner performance out of him next year and don't want to get burned by arbitration that may not go their way.....hmm.....

Somebody might want to run over to Chase Field and see if Rauch is still on the mound getting shelled. I think the season ended and Bo Mel just left him out there.

I realize that Rauch did have an impressive start when coming to Arizona at mid-season, but he just fell apart after that. Maybe at $2.9M it's not that big of a deal and he'll come around, but I'm sorry, I just don't see it.

Any chance O-dog comes back?

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:12:00 PDT

Listening to the interview with Orlando Hudson this morning on the Doug & Wolf show on 620 KTAR, O-dog certainly expressed what's in his heart about wanting to return to the D-backs in '09, and that he's made management aware of that fact. But, there's no way it's happening....no way.

Hudson certainly wants to test the free agent mark, and who could argue with him. The one obvious thing that Arizona has in its favor is that he is now coming back from his second injury in as many years. That along with the depressed economy may deflate his open market value, and hence make it easier to fit within Arizona's budget. But even given those circumstances, I just don't believe his multi-million dollar demands will fit in the budget. I wish it were easier and they could just do the deal, because Hudson brings so much enthusiasm and leadership to this team.

But, it's not going to happen.

Good luck Orlando...

Wonder what the changes will be next year

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:50:00 PDT

Well, as they say, there's always next year. So, the question on everybody's mind is: what's in store for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009?

There are some obvious issues that need to be addressed in the off-season. First, the bullpen. Second, the offense. Third, the defense.

OK, that's 3/4 of the team. But, starting pitching is monumental in this league, and the D-backs have an outstanding starting rotation. So, the foundation of the team in this area is very solid for the near future.

As for the bullpen, there's a decent chance that both Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz will bail, as both are free agents. Unfortunately, Cruz was probably the most reliable arm out there this year. But, I think they need an overhaul out there anyway, so might as well gut as much as you can. So, that leaves a couple of quasi-solid guys in Tony Pena and Chad Qualls. I don't have any problem keeping those two and building around them. As for the rest of the gang, especially Jon Rauch, I'd deal or demote all of them. If nothing else, bringing in some new blood will shake things up. They desperately need a lights out lefty in the pen as well...please Josh Byrnes...bring somebody in to fill that role...

For the offensive side, I kind of chuckled after seeing this comment from Bob Melvin recently when asked if he was going to address the chronic strikeout problem:

“Definitely,” he said. “It’s not like we don’t address it during the season. Sometimes it’s difficult to make adjustments, other than just some things you try to do in batting practice and that’s not the greatest place to simulate. Some adjustments you need to make during crunch-time, during the games.

“We’re going to do some things in spring training to address those issues. There are quite a few guys on our team with a propensity to strike out and a lot of times they were lined up one after the other. It’s not asking too much across the board for some of these guys to work on things. They all know going forward. And I think they all have the ability to cut down their strikeouts.”

You think?? Asking these guys to make some adjustments certainly isn't out of the question! Geez...they should have been making them during the season. I understand you don't want to disrupt their swings too much, but having guys shorten up with two strikes is easy...just like Little League - shorten up your swing and put the ball in play.

The defense also needs some improvement. Third base is the obvious place to look first, and I do feel now that Mark Reynolds playing the hot corner may be a thing of the past. As for a replacement...I've heard the same talk you have with regard to Miguel Montero playing some there next year. Not sure I'm behind that one. I still think it's worth a shot putting Justin Upton there and seeing what he can do. That would free up the outfield logjam of Eric Byrnes and Conor Jackson. Upton seems to have the kind of instincts that do him well at third, and he certainly has a good arm. Reynolds could then attempt to move to second....

I'm hoping that management is willing to make some adjustments and experiment a little to see what works. I'm looking forward to this off-season to see what happens. I don't expect a lot of movement, but hopefully there's enough change made in the bullpen to make a difference going forward.

D-backs say adios to 2008

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:48:00 PDT

Well...it was just a matter of time I guess. But with that dreadful loss yesterday to the Cardinals, the season is finally over for the D-backs. So close...yet so very far away. For the first five months of the season, it looked like they were golden to get in and make at least a decent run in the playoffs. But...that all seemed to change in a heartbeat this month. Boy oh Boy......

Not looking good for D-backs

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:31:00 PDT

After tonight's 7-4 loss to the Red Birds, along with the fact that the Dodgers are up early against the Padres, it doesn't look real promising right now for the D-backs. If they go down to three games back with five to play, it will take a miracle for them to pull it off.

I had a feeling today that tonight's game against St. Louis would be a letdown game. Mainly because of all of the breaks that Arizona had last night. Things generally have a way of evening out, and I just did not feel good about this one. Oh well..they're doing everything they can...let's see how it plays out.

Two sounds good to me

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:24:00 PDT

Deuces were wild tonight as Brandon Webb won his major league leading 22nd win tonight en route to the D-backs 4-2 win over the Red Birds. This huge win for Arizona now pulls them to within two games behind the Dodgers with only six remaining. This is getting to be real fun....

Webby was his usual self, going seven and giving up only a couple. Even more impressive tonight once again was Stephen Drew. This guy has flat out carried this offense over the last week, hitting .452, with three homers and 10 runs scored in those seven games. Drew is quickly becoming one of the most indispensable members of this team.

So, got Randy Johnson going tomorrow while the Dodgers are back at it as well. Go Padres. The nice thing about playing in St. Louis, is that if the D-backs are fortunate enough to put up a 'W' tomorrow, it will be in the early stages of the Dodger game. So, they would know that their lead was trimmed to 1 1/2 games and hopefully would put some more pressure on them...So many things have to go right for Arizona and wrong for Los Angeles for this to work....but that's what makes it so much fun.

D-backs set to make their move now

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:30:00 PDT

Well, things are starting to look a tad bit better now after the weekend series for the D-backs and Dodgers has come to an end. Arizona was able to take two of three in Colorado, while Los Angeles was beaten two out of three by the Giants.

I had mentioned before the weekend series began that hopefully the Giants were pissed off enough after being swept by the D-backs that they would take out their frustrations on the Dodgers. And sure enough, they came out and put up a good fight out there.

So, 2 1/2 game lead now...seven left for Arizona and six left for the Dodgers. I like the way this showdown is shaping up. It may seem as if the D-backs are at a disadvantage with having to go play four games in St. Louis, while L.A. has an off day tomorrow followed by three home games against the lowly Padres. But, the Cardinals have no shot at the postseason, so who knows who they'll be running out there in these four games. The same of course can be said of the Padres, but the Dodgers and Padres have a rivalry, just as the Dodgers have with the Giants. So, San Diego won't be rolling over for three here, they will be doing everything they can to punish L.A.

So, I think (read hope) it's a good story we have in front of us the next four days. I'm really looking forward to it. And no better way to get it going than throwing Brandon Webb out there on the hill tomorrow....the fire looks to be coming back....let's make it a bonfire now.

No real fire out there in loss to Rockies

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:18:00 PDT

Well, the old cliche in baseball is to hit 'em where they ain't. Tonight in Denver against the Rockies, the D-backs could not seem to get on board with that philosophy. It was a brutal combination of balls being hit juuuussst foul, and a stellar defense from Colorado that kept Arizona at bay the entire night. They lose it 3-2 and fall to four games back in the West.

The D-backs offense certainly had their chances. Twice loading the bases and they could not score a single run. The last time was in the ninth inning, when once again Chris Young exhibited his awful eye at the plate. Taking the first one down the middle; fouling off a good second pitch; and striking out on a high fastball that was clearly a ball. But, it wasn't just Chris Young. They put together some decent at bats in the game, but could not string anything together.

So, a couple of solo shots from Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds, and that was all she wrote. I don't know about how you saw the game, but they just looked really apathetic out there...no real energy could be sensed from the team. This is not the time to go back into your shell Arizona....it's time to bust some guys up out there.

The saving grace is that as I write this the Giants are leading 7-0 over the Dodgers in the seventh, so they should be able to go back to 3 1/2. But....time is running out quick....

D-backs beat the wonder boy to sweep Giants

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:01:00 PDT

The wonder boy Tim Lincecum is beatable after all. He pitched pretty darn well, but not well enough to hold off the pesky D-backs, as they win a huge game tonight 3-2 and sweep the Giants in this four-game series. Woohoo!!!!

That was one of the better games I've seen all year. It had it all. Both sides provided big time pitching performances from Lincecum and Randy Johnson, in addition to clutch hitting from Justin Upton, Bengie Molina, and Adam Dunn.

Johnson pitched his %^#@*! off out there for seven innings, and only gave up a first inning run. But win 295 was still not in the cards for him...but that's ok...he really was the guy responsible for the win even though the stats won't bear it out.

With the D-backs trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Upton hit a missile to left over the head of Eugenio Velez and went cruising around the bases about as fast as I've ever seen him, ending up with a triple. That shot scored Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson to give the D-backs the lead. Velez looked shell shocked out there the ball came on him so quickly. The amazing thing about that hit was the fact that the pitch was about three inches off of the ground when he hit it.

Benjie Molina then came right back in the eighth and tied with a solo shot off of Juan Cruz. It really felt like at that point Upton's huge hit was all for not.

But the biggest play of the game then came when Conor Jackson stole second base in the eighth to get himself into scoring position. That's the kind of thing that Arizona should have been doing this entire season. Dunn then came to the plate facing Lincecum for the fourth time of the night, having not fared well in his previous three. He then lasered one to right field and Jackson was off to the races to score with the go ahead run.

Qualls then shut down San Francisco in order in the ninth, and there's the four-game sweep.......sweet....too bad the Dodgers won earlier in the day in extras...but this was an absolute must win for Arizona, and they did exactly what they needed to do to ensure a victory tonight against arguably the Cy Young winner of the NL. Although that now drops Lincecum to 17-4....so...there may still be a little daylight for Webby to still possibly snag it.

So, the D-backs get back to .500 and still 3 1/2 back with 10 to go. You hope to get back more than a game after winning four straight, but nobody said this would be easy. Let's now hope that Colorado rolls over for three and the D-backs can make up some more ground. The Dodgers now start a weekend series with these Giants. Maybe they're pissed enough after getting swept that they'll put up a good fight over in L.A......let's hope.....

Webb's arm and bat pace D-backs to third straight

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:35:00 PDT

Well, after what I had said about Brandon Webb yesterday being in good shape for today's game, I almost had to eat my words. After struggggelllling mightily in the opening inning against the Giants tonight, giving up all three of the runs he surrendered, he was tremendous in his next six innings in shutting them out. The D-backs now win their third game in a row against San Francisco, this time by a 7-6 score.

Webby did look shaky at the start, but quickly turned it around, mostly with the help of his own bat with his two-run double in the bottom of the second. That hit seemed to rally Arizona as it then scored three more runs in the inning, including a mammoth blast by Justin Upton. Webb now goes to 21-7 on the year...not too shabby. His Cy Young challenger Tim Lincecum goes tomorrow for the Giants against the Unit. Would be nice to see the D-backs rattle Lincecum early and knock him around the park a bit. Good luck though....that 13-year old looking kid brings a serious arm to the hill.

Stephen Drew is back to his old tricks and just knocking the cover off the ball again. He went 4-for-5 tonight, bringing his average up to .287 now on the season. He has really come into his own this second half of the season, and has truly solidified his position at short in the future for this team.

As for the bullpen....well...a 7-3 lead going into the ninth should more than enough cushion you'd say...but not for Doug Slaten who quickly came in and walked the first two Giants batters. Tony Pena then came in and gave up a two-run triple to Omar Vizquel, and this game was on. I'm still not sure exactly what the team sees in Slaten except for the fact that he throws left-handed. I know lots of guys who are left-handed....they just don't happen to throw in the bigs...

So...just as big as the D-backs winning tonight was the Dodgers getting smoked by the Pirates. So, it's now down to 3 1/2 games.....ya never know....

Haren masterful in shutting out Giants

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:14:00 PDT

There was no way in the world that Dan Haren wasn't going out in the ninth inning tonight to try and finish off the Giants and go for his first career shutout, even if he was over 100 pitches and looked to be tiring just a bit. He did give up a couple of hits in the ninth, but he was nails as he struck out Ishikawa to end it.

That's the kind of pitching performance the D-backs have been looking for from Haren and he delivered big time. Are you kidding me? 12 strikeouts and two walks and only four hits in nine innings. That's the Dan Haren we know and love. Arizona has now had three straight excellent starting pitching performances. Starting with Max Scherzer on Sunday, to Doug Davis yesterday and Haren tonight. Too bad the staff seems to have gotten their swagger back a couple of weeks too late.

A couple of solo shots from Stephen Drew and Chris Snyder is all the Diamondbacks needed with Haren out there. Giants starter Matt Cain actually threw a very good game, sans those two dingers. With the way those two guys were throwing tonight, it's no wonder the game barely broke the two-hour barrier.

The Dodgers win again of course against the pathetic Pirates. Nobody said this would be easy, but hey, two wins in a row now is a start, even if they still remain 4 1/2 games back. But, I'm starting to like what I see out there. With Brandon Webb going tomorrow I see good things continuing, especially since he has win number 20 off of his back, and with the added peer pressure of following Haren's performance tonight. Webby will be just fine tomorrow....

So, 12 games remaining for Arizona and only 11 games left for the Dodgers. So, how can they manage to catch 'em? Well.....can we hope for 9-3 for the D-backs and 4-7 for the Dodgers??? That would get them to a tie....ya never know....

So many missed opportunities in loss to Reds

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:36:00 PDT

Gotta feel for Jon Rauch. I understand the bullpen was heavily worked over the last few days, but Rauch simply cannot be put into critical situations - he is not getting the job done and I still don't understand the rationale of Bob Melvin.

So, for the second straight day the D-backs lose in extra innings, this time 2-1 on a Corey Patterson homer off of Rauch in the tenth. It just does not seem like it's meant to be now for the D-backs. The last at-bat in the bottom half of the tenth by Chris Young was a microcosm of how the D-backs offense has been performing. First pitch he hacks at that was high and out of the zone. Second pitch was right down the middle and he looked at it. The third pitch was also right down the middle and he swung feebly at it. Young has one of the worst eyes at the plate of anyone I have ever seen.

The Dodgers lost earlier today, and to gain back a game today would have been huge - both from a standings and psychological point of view.

Arizona otherwise got outstanding pitching from their starter Max Scherzer along with Lyon, Cruz, and Qualls. I was certainly glad that Melvin decided to flip flop Lyon and Qualls in the bullpen as it definitely makes sense, and probably should have been done about two weeks ago. Scherzer was fantastic as he went six and only gave up a run on two hits. He also had nine punchouts...that is one huge bonus going into next season - Scherzer is going to be an amazing third guy in the rotation.

The biggest issue by far today once again was the inability to knock guys in that were in scoring position. 17 guys left on base....unbelievable. Justin Upton was the only guy up there that looked like he was on a mission. He ended up 4-for-5, including an absolute blast to the concourse in center field.

Starting a four gamer with the Giants tomorrow and I'm just not sure there's anything left in the tank for Arizona. Come on guys....pull it out and play with some with fire!

Sigh of relief for Webb and D-backs

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:32:00 PDT

Well, it took four tries, but Brandon Webb finally nailed down number 20 last night against the Reds at Chase. Webby surely was relieved to finally snag it:

"It's good to get it over with and get that put behind me," Webb said. "Hopefully I can go out now and don't look back."

"Getting 20 wins, that's a pretty big number," Webb said. "That's what many pitchers strive for at the beginning of the year. Twenty wins is kind of a goal. You know, we're here. I've got three starts left. We've got a lot of work to do. We've got to get back on the horse."

But much more important than Webb getting win number 20, was the D-backs FINALLY getting a win under their belt. Of course it wasn't without a little excitement from the bully. Webb was masterful eight innings, giving up only five hits and not a single run. But, bring in Brandon Lyon in the ninth with a 3-0 lead, and you just knew it would get interesting.

Four hits and two runs later, Melvin yanked him and brought in Qualls to get the final out. Boy oh boy. Now what does Melvin do with Lyon going forward? I know he pitches like a single A pitcher when he's at home, so should he basically shut him down in crucial situations? Maybe.

But of course there's always the offense. Still only managing five hits off of Reds starter Aaron Harang, who coming in was 4-15 with an ERA about 5. Just don't understand why these guys cannot rake off of pitchers like this.....I mean they were only leading 1-0 going into the eighth, when they picked up a couple of runs they probably shouldn't have.

But, a win is a win is a win is a win. Too bad the Dodgers kept pace and won as well, but Arizona just has to put their head down and roll off as many 'W's as possible these last two weeks. Let's see if the Unit is big tonight against Reds ace Edinson Volquez. Volquez is a monster out there, but if this team will go anywhere this year they must start beating ace starters like him.

The season is still salvageable.......maybe

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:09:00 PDT

Okay, being swept by Padres and now by the Giants was not what the D-backs were shooting for when they started this road trip from hell last Friday. They blew a game in the bottom of the ninth for the second consecutive game today, and just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse...it did.

Six straight losses now, and they've lost 14 out of the last 18. Meanwhile the Dodgers are on a tear and have won 9 of their last 10. So, looks pretty dismal, but that's exactly what gives me a glimpse of optimism for the remaining 17 games.

The D-backs are absolutely playing the worst brand of baseball imaginable right now. All facets of the game are in the toilet. But, think about it, they can't possibly play any worse than they are right now for the remainder of the season. This is the absolute bottom. It's the buy low and sell high analogy to the stock market. It would be like selling all of your stock after the market had plummeted 1000 points over a couple of weeks. By then it's too late. Selling the D-backs now would be the gut instinct reaction, but it could be a buying opportunity instead. On the flip side, the Dodgers are at an all-time high and everything looks rosy. Jumping in now to buy that stock while you can would be the common mentality. But again, you want to be selling at the top, not buying.

Over the next couple of weeks, two things will happen: the D-backs will come up for some air after nearly drowning, and the Dodgers will float back down to earth after their skydive. And then we're right back to being even at the top of the division again. Now I'm certainly not convinced that even if this team does make the playoffs that there is any kind of run in them at all, but if they just so happen to be hitting on all cylinders for just a couple of weeks, you never know.

So, while many in the media have officially put the fork in this team, I don't think it's quite dinner time yet.

Rauch and D-backs go up in flames in Bay

dbacksbuzz@gmail.com (Andrew Ryan) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:55:00 PDT

Why Bob Melvin continues to show faith in Jon Rauch in critical situations amazes me...and more than that...appalls me. Except for a couple of innings of good work last week, Rauch has continued to demonstrate his ineptitude on the mound. Why do the rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1 if you're not going to take advantage of some fresh arms out there instead of continually calling on a guy that is absolutely driving this team down??

Look, I'm not a Bo Mel basher and won't go create firebobmelvin.com, but..... there are times when I just don't understand why the right match ups aren't being called upon in game situations, both on the offensive and pitching sides.

After Tony Pena gave up a couple of runs (the first runs he's given up in his last 12 games) in the bottom of the eighth to enable the Giants to break up the tie and go up 4-2, it seemed like the D-backs were done. But Chris Snyder came up absolutely huge in the top of the ninth in hitting that two run missile to left to tie it up.

And all the momentum came to a halt in the bottom of the ninth after Rauch came in and quickly gave up a single and a walk. Juan Cruz was summoned to try to put some water on the fire, but to no avail as he gave up the game winner.

Oh, and to add insult the Dodgers won.....so now the D-backs go down 2 1/2 in the West. I really hate to say this, but.....it really doesn't look good with 18 games to go. I just don't see this team turning it around.