SB Nation Arizona - D-backs End Slump, Parra Goes Big Yard

Diamondbacks Beat Braves, 6-4; Break Skid Off Parra's Grand Slam

2012-04-22T22:46:54Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally found the long-ball they so desperately need to generate runs. It was Gerardo Parra's career-first grand slam in the second inning that broke this game open and gave the D-backs their first win over the Atlanta Braves and ended a five-game skid with a 6-4 win.

Parra's shot to deep right field came after Braves starter Randall Delgado gave up a big two-out rally started a Jason Kubel single, a Cody Ransom double and then an intentional walk to John McDonald with the bases loaded. Delgado then walked Ian Kennedy to plate one run and after falling behind Parra, gave up the four-run blast.

The D-backs added an insurance run in the seventh when an RBI double from Aaron Hill plated Parra who had singled and stolen second base.

Kennedy wasn't "lights out" but against a hot-hitting Braves lineup, he'll take seven inning pitched with nine scattered hits, three runs, five strikeouts and just two walks. Not giving up the free bases was key for Kennedy surviving the Braves bats.

"They've been hitting the ball really good. I think they're probably one of the hottest-hitting offenses in the league," Kennedy said. "You don't like getting swept. Have a win at the end of the weekend and come back (Monday)."

David Hernandez and J.J. Putz closed out the eighth and ninth innings although Putz did give up a solo home run to big Juan Francisco.

The D-backs pitchers were helped by several spectacular defensive plays behind him from both Aaron Hill at second and John McDonald at short.

The offensive star was obviously Parra with four RBI, a home run a single, a stolen base and two runs scored. Justin Upton went 0-2 in his second game back but was on base twice with a walk and hit by pitch (left hand). Jason Kubel continues to hit well. He had two singles and a walk.

The D-backs finish the four game series with the Braves with just this one win. They open up against the struggling Phllies (7-9) who, unlike the Braves, aren't hitting the ball well. LHP Wade Miley will get his first start of the season after going 4-2 last year. He's starting in place of the injured Daniel Hudson who's on the DL with a shoulder injury.

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Diamondbacks Won't Announce Monday's Starter; Lineup For Sunday Vs. Braves

2012-04-22T18:03:44Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping their staff ace, Ian Kennedy, can end the five-game losing streak the team is currently on and bring the Snakes back to .500. Manager Kirk Gibson, however, doesn't want Kennedy feeling like he's got to throw a shutout and overall doesn't want any of his players trying to do too much on their own.

"We went through this last year. It's not fun. It's frustrating. But you come out of it," Gibby said.

As for Monday's starting pitcher to take the place of the injured Daniel Hudson, Gibby would only say, "We're still discussing it. We're not prepared to do that."

Here's a bit more on the thinking that goes into that decision:

"If I started Miley, then what does that do to my bullpen. If he pitches good, he's out for five days so that changes the complexion of your bullpen. Then you look and try and forecast how long Daniel (Hudson) is going to be out. It's not that easy. We've got a game today. We're going to see how we come through the game. Miley might pitch today. If he pitches today, he's out tomorrow. He's certainly one of the guys we're considering, but we could also bring somebody up."

It doesn't help that none of the top young prospects would be ready to go on Monday. Derek Eitel is scheduled to pitch for the Double-A Mobile Bay Bears and Zach Kroenke is slotted for the Triple-A Reno Aces. Patrick Crobin is scheduled to get a start on Tuesday.

It's entirely possible that Miley goes on Monday and then Corbin is brought up as a long reliever. In his last start on Thursday the 19th, Patrick threw seven innings, giving up seven hits and two runs. His ERA is 2.25 on the season. It seems unlikely the D-backs would bring him up and have him make his major league debut on short rest.

Tyler Skaggs pitched on Friday and Trevor Bauer pitched on Saturday. Charles Brewer is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Mobile. We'll watch and see if he's held out of that game.

Sunday's Lineup

Kirk Gibson likes to mix up his lineup and certainly with the team scuffling and struggling to generate offense, it's no surprise to see him insert a few different guys and move folks around. Cody Ransom is done passing kidney stones, so he'll get the start at third in place of Ryan Roberts.

"Hopefully, he won't have any recurrence during the game," Gibby quipped.

John McDonald will start at short in place of Willie Bloomquist as part of their normal rotation.

Gerardo Parra (CF)
Aaron Hill (2B)
Justin Upton (RF)
Miguel Montero (C)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Jason Kubel (LF)
Cody Ransom (3B)
John McDonald (SS)
Ian Kennedy (RHP)

The D-backs will face Braves RHP Randall Delgado who throws a fastball and change-up and mixes in a curve. The Braves were successful pitching the D-backs away on Saturday, so we'll look to see if they continue that approach.

-- Reliever Takashi Saito is shutdown again. He had a setback with his calf injury. Gibby wasn't sure yet on a timetable.

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Dan Uggla's HR Leads Braves Past Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2

2012-04-22T03:03:25Z

Justin Upton returned to the starting lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks and doubled in his first at-bat, but a third inning homerun by second baseman Dan Uggla gave the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 lead. That ended up being enough as not another run crossed the plate and the Braves took the third game of the series 3-2, sending the D-backs to their fifth straight loss.

Atlanta started the scoring with an unearned run in the top of the first. With the bases loaded, Arizona starter Joe Saunders walked Chipper Jones to force in a run.

The Diamondbacks tied the score in the bottom of the inning. After Gerardo Parra singled and Justin Upton doubled, Miguel Montero drove in Parra with an RBI groundout.

In the top of the second. Martin Prado singled home Jack Wilson to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead, but Jason Kubel tied the score at two with his first homer as a member of the D-backs.

However, Uggla took Saunders deep in the top of the third and the scoring ended there.

Saunders pitched seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned), six hits, striking out five and walking only one. He took the loss and is now 1-1 on the season.

Tommy Hanson allowed five hist in seven innings and two runs, striking out seven.

Jason Kimbrel struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Third Baseman Josh Bell Acquired From Orioles

2012-04-21T23:29:35Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Josh Bell from the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, sending cash to Baltimore in exchange for the young player. Bell is in his third year in the league, having originally been drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2005 amateur draft.

He was traded to the Orioles in 2009 and made his debut in the majors the following year, playing 53 games in total and batting only .214. The following year saw a decline in all of his numbers, as he played only 26 games and batted .164, as well as seeing his RBI production decline from 12 to six. He has struggled with adapting to the MLB strike zone, as demonstrated by his career OBP of .221. With Diamondbacks infielder Geoff Blum going on the DL with a left oblique strain, Arizona was likely looking for a little more depth at third base.

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Arizona Diamondbacks: Update On Hudson Injury - No Structural Damage

2012-04-21T23:13:05Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks twitter offered some updated information on right handed pticher Daniel Hudson's shoulder injury:

Gibby on @DHuddy41 injury - "MRI showed no structural damage. At this point in the season, we're not going to push him through."

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 21, 2012

Hudson was placed on the 15 day DL earlier today with a right shoulder impingement. Hudson had been less than impressive so far this year, allowing 12 earned runs in 18 innings, posting a 1-1 record so far in 2012. Wade Miley has been mentioned as a possible replacement, temporarily moving out of the bullpen and into the rotation. That would make sense in light of the fact that the Diamondbacks also made a call to their Triple-A affiliate, calling up right handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo.

Hudson has been in good spirits on twitter, thanking fans for their support and calling the injury a "rough little stretch."

Arizona Diamondbacks: Jonathan Albaladejo Called Up From Triple-A, Daniel Hudson On 15 Day DL

2012-04-21T21:25:28Z

The official Arizona Diamondbacks twitter announced a couple of roster changes Saturday afternoon, calling right handed pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo up to replace the right handed Daniel Hudson, who they put on the 15 day DL retroactive to April 16. Hudson last pitched on Wednesday, April 18, going 7.2 innings in a losing effort versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's had a rough season so far, going 1-2 in three games and posting a 6.00 ERA (12 earned runs in 18 innings pitched). He goes on the DL with a right shoulder impingement.

Albaladejo has been playing for the Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces, earning a 2.35 ERA over 7.2 innings of relief. Opponents were batting .087 against him, failing to score a run in his last three outings. He is likely a temporary placeholder, depending on how the Diamondbacks pitching roster shakes out. Takashi Saito is due to return from the disabled list shortly, and Trevor Bauer may be ready to start throwing for the team. With Arizona having lost four in a row and standing at 7-7, they'll need somebody to pitch in if they want to turn things around.

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D-backs vs. Braves Start Time, Probable Pitchers, TV Schedule And More

2012-04-21T19:19:54Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks are finding life without Justin Upton and Chris Young incredibly difficult, losing their last four games at Chase Field. Combine the absence of these two outfielders with a red-hot Braves team and it's pretty understandable that the team is struggling so much. The D-backs will look to end their losing streak on Saturday night against Atlanta, sending Joe Saunders to the mound. Tommy Hanson will make the start for the Braves.

Saunders has pitched very well thus far in 2012, going 1-0 with an ERA of 0.64. While he will not strike out many batters, he does a nice job of avoiding walks and putting extra runners on base. Hanson enters the game with a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 3.71. His velocity has been a bit down this season, but he still strikes out just under a batter per-inning. His BB% is also a bit higher than normal, so the D-backs will need to be patient at the plate against the young righty.

The game is scheduled for a 5:10 p.m. start from Chase Field. FOX Sports Arizona-Plus will have the game live. KTAR 620 AM will have the radio coverage across the Phoenix area. ESPN Deportes 710 will provide the spanish feed of the game.

For more on the Diamondbacks and the series, check out AZ Snake Pit.

Banged Up D-backs Have Bad Timing In Facing Red-Hot Braves

2012-04-21T15:00:42Z

Despite the four straight losses by the Arizona Diamondbacks, there is no sense of panic in the clubhouse. It has been the way that manager Kirk Gibson likes to keep things. Losing stinks, but it is a long season and he has confidence in his team, so he doesn't get too high when times are good or too down when there are struggles.

In this particular instance, it is a case of bad timing.

Gibson gave credit to an Atlanta Braves team that is playing extremely well.

He said this after the game on Friday:

"Both the pitchers we faced threw the ball extremely well. We're banged up. We're not swinging the bats well, but they threw good games at us. Their offense is extremely hot. They're playing well. They're 9-1 in their last 10 and they had us pressed down for two nights."

In particular, first baseman Freddie Freeman has been on fire. In two games against Arizona, he has six hits and seven runs batted in.

"Freeman's hit everything we've thrown at him," said Gibson. "He's hit every pitch, and when we've made mistakes, he's hit them really hard."

That is combined with the loss of Chris Young and Justin Upton, which has stressed the Arizona lineup. "There's no question thing's aren't going our way," commented the manager.

But despite the struggles, he is not too concerned because he has seen what this team can do. He knows the team will play again and that there are more games. "They caught us at a tough time right now, but we've been through it before," is how he explained it. "We'll come back tomorrow and try to fight out of it."

That grinding mentality is what led the team to 94 wins a season ago.

"We're not playing so well, but we will be," he said confidently in the postgame press conference. "We'll come out of it."

There is no reason to believe otherwise, based on what we have seen before. However, unless players step up in the absence of Young and Upton, this could be a pretty tough stretch of baseball.

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