For The Arizona Diamondbacks' Starting Pitching Rotation, The Future Is Now

Tyler Skaggs Could Replace Joe Saunders On Diamondbacks Roster

After young left-hander Tyler Skaggs made his major league debut on Wednesday and won the first game of a doubeheader, the Arizona Diamondbacks are apparently ready to keep him aboard, while moving veteran lefty Joe Saunders.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday night that Arizona placed Saunders on trade waivers. Wrote Rosenthal:

He will be on waivers until 1 p.m. ET Thursday, and could be claimed by a team in need of starting pitching - or a team seeking to block another contender from adding him. If Saunders clears waivers, the Diamondbacks can trade him to any club.

The D-backs appear to be prepared already to potentially replace him in the starting rotation. Beat reporter Nick Piecoro tweeted:

Word is that the Diamondbacks are going to keep LHP Tyler Skaggs in the big leagues. Not sure what role he'll be in.

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) August 23, 2012

Chatter among the media after the second game of the doubleheader, which Arizona won 3-0, that Saunders would likely be traded within the week.

Arizona is still not out of the playoff race. They sit five and a half games out of the lead in the NL West, with 15 games left against the Giants and Dodgers, who sit above theme in the standings.

While Saunders was key down the stretch in 2011 in the D-backs' playoff run, it appears that the franchise is going to shoot for winning while building for the future. Already they have two rookie left-handers in the rotation -- Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin. Skaggs would make that a trio, rounding out the rotation with Ian Kennedy and Trevor Cahill.

If Skaggs pitches anything near the way he did in his debut, allowing two runs in six and two-thirds innings, he is at worst a zero gain replacing Saunders, who has been less effective recently, and at best is an improvement. Plus, should Saunders get traded, it would save Arizona about $1.5 million the rest of the season in salary.

It seems that Arizona is playing for the future, but also calling the future now, because the team is certainly not out of the race. And even if it falters down the stretch with their young arms, the experience they gain will be better than anything they could have had down in Triple-A.

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Wade Miley, D-backs Finish Off Series With Doubleheader Sweep Of Marlins

It was the battle of two young Wades as Wade Miley of the Arizona Diamondbacks faced Wade LeBlanc of the Miami Marlins in the nightcap of the first ever doubleheader at Chase Field and series finale. Arizona took the matinee game with a 3-2 win in Tyler Skaggs' major league debut. They finished the night with a 3-0 win, sweeping the pair of games and splitting the four-game set at home behind eight shutout innings from Wade Miley.

The Diamondbacks got on the board early, as A.J. Pollock, who was called up to be the team's 26th man (something a major league club can do for a doubleheader), led off with a hit, moved to second on a Gerardo Parra non-sacrifice bunt, moved up to third on an Aaron Hill groundout and scored on a Paul Goldschmidt single.

They got another run in the fourth inning when Hill led off with a walk and scored with one out after Goldschmidt doubled and Chris Johnson singled. A passed ball with the bases loaded scored Goldschmidt, and the Diamondbacks led 3-0 after four innings.

Meanwhile, the young left-hander made quick work of the Marlins, allowing only a pair of hits and a walk through six innings.

In the seventh, Miami threatened. An infield hit by Donovan Solano and a bloop single by Jose Reyes put two men on with nobody out. Miley then retired Carlos Lee and Austin Kearns on fly balls to right, and then Justin Ruggiano hit into a force play to end the threat.

He came out to pitch the eighth inning, already after over 100 pitches and struck out the side.

Miley threw 116 pitches on the night, allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five Miami hitters, giving him his 14th win of the season. J.J. Putz, who also got the save in the day game, pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a one-out double to pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, to end it and earn his 26th save of the year.

LeBlanc gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits. He struck out four and walked three. He fell to 2-3 on the year.

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Skaggs 'Mature On The Mound' And 'Composed' In His Major League Debut

Whenever one of the many phenoms the Arizona Diamondbacks have in their farm system gets called up, people are always expecting big things. That didn't change when it was announced on Tuesday that Tyler Skaggs, one of the team's best pitching prospects, was going to pitch the first game of the D-backs' doubleheader against the Marlins on Wednesday.

Skaggs was phenomenal in his debut, pitching 6.2 innings and giving up just two earned runs. The only thing you could possibly critique is the fact that he walked five batters, but his manager, Kirk Gibson doesn't seem too concerned.

"I don't even critique that," Gibson said of Skaggs' walk rate. "It was his first major league start... I wasn't going to let him get the loss. He had done his job and 7-8-9 (pitchers in their respective innings) has been good so I decided to go that way. It was a great, great win. 6 2/3 [innings] it was great." He went on to call Skaggs' performance "mature" and "composed".

When asked to critique himself, Skaggs sang a slightly different tune, but overall, he seemed content with his performance. "It was pretty nerve wracking, but I felt like I did a good job. Trust me, everyone is going to have nerves. People say they don't, but once you get that first pitch out of the way, you feel a lot better," he said.

Still, he wasn't completely dismissive of the fact that he has improvements to make if he wants to stay in the big leagues. "I've got to cut the walks down, that was way too many," Skaggs said about throwing five walks in his debut. He also criticized the two run homer he gave up to Justin Ruggiano in the second inning, but acknowledged that it wasn't a bad pitch that he threw. "I thought it was a decent pitch."

His catcher, Miguel Montero thought the young pitcher was exceptional in his first start as well. "He made good quality pitches, (but) he just gave up that long run... Other than that, I thought he dominated pretty much. I didn't see any comfortable swings (from the Marlins) except (for) the homer," Miggy said. "Even in spring training I was impressed with him. He's got a good presence on the mound and today he showed it. I think he's a really good pitcher and I see a bright future right now."

Despite the little mistakes that Skaggs made, he realizes that it was just his first game in the majors and he believes that he can pitch with the best of hitters. In all, it was a dream come true for him to be in this situation.

"I don't think it could have went any better," Skaggs said of his debut. "It's just been a great day so far. It went a little better in my dream without the walks, but it still went good though."

If today was any indication of what Skaggs will look like for the next decade, Diamondbacks fans have quite a bit to be excited about.

Diamondbacks Vs. Marlins: First Game Of The Doubleheader Goes Well For Tyler Skaggs As The D-backs Win, 3-2

Fans had plenty to be excited about entering Chase Field today. First, they became part of history as they attended the first game of the first doubleheader ever played in Chase. Secondly, they got to witness the Diamondbacks' young pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs take the mound for the first time in his major league debut. The D-backs, just as we were all hoping, didn't disappoint.

Aaron Hill hit his 18th home run of the season, a two run bomb, in the bottom of the first to get the Diamondbacks on the board and to give his young pitcher some breathing room. That didn't last long, however, as Justin Ruggiano retaliated with a two run blast of his own, knotting the game up at 2-2.

After that, Skaggs was able to bear down and hold back a suddenly hot Marlins offense. Aaron Hill helped his young pitcher yet again by hitting an RBI single to knock Gerardo Parra in after he stole second base. It appeared on replay that Parra was in fact out, even though he was called safe by umpire Jim Joyce. Just another gift from Joyce to the D-backs, it appears.

Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen got a little hot under the collar in the third after the umpires failed to grant Carlos Lee time when he asked for it. Guillen was then ejected by umpire Angel Campos from the game and play went on, but it was truly an odd sequence of events. It marked Guillen's second ejection of the season.

Things got a little shaky for Skaggs in the top of the sixth when he walked Donovan Solano and Jose Reyes consecutively to open the inning. Luckily, he was able to get Carlos Lee to hit into a double play and he had Giancarlo Stanton pop out to end the inning. He was relieved after 6.2 innings pitched by Brad Ziegler.

Ziegler, David Hernandez and J.J. Putz came on in relief and allowed no runs, helping the Diamondbacks to a 3-2 victory over the Marlins, their first of the series.

Skaggs' final line was 6.2 IP, with 4 strikeouts, 5 walks and 2 earned runs. He had good command over his fastball, which averaged between 92-93 MPH. On top of that, his curveball already seems fully developed and it was quite fun to watch him throw it. He needs to work on his walk rate, but that always comes with time. Overall, a great debut for the young lefty and hopefully, the first of many.

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Justin Upton's MRI Shows No Bad Signs, Skaggs Makes His Major League Debut And Other Pregame Notes

Before Tyler Skaggs takes the mound in a day exhibition against the Marlins as the first of a doubleheader, many questions were surrounding the plethora of roster moves made by the Diamondbacks today. To make room for Skaggs, relief pitcher Sam Demel was optioned back to AAA Reno. Also, outfielder A.J. Pollock was added as the 26th man, meaning he will have to go back to Reno at the end of the doubleheader.

Pollock was added simply as a precaution to the hamstring injury that right fielder Justin Upton sustained yesterday. But according to both Manager Kirk Gibson and Upton himself, he seems to be doing okay and will be available off the bench. Upton had an MRI and stated that all signs are clear and there was "nothing out of the ordinary".

"I feel a lot better, a lot better than last night," Upton said. "I got some treatment last night, we were working on some things and I feel better."

Still, Upton will be benched for the first game and likely the second one as well, according to Gibson. "I wouldn't count on it," Gibby said of Upton playing in the nightcap.

Gibson also talked about his rookie pitcher, Tyler Skaggs and what he is expecting out of him today and what he has seen so far. "It's his first major league start," Gibson said of Skaggs. "Anybody who has ever had a first major league start, it's a very exciting event. He'll have a lot to deal with. We're putting a lot on him. Every game we have is very critical. So we put a lot on him, but he's a very confident young man, he's prepared for this and he's got good stuff."

Finally, Willie Bloomquist is set to play either today or tomorrow at Salt River Fields. Gibson fully expects him to be ready to play for the D-backs come Friday.

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Diamondbacks Vs. Marlins: Tyler Skaggs Starts Arizona's First Ever Double-Header

As the Arizona Diamondbacks get ready for their first ever double-header against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday at Chase Field, a pair of youngsters will be taking the mound for either squad in game one.

Arizona will send out 21-year old Tyler Skaggs, who will be making his major league debut in the opener.The left-hander began the season in Double-A before going 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Reno, giving up one earned run or fewer in seven of those outings.

Miami will send out Jacob Turner, making his Marlins debut out of Triple-A New Orleans to make his Marlins debut. He was acquired from Detroit as part of the trade for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante on July 23. He had an 8.03 ERA in three starts for the Tigers, but went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five starts for New Orleans.

Wade LeBlanc (2-2, 2.50 ERA) faces Wade Miley (13-8, 2.96) in the nightcap.

Your Arizona Diamondbacks:

1. Gerardo Parra RF
2. Aaron Hill 2B
3. Jason Kubel LF
4. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
5. Miguel Montero C
6. Chris Young CF
7. Ryan Wheeler 3B
8. Jake Elmore SS
9. Tyler Skaggs P

Umpire Jim Joyce Saves Woman's Life At Chase Field

Diamondbacks Feeling Pressure With Every Loss

There wasn't much to say after giving up a 5-0 lead, and losing to the Miami Marlins 6-5 in extra innings. Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson was very brief, and basically said Trevor Cahill "struggled the whole time." With a five run lead, Cahill walked the leadoff guy in the second inning, and ended up throwing 34 pitches that inning, giving up two runs. Cahill finished throwing 96 pitches in 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs. Gibson said, "It's pretty hard to win ball games that way," referring to the Diamondbacks giving up 35 hits in the last two games. Even though Gibson said they had their opportunities, he also said, "They [the Marlins] were all over us the whole game," leaving 15 runners on base. Gibson was obviously upset and disturbed by the loss, saying, "It's kind of like, time to check yourself." That comment felt like he was sending a message to his players asking them how bad they want to win.

When asked about his outing, Trevor Cahill said, "I was pitching in and out of trouble all night." When asked about the Diamondbacks lack of offense after the first inning, Cahill said, "It's a credit to them [Marlins] to have a rough inning like that and bounce back and throw up zeros the rest of the game is huge for them." When Cahill said, "Unfortunately I couldn't hold the game," it was obvious that he felt very bad about not protecting the early lead.

To make matters worse, Justin Upton felt his left hamstring tighten up on his way towards the dugout after he scored in the first inning. Upton thought that he would be okay, but it was the Diamondbacks decision not to push it, especially with a doubleheader tomorrow. Upton recorded a single in his only at-bat, that generated two RBI's in the Diamondbacks five run first inning. Gerardo Parra replaced Upton in the game, and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his last two at-bats.

When asked about giving up the early lead, Upton said, "It's always tough when you get that five run cushion early and you weren't able to hold it up, and also weren't able to put any more runs on the board." Asked about playing tomorrow, Upton said, "We'll see."

Gibson said, "We didn't play very well," and "We got to come out and play hard tomorrow." He finished by saying that it was a disappointing loss, but that they have to move on. They have a game tomorrow at 12:40 pm, and another one at 6:40 pm. Gibson felt the team should have won the game, but they didn't play well enough to beat the Marlins in the end.

Diamondbacks Lose Heartbreaker Against Marlins

The Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a hot start in game two of their four game series against the Miami Marlins, but it wasn't enough, as the Marlins came back to win 6-5 in ten innings. This was another crushing loss for the Diamondbacks, after being defeated by the Marlins 12-3 the night before. With the Giants beating the Dodgers 2-1, the Diamondbacks need to take advantage of their ten-game home stand and put together as many wins as possible. So far they are 0-2 coming out of the gates.

It didn't take the Diamondbacks long to get into the swing of things, as they sent all nine players to the plate in the first inning, scoring five runs. It wasn't a good sign for Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco when he walked Chris Young to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Aaron Hill followed with a double down the left field line that scored Young. Jason Kubel singled, and Paul Goldschmidt was walked to load the bases. Justin Upton added two more runs when he singled to left, and Miguel Montero scored Goldschmidt with his line drive single to right field. Ryan Wheeler registered the first out of the inning, but his sacrifice fly scored Justin Upton for their fifth and final run of the inning. Upton felt tightness in his left hamstring after scoring, and was replaced by Gerardo Parra.

Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco settled down after the rough start, and went on to pitch four shutout innings. He finished the night giving up five runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking two in five complete innings.

The Marlins slowly chipped away at the lead by scoring two runs in the second inning. Donovan Solano got the Marlins on the board with his single to center field that scored Carlos Lee, who was walked to lead off the second inning. Pitcher Ricky Nolasco helped his cause by hitting an RBI ground rule double over the head of left fielder Jason Kubel, scoring the Marlins second run.

The Diamondbacks maintained a 5-2 lead, as the Marlins were held in check until the sixth inning. Giancarlo Stanton, who recorded his sixth career multi-homer game last night, led off the inning with a double to left field. After a single by Donovan Solano scored Stanton, Diamondbacks pitcher Trevor Cahill was finished for the night. Cahill ended his night after pitching five and 1/3 innings, giving up four runs. He finished with six strikeouts, one walk, one hit batter, and gave up seven hits. Matt Albers came in relief, and after recording the second out of the inning, walked Austin Kearns. With runners on first and third, Gorkys Hernandez hit a broken bat single to score Solano. After Bryan Peterson singled to center field, scoring Austin Kearns, the Marlins had tied the game at 5-5.

The game remained tied after regulation, but with the bullpen depleted, Sam Demel entered the game for the Diamondbacks in the top of the tenth inning. Demel was just recalled from Triple-A Reno earlier today, and was making his first appearance for Arizona this season.

Gorkys Hernandez beat out a single to shortstop Jake Elmore to lead off the inning, and Bryan Peterson advanced Hernandez to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Demel intentionally walked Jose Reyes, Carlos lee hit a deep fly out that advanced Hernandez to third. With two outs, Giancarlo Stanton registered his third hit of the night, recording the game winning RBI as he scored Hernandez to give the Marlins the 6-5 lead.

The Diamondbacks made it interesting after Gerardo Parra and Miguel Montero both struck out to lead off the bottom of the tenth. Ryan Wheeler singled to second base, and Jake Elmore was walked to give the Diamondbacks runners on first and second. John McDonald entered the game as a pinch hitter, but the game ended when he hit a grounder to shortstop Jose Reyes, who flipped the ball to second baseman Donovan Solano for the force out.

This was not the way the Diamondbacks were hoping to begin their ten-game home stand. Starting out 0-2, and heading into a double-header tomorrow against the Marlins to finish the series. The best the Diamondback can hope for is a 2-2 series tie at this point. Tyler Skaggs will get his first big league start for the Diamondbacks in the afternoon game, while Wade Miley will get the start in the late game.

Justin Upton Injury: Diamondbacks' Outfielder Leaves Game With Hamstring Injury

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton left Tuesday's game in the first inning with an apparent hamstring injury.

In his first at-bat of Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins, Upton hit a two-run single but reportedly tweaked his hamstring when he rounded first base. He stayed in the game and advanced from first to third on a single by Miguel Montero before eventually scoring on a sacrafice fly.

Instead of returning to right field in the top of the second inning, Upton was replaced in the game by Gerado Parra. The Diamondbacks said Upton left the game with tightness in his left hamstring and he is considered to be day-to-day.

The 24-year-old right fielder is hitting .273 on the season with nine home runs and 49 RBI. Upton has played in 114 of the Diamondbacks 123 games this season.

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Diamondbacks Vs. Marlins: Pregame Notes, Transactions, And Starting Lineups

After winning the final four of their most recent six game road trip, the Arizona Diamondbacks were looking forward to heading to Chase Field for a ten game home stand. Unfortunately, their win streak, and the home stand did not start out on a positive note, as the Diamondbacks lost to the Miami Marlins 12-3 in their first of a four game series last night. Tonight, the Diamondbacks will be looking to get back on track when they send Trevor Cahill to the mound to face Ricky Nolasco.

Cahill, in his first season with the Diamondbacks, is 9-10, with a 3.75 ERA in 24 starts heading into tonight's game. In his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 16, Cahill allowed only one run on five hits, with four strikeouts in six innings. He did not figure in the 2-1 win, since the Diamondbacks did not score their two runs until the last inning of the game. Cahill was with the Oakland Athletics for three years, and has a 49-45 overall record, with a 3.87 ERA in 120 career starts. He has allowed a first-inning run in seven of his last 11 games, which has also plagued other Diamondback pitchers this season. Cahill has posted a 9-0 record when the Diamondbacks score three or more runs in support.

Ricky Nolasco is getting the call for the Miami Marlins tonight. He is 9-12, with a 4.94 ERA this season, with a 73-63 overall record, and a career 4.56 ERA. In his last outing, Nolasco pitched a complete game in the Marlins 5-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies. He tied his career high of seven strikeouts, while allowing nine hits and registering one intentional walk in the loss. Nolasco will be facing the D-backs for the first time this season, but has a 5-2 record with a 4.14 ERA in seven career starts against Arizona.

After going scoreless in three straight losses, the Marlins have gone 4-2 in their last six games, scoring 38 runs in the process. The Diamondbacks swept their three game road series against the Astros before losing to the Marlins last night. When asked about the loss, Manager Kirk Gibson didn't have much to say, other than they tried to play short and not utilize their bullpen, and the decision backfired. Sam Demel has been recalled from Triple-A Reno to help in the bullpen. He has been working on utilizing all his pitches, and has been "throwing the ball pretty good lately," according to Gibson, who says he reads the minor league reports every single day.

In other recent news, Tyler Skaggs has also been called up from Triple-A Reno to make his Major League debut for the Diamondbacks tomorrow. The team needed a spot starter due to the schedule change that forces the Diamondbacks to play their first ever double-header tomorrow at Chase Field. Skaggs was scratched from his Triple-A start on Sunday in order to make him available for Wednesday's game.

Skaggs is 4-2 in nine starts with Triple-A Reno this season, and has a 2.91 ERA with 45 strikeouts. When asked about Skaggs, D-backs Manager Kirk Gibson said, "He's had good years in the Minors, he's a big lefty and he's got good strikeout stuff." Gibson does not know what the plans are for Skaggs after his start tomorrow.

With Stephen Drew going to the Oakland Athletics for minor league prospect Sean Jamieson last night, Jake Elmore will get the start tonight at shortstop. Here are the rest of tonight's starting lineups:

Marlins:

Emilio Bonifacio (CF)

Bryan Peterson (LF)

Jose Reyes (SS)

Carlos Lee (1B)

Giancarlo Stanton (RF)

Greg Dobbs (3B)

Donovan Solano (2B)

Rob Brantly (C)

Ricky Nolasco (P, 9-12 4.94 ERA)

Diamondbacks:

Chris Young (CF)

Aaron Hill (2B)

Jason Kubel (LF)

Paul Goldschmidt (1B)

Justin Upton (RF)

Miguel Montero (C)

Ryan Wheeler (3B)

Jake Elmore (SS)

Trevor Cahill (P, 9-10 3.75 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks Call Up Pitcher Sam Demel

The Arizona Diamondbacks have recalled reliever Sam Demel from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

Demel came to the Diamondbacks in 2010 from a trade with the Oakland Athletics for Conor Jackson. He made the team in 2010 and 2011, putting up career numbers of 4-3 with a 4.88 ERA through 62.2 innings pitched.

He has spent the entire year with Reno, posting a 1-4 record with a 4.60 ERA. He has shown quite a bit of a power arm, striking out 66 batters for an average of 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. However he also has allowed 11 home runs in just 58.2 innings pitched this year.

Demel has been pretty good in August, posting a 2.79 ERA with 14 strikeouts through just 9.2 innings pitched. He will wear the number 38 for the Diamondbacks.

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Tyler Skaggs Called Up By Arizona Diamondbacks, Will Start Wednesday

Pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs has been called up to the Arizona Diamondbacks and will start in Wednesday's Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Miami Marlins, reports Jack Magruder of Fox Sports Arizona.

The Diamondbacks are in need of another pitcher and will give the lefty his major-league debut. He and Trevor Bauer were under consideration, according to the team's website.

On Sunday, the D'Back's website wrote that Skaggs was a scratch on Sunday when he was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Reno. In his last outing, Skaggs struggled and gave up eight runs, but before that he'd gone seven starts without giving up more than one earned run.

Skaggs holds a 2.91 ERA in nine starts with Reno and has 45 strikeouts.

The 21-year-old was acquired by Arizona in the 2010 trade of pitcher Dan Haren. As a 17-year-old, Skaggs was drafted in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels out of high school in Santa Monica, Calif.

In four years of minor league ball, Skaggs has a 2.98 ERA. In Triple-A, he has won 66.7 percent of his games.

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The Trade Of Stephen Drew Was Mutually Beneficial For Both Him And The Arizona Diamondbacks

A Rough Night Gets Rougher As The Diamondbacks Trade Fan Favorite Stephen Drew To The Oakland Athletics

Little did Stephen Drew know, he was placed on waivers almost two days ago. After tonight's game, he was no longer an Arizona Diamondback.

Kevin Towers and Billy Beane got together and executed a trade sending Drew to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Sean Jamieson, a young shortstop prospect. According to General Manager Kevin Towers, the trade just made sense for both teams.

Drew is now reunited with his former manager in Arizona, Bob Melvin and he gets to chase a pennant in the AL West. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, add a talented young shortstop prospect, a position they were very thin at in the minor league farm system. Towers noted that Jamieson has, "speed, power for the position," but that he is also still, "probably a ways away," from making his major league debut.

Towers did admit that the team had discussions with the A's at the trade deadline about trading Drew, but nothing materialized. Now, the team will be receiving a stellar prospect in Jamieson, who will immediately report to the single-A South Bend club.

There had been no talks with Drew about an extension or a restructuring of his contract up to this point, according to Towers. It just seemed beneficial for the Diamondbacks to trade him at this time. Towers said that with Drew's impending free agency, his gut feeling was that Drew would walk anyhow. It was better for Arizona to get something while they still could. With the trade, the Diamondbacks will save approximately $2 million this season and an additional $1.3 million in 2013.

"With the uncertainty of knowing if we were even going to be able bring Stephen back at the end of the season -- it was more than likely going to be a situation where he would have probably tested free agency. We were only going to have his services probably for only the next six weeks."

Despite many rumors, the trade was not made because of Drew's health. Towers noted that he had recovered, "better than expected," and that the D-backs were just looking for ways to get young guys like Jake Elmore and the other players like Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald more at-bats. Bloomquist is expected to be activated on Friday from the disabled list, per Towers and manager Kirk Gibson.

Both parties seemed happy with the trade, as it is signs of a fresh start. Towers was happy with the way Drew performed during his eight years in the Diamondbacks organization. "These [trades] are always difficult. They're tough; not easy to make. But it's going to allow Gibby to get a better look at guys like Jake Elmore... We've got a lot of middle infielders and it gives a guy like Elmore a chance to probably get more AB's [at bats]."

When the media was able to speak with Drew after the game, he seemed excited for the new opportunity and thanked his fans for the time he spent here in Arizona.

"I was a little shocked," Drew said of the trade. "I'd like first and foremost to say thanks to the fans that have supported me. Also, to the organization for 6 1/2 years, 7 years. It's been a lot of fun. It's part of business and I guess it's going to be good on both sides."

Drew categorized the move as, "refreshing and a new start," especially since he will be rejoining Bob Melvin. He is looking forward to moving from one pennant race to another. He also said that none of the deal had anything to do with his ankle or the disagreement he had with Diamondbacks owner, Ken Kendrick.

Whatever the case, the Diamondbacks are losing an elite defensive shortstop, but they are saving a bit of money and some time spent in hectic negotiations by trading Drew away.

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Diamondbacks Trade Stephen Drew To A's For Sean Jamieson

The Oakland Athletics have acquired shortstop Stephen Drew from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Diamondbacks announced late Monday night. In return, the Athletics have sent minor leaguer Sean Jamieson to the Diamondbacks.

Drew has been struggling at the bat. He's batting .193 with eight doubles, one triple, two homers and 12 RBIs in the 40 games he's played with the Diamondbacks this season. Before that, he was out almost 11 months with a fractured right ankle. He's a career .266 hitter with the Diamondbacks. According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Drew has a $10 million mutual option for next year with a $1.5 million buyout.

Jamieson is a prospect at Single-A Burlington, where he ranks fourth in the Midwest League in walks with 64 and tied for 12th with 71 runs scored. He's a career .234 hitter in his two minor league years in the A's farm system, stealing 52 bases and driving 70 home runs. This season he has 25 stolen bases and 49 RBIs in 118 games. He was an All-Star in the New York-Penn League in 2011 and the Midwest League in 2012.

Talk about the Stephen Drew trade with Diamondback fans at AZ Snake Pit, and with A's fans at Athletics Nation.

Diamondbacks Vs. Marlins: Saunders Massacred In Fourth Inning As The D-backs Fall In Series Opener, 12-3

The Diamondbacks were unable to stretch their winning streak to five games on Monday night after getting pummeled by the suddenly depleted Miami Marlins, 12-3. With the Dodgers and Giants playing each other this week, this series becomes even more pivotal than before, as it would ideally help them climb back into the pennant race.

Jason Kubel decided to get the party started for the D-backs by hitting his 26th homer of the season in the first inning on a 3-2 pitch, making the score 1-0. He wasn't bad in the outfield either as he racked up his 12th outfield assist, tying him with Eric Byrnes and Gerardo Parra in Diamondbacks history. One would think he will beat that out by the time the season is over.

Unfortunately for Arizona, their lead could not be sustained. Pitcher Joe Saunders was moving through the innings pretty well, but allowing plenty of base-runners all the while. Much of the damage came on bloopers that somehow found their way into the shallow outfield. In the fourth inning, that came back to hurt him after Giancarlo Stanton (who hit a ball into Friday's Front Row) and Justin Ruggiano hit back to back long balls off of him. It was all downhill from there.

Ruggiano's homer went approximately 442 feet deep into center field, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Marlins took a 5-1 lead at that point and they would never look back. By the time the fourth inning damage was done, Saunders had allowed a nine-spot and the Marlins led 9-1. The nine earned runs were the most Saunders has allowed in his career. Entering the game, Saunders had an ERA of 3.70. Following the game, it is now a 4.22.

The Diamondbacks attempted to chip away at the lead by scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Marlins would come back the next inning and immediately replace it. After that, the rest was history. Stanton went on to hit yet another home run to left field, making it his 26th on the year and 13th against NL West teams. It was also his sixth career multi-home run game.

Manager Kirk Gibson basically waved the white flag in the top of the eighth after taking Miguel Montero and Paul Goldschmidt out of the game.

On top of the major loss, the Diamondbacks had their second smallest crowd of the season with only 17,707 fans attending the game. In all, it just wasn't a good night for Diamondbacks baseball and it is one they will need to put behind them if they still want to contend in the NL West.

The good news for the D-backs? They have more home games left on their schedule than any other team in the MLB, per Jules Tompkins. That's pretty good news, right?

For more on the Arizona Diamondbacks, make sure to check out AZ Snake Pit.

Diamondbacks Vs. Marlins: Lineups, Collmenter Working Toward Return And More

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson informed the media on Monday afternoon that Josh Collmenter, a long relief/part time starter for the D-backs, is working his way back to the bullpen. Collmenter was originally placed on the 15-day disabled list with ulcers and apparently they were pretty severe. He is scheduled to pitch tomorrow at Salt River Fields as a way to help regain some strength.

Collmenter also threw a session last Saturday, but Gibby noted that there is no timetable for his return. For now, the team will likely stick with Brad Bergesen, whom they acquired off of waivers earlier in the season.

The Marlins enter Chase Field tonight with a 26-36 road record. Their ranking is likely to dwindle even more after trading mainstays from their team such as Hanley Ramirez and Gabby Sanchez. They will take on the Diamondbacks tonight, tomorrow night and then twice on Wednesday in the first ever doubleheader played in Phoenix.

For the doubleheader, Wade Miley was announced as one of the starters. The other starter has not yet been determined, but there are a few things fans can look into. Tyler Skaggs, a young superstar prospect for the Diamondbacks, was scratched from his start on Monday with the AAA Reno Aces team. Whether or not that means he is getting called up is yet to be determined, but it seems like a good indicator.

Here are tonight's lineups for the Marlins/Diamondbacks game:

Marlins:

Emilio Bonafacio (CF)

Donovan Solano (2B)

Jose Reyes (SS)

Carlos Lee (1B)

Giancarlo Stanton (RF)

Justin Ruggiano (LF)

John Buck (C)

Donnie Murphy (3B)

Mark Buehrle (P, 10-11, 3.74)

Diamondbacks:

Chris Young (CF)

Aaron Hill (2B)

Jason Kubel (LF)

Paul Goldschmidt (1B)

Justin Upton (RF)

Miguel Montero (C)

Chris Johnson (3B)

Jake Elmore (SS)

Joe Saunders (P, 6-9, 3.70)

For more on the D-backs, check out AZ Snake Pit. Head to Fish Stripes for Marlins coverage.

D-backs vs. Marlins: Joe Saunders Starts First Game Of Key Series

Previewing the series with the Diamondbacks and Marlins.

MLB Standings: D-backs Don't Make Up Much Ground Despite Series Sweep

The D-backs won all three games in Houston this past weekend but didn't rise much in the standings with the Dodgers and Giants have solid series of their own.