SB Nation Arizona - D-back Bats Go Ham, Pound In 11 Runs To Beat L.A. Dodgers

Diamondbacks Find Some Mojo, Pound Dodgers 11-4

2012-05-24T04:58:03Z

Before the game, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said he had already moved past Tuesday's tough loss and was feeling pretty positive about where the team was. Maybe he knew something or maybe being positive about everything, all the time, just happened to coincide with a big win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

More importantly, and still at least a week or two away from being answered, is the bigger meaning of this all-around team victory. Did a strong start from Joe Saunders, the best offensive showing of the season, and a competent bullpen performance signify a shift in momentum and a turning point in the season?

Stay tuned, D-backs fans. Stay tuned for the answer to that important question.

The offensive explosion started in the first inning with a Ryan Roberts solo home run and an Aaron Hill RBI single. The Snakes added nine more runs spread out over the next five innings with six different players recording an RBI.

"I don't want to speak for him," Willie Bloomquist (3-6, 1 RBI) said of Dodger's starter Ted Lily, "He didn't have his pinpoint control he usually does so we just tried to get pitches out over the plate and do something with them."

Gibson praised his team for being more patient in their approach and letting the ball travel deeper into the zone.

Joe Saunders was pitch perfect through six innings. He allowed a solo home run in the fourth but then ran out of gas in the seventh and gave up three more. But with 11 runs on the board for his team, Joe could afford to be a bit sloppy at the end of his game. That's not to say he was in the least bit pleased to be lifted without closing the book on the inning.

The 11 runs (on 14 hits) for the D-backs is two more than they managed to score in any other game this season.

The Diamondbacks have an off day Thursday and then open a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

For more on the D-backs, visit AZ Snakepit.

Gibson Won't Let D-backs 'Predetermine Negative Things'

2012-05-23T23:28:54Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in a deep hole with June rapidly approaching and the "it's early" palliative is quickly wearing thin. 11.5 games back in late May is a big hole. Even worse, the problems on the team are pretty much everywhere and anywhere on any given night.

Some games the offense has all the potency of a watered down lemonade and on other occasions it's the bullpen or untimely fielding mistakes that delivers the heart breaks. You just don't know where the fail will come next and conversely, there's not any part of the team you can truly trust.

It's frustrating.

It's slam your helmet, overturn the water cooler and scream at the players after the game frustrating.

But that's not how the "fiery" Kirk Gibson rolls. He's Mr. Positive Thinking who's convinced that good things are just around the corner.

"The loss stung (Tuesday) night, but I felt pretty good today. We were this close," Gibby said before Wednesday's game against those NL West-dominating Dodgers.

That confidence may just be an act that all coaches and managers put on during a slump, but when Gibby talks about the mental approach to guiding his team through dark times you certainly feel like he's being sincere.

"We don't focus on the negative parts of our frustration or emotions...You've got to keep things in perspective in this game. You can't allow yourself to predetermine negative things. We won't do that."

There's no question this team has underperformed expectations and has failed to come close to their potential. The magic they had last season is currently wearing Dodger Blue.

Will it come back?

Or maybe the better question is: How do you get it back?

According to Gibby's Power of Positive Thinking, all you need to do is avoid letting negative thoughts predetermine the outcome and eventually all the hard work and preparation will pay off.

It might sound corny, but it's pretty hard to call him a fool. My money is still on this team making a run at some point. They just better hope it's not too late.

For more on the D-backs, visit AZ Snakepit.

D-Backs Vs. Dodgers Lineup: Arizona Won't Face Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier

2012-05-23T23:20:16Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a golden chance to pick up a victory on the Los Angeles Dodgers, as two of their best mashers at the plate look like they'll be sitting this one out.

Lineup cards for both teams are below. This will be the first time that neither Matt Kemp nor Andre Ethier will be in the lineup for the Dodgers this season. Adam Kennedy will take over for Justin Sellers at third base, batting 7th.

Chris Young continues to ease his way back into the lineup for the D-Backs.

Dodgers:
Herrera 8
Sands 7
Abreu 9
Van Slyke 3
Ellis 2
De Jesus 4
Gordon 6
Kennedy 5
Lilly 1

Diamondbacks:
Bloomquist 6
Roberts 5
Upton 9
Kubel 7
Goldschmidt 3
Hill 4
Parra 8
Blanco 2
Saunders 1

To discuss the Diamondbacks lineup, check out AZ Snake Pit. To talk more about the Dodgers lineup, head on over to True Blue LA.

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Patrick Corbin Gets Feet Wet In Majors, Poised For Impact Down The Road

2012-05-23T17:00:44Z

Patrick Corbin's first stint in the major leagues wasn't all that exciting. In five starts, he went 2-3 with a 5.27 ERA in just over 27 innings. He had one very good start, one rough start and a pair of decent outings. It is the sort of thing you expect from a young call-up that moves in to the rotation because of injury.

He now goes back to the minor leagues (albeit to Triple-A Reno instead of Double-A Mobile, from where he was called up) with some experience under his belt and some things to work on.

For one, he needs to be more efficient. His start on Monday was a good example of that. Manager Kirk Gibson noted that "he was at 99 pitches in the fifth inning."

Corbin was absolutely dominant in the spring, but it hasn't been as easy in the majors, as one would expect. He now understands, according to Gibson, that "he's in a whole different season."

"He understands that what he needs to work on is his command," explained Gibson after the roster move. "His breaking ball was better in the spring than it was up here."

But even with the uneven performance, we can expect to see him again. Said Gibson, "He's certainly a guy that's great depth for us should we need him again."

As he joins the Aces in Reno, he will be able to pitch in an environment that is similar to Phoenix. The dry Nevada air makes for conditions that favor hitters, much like here in Phoenix. If he gets that breaking ball right there, the adjustment at the major league level will be minimal.

You can tell that Gibson is very high on him. Gibson raves about how competitive he is. He expects to see him back with the team at some point.

"All in all, he's very good at all aspects of the game, and he's got a good future ahead of him," Gibson explained. "I would think that he'll have an impact for us here in the future."

With a Diamondbacks farm system that looks loaded with young pitching talent, this is something that fans shoudl get excited about.

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Bullpen Blows 5-Run Lead, Dodgers Beat D-backs 8-7

2012-05-23T05:18:34Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks offense came to life and Trevor Cahill pitched six strong innings, allowing only one run. But the bullpen allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to tie the score in the seventh inning, giving up five runs. But despite a go-ahead homer from Lyle Overbay, who had four hits on the night, J.J. Putz gave up a two-run double to Ivan De Jesus in the ninth to blow the save and the Dodgers came away with an 8-7 win.

Cahill played with fire to start the game. He allowed the leadoff hitter to reach each of the first three innings, but two double plays and two baserunners thrown out attempting to steal by Henry Blanco erased the threat.

Newly called up third baseman Josh Bell introduced himself to the Diamondbacks fans in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer to centerfield that writer Nick Piecoro described as having traveled 5000 feet.

Justin Upton, who has had his issues hitting with runners in scoring position, came through in the third. After a leadoff double by Ryan Roberts, Upton singled to rightfield to make the score 3-0. With Roberts on second in the first inning with one out, Upton struck out looking, so the RBI was good to see.

Upton followed up that with a third RBI opportunity in the fifth. Willie Bloomquist doubled to start it off and Ryan Roberts sacrificed him to third. Instead of small ball, Upton instead doubled to left to chase Dodgers starter Aaron harang to give Arizona a 4-0 lead. After a wild pitch that sent Upton to third, Jason Kubel drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Cahill allowed a run in the sixth inning, as the first two batters reached on hits, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an Andre Ethier sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the inning, Lyle Overbay hit a double to start things off. It was his third hit of the night. After a Josh Bell strikeout, Henry Blanco doubled him home to make it 6-1.

After Cahill left the ballgame, the Arizona bullpen made things interesting. Brad Ziegler gave up a hit, had a throwing error and then a double to make the score 6-2. Craig Breslow relieved him and gave up a hit to Tony Gwynn that scored two more to bring LA within two runs. Elian Herrera reached on a Josh Bell error and then Bobby Abreu singled home Gwynn.

Brian Shaw relieved Breslow and gave up a sacrifice fly to tie the score, but got James Loney to ground into a double play to end the inning.

After Overbay gave the D-backs the lead in the eighth with an eighth inning home run, closer J.J. Putz was asked to close the game. he was unable to. With one out, Elian Herrera and Bobby Abreu walked. Putz struck out LA's biggest bat in Andre Ethier, but De Jesus doubled over Chris Young's head to drive in both runners. It was Putz' third blown save and loss (0-3) of the season.

Overbay had four hits (including a double and a homer), scored three runs and drove in one. Fellow old guy Henry Blanco also had three hits and an RBI in a losing effort.

Josh Lindblom (2-0), who gave up the homer to Overbay, ended up with the win. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his sixth save of the season.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Option Patrick Corbin, Recall Konrad Schmidt, Starting Lineups for D-backs Vs. Dodgers

2012-05-22T23:39:19Z

During the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, catcher Miguel Montero tweaked his groin and left the game. Because of the injury and because pitcher Daniel Hudson will be back with the team soon, the team made a pair of roster moves.

They recalled catcher Konrad Schmidt from Triple-A Reno and optioned pitcher Patrick Corbin to Reno.

Montero is not expected to miss much time, but only having one catcher available is never a good idea. Manager Kirk Gibson said that, while Montero will not play at least until Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town, he came in to the ballpark today not feeling too bad. Even still, playing him is not an option right now, because of teh nature of being a catcher. "He has to block balls," said Gibson.

Corbin's departure was in preparation for the return of Daniel Hudson, who said on Tuesday that he will not need another rehab start. "He had better command" of the 71 pitches he threw in his start on Monday than his previous start, said Gibson. The target is to have him return and make a start on Sunday against the Brewers.

Corbin impressed Gibson in his time with the big league club. Gibson said, "he's very good at all aspects of the game. He's got a good future ahead.

He has some things to work on down in the minors, and will do so in Reno instead of Mobile, where he was called up from. Gibson expects him to be used again and make an impact.

Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers:

Dodgers:

Tony Gwynn, Jr., CF
Elian Herrera, 2B
Bobby Abreu, LF
Andre Ethier, RF
Adam Kennedy, 3B
James Loney, 1B
A.J. Ellis, C
Dee Gordon, SS
Aaron Harang, P

Diamondbacks:

First pitch will be at 6:40 PM. The game will be televised on FS Arizona.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Woes Start At Home

2012-05-22T17:00:43Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks started their season so promising. They won their first four games and looked every bit the part of a team that would be a World Series contender, as many national writers had predicted coming into the season. However, that success came to a grinding halt, and their season's promise as well.

Entering the game Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team's stats at Chase Field after their first four games pale when compared to how they started the year.

After winning their first four at home, they have managed just three more wins in their next 16 games, including Monday night.

Their offense has dropped off. After averaging 5.5 runs in their first four, they dropped their run production to 3.4 per game in their next 15. Their batting average fell from .258 to .237. Losing Chris Young to injury definitely affected that, but no one stepped up after he got hurt.

Their pitching also suffered. After an ERA by the pitching staff of 3.50 in the first four, the runs allowed have increased by two a game, as the team ERA in their following 15 was 5.53.

In other words, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. The pitching got worse, the hitting declined and key players (Chris Young, Daniel Hudson) got hurt. Plus, the bullpen has not been great.

The result of that combination? an overall 7-13 record at home, compared to 12-11 away from Chase Field.

That's just not going to get it done.

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Injury Bug Keeps Biting Key Arizona Diamondbacks Players

2012-05-22T14:00:57Z

When it comes to good fortune, the Arizona Diamondbacks have not had much when it comes to injuries. Unfortunately, the injuries have been to some key players as well.

Centerfielder Chris Young missed 28 games after injuring his shoulder on a spectacular catch, but it came when his was hitting over .400 and was really the only offensive threat in the Arizona lineup.

Stephen Drew, who broke his ankle on a sliding play at home last season, is still on the shelf. He is the anchor of the middle of the infield and an important bat in the lineup.

Daniel Hudson had a shoulder impingement after only three starts and has not yet returned, although he could be back this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Reliever Takashi Saito has yet to appear in a game this season, and it was hoped that he would be an important contributor out of the bullpen.

The latest key player to get hurt is catcher Miguel Montero, who suffered a mild right groin strain Monday night. It is unknown ye how much time he will miss, but he is one of the team's top run producers. He leads the team with 21 RBI. He also manages the pitching staff and has been very effective defensively and in throwing out would-be base stealers.

It is yet another setback for a team that has had enough of them, especially since they just have not been able to get things going.

The good news for Montero is that, while the groin is a very sensitive area, it could be much worse. His former teammate Chris Snyder suffered a testicular fracture (you're cringing at that just from reading it, I know it) in 2008.

It's been a pretty down season when avoiding literal busted balls is considered good news.

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