SB Nation Arizona - Cain Schools Diamondbacks, Giants Win 3-0https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46593/arizona-fave.png2010-07-22T22:36:47-07:00http://arizona.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13462872010-07-22T22:36:47-07:002010-07-22T22:36:47-07:003 Diamondback Mistakes: In A Game Of Inches, Execution Is Key
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<p>In a game when Matt Cain had his good stuff going, mixing it up in the zone and getting ahead of batters, it's crucial that the Diamondbacks capitalized on their opportunities and limit their mistakes.</p>
<p>You might not have to play perfect ball to win a game like this but the Diamondbacks can do better.</p>
<p>"We had a very good game thrown against us. You've got to execute all your situations to win a game like that," Gibby said about his young team. "We had a chance to beat him, we just weren't able to get the job done."</p>
<p>There were three key mistakes the Diamondbacks made in this game that ended up a 3-0 loss.</p>
<p><b>Giants 1st Inning - Not Holding The Runner On<br></b></p>
<p>Rodrigo Lopez, who pitched a solid 7 inning, 5-hit game, got the first two batters out. He then walks Aubrey Huff and promptly ignores him. Huff only has 4 stolen bases on the season which might (partially) explain what happened next.</p>
<p>"I always have problems being slow to home plate," Lopez said about allowing Huff to steal second. "Tonight, I really didn't expect that he's going to run and I didn't give Miggie (Montero) a chance to throw him out."</p>
<p>Gibson said cited a known issue with Loppie when it comes to holding runners on, "They picked something up on him. We've addressed that and we're trying to get him to stop it."</p>
<p>Lopez said he doesn't want to take too much time paying attention to the runner and make the game boring and get the infielders on flat feet. In his effort to work fast, his slow delivery to the plate was the problem.</p>
<p>With Huff now on second, the Giants get a hit from the red-hot Buster Posey. The San Francisco catcher is now hitting .438 with a career-high 16-game hitting streak. Not the guy you want up with a runner in scoring position. Posey gets the single and Huff scores what turns out to be the go-ahead run.</p>
<p><b>Diamondbacks 1st Inning - Failing To Produce</b></p>
<p>In the Diamondbacks 1st it was almost a mirror image of the Giants.</p>
<p>Chris Young, who is now batting .310 in the leadoff spot over 14 games, hits his way on to first and then steals second. While the Giants were able to get a 2-out hit and score the run, the Diamondbacks trio of Johnson, Montero and Reynolds can't deliver. Reynolds, shockingly, struck out. Mark had two of the teams ten total punchouts.</p>
<p><b>Diamondbacks 3rd Inning - Inches Away</b></p>
<p>This isn't so much a mistake as an unlucky break.</p>
<p>With one out in the inning, Young smokes a ball to left that gets caught right at the top of the wall by Andres Torres. Tough one.</p>
<p><b>Diamondbacks 4th Inning - Upton Caught Stealing</b></p>
<p>You hate to say anything bad about the kid when he's 16-for-36 (.444) in his 9-game hitting streak. But at 22-years-old he's got to learn these lessons and you can be sure Gibby pointed this point out.</p>
<p>Upton get a leadoff, ground-rule double to right (a near replica of one he hit to the same spot last night) and takes second. With Miguel Montero batting from the left side, Upton attempts to steal third base.</p>
<p>"Justin made a mistake out there and he knows it," Gibby said. "The mistake that Justin made was a learning experience for him. In general, you're down two runs and there's a left-handed hitter up and there's no outs we wouldn't try and steal that base. I always tell you guys, you take what's given to you. That's a bit of a force."</p>
<p>Justin did know it, "It was a stupid mistake. My thought process was, Miggie (Montero) has been scuffling a little bit. I wanted to get to third base (so) a fly ball gets us a run. Obviously, that thought process has to be thought out a little bit better with no outs."</p>
<p>Not only did Upton fail to execute the steal which shouldn't have been attempted in the first place, he showed a lack of trust in his teammate. He's learning.</p>
<p>Gibby said he wasn't all that unhappy with the decision since it showed Justin was trying to make something happen. He wants his players to have that aggressive mind-set but they need to learn to make better decisions. </p>
<p><b>Chad Qualls - 2 Innings, No runs</b></p>
<p>The numbers don't show it yet, but the D-backs think Qualls is making progress, "The thing about Chad, even when he gets guys on base like what happened in the very beginning, he's always got that good sinker and has a chance for a double-play. And he can strike people out. That's why he's a good, talented pitcher. We know it and he's certainly on his way back."</p>
<p>He's moved over on the rubber some and is trying to simplify things which may or may not help.</p>
<p>Your instinct might be to just bench the guy and give up on him, but with the Diamondbaks so far down in the standings they can afford to try and find a way to salvage his season. It's a risk, for sure, and at times it will be painful, but there's great upside if they can get Chad back to where he should be.</p>
<p>If nothing else, he's got the public support of his manager. Now, let's see him put a couple more good innings together to show he deserves it.</p>
<p><b>Post-game audio</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/400045/Gibby_post_game_072210.mp3">Gibby post game 072210</a></li>
<li><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/400046/Upton_post_game_072210.mp3">Upton post game 072210</a></li>
<li> <a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/400063/Rodrigo_Lopez_post_game_072210.mp3">Lopez post game 072210</a> </li>
</ul>
<p>For more game-coverage visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snakepit.</a></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1583697/3-diamondback-mistakes-in-a-gameSeth Pollack2010-07-22T21:14:55-07:002010-07-22T21:14:55-07:00Game Recap: D-backs Fall To Cain, Giants 3-0
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<p>Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) – Matt Cain fanned nine batters over eight shutout innings and Buster Posey continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-4 with an <span class="caps">RBI</span> as the Giants blanked the Diamondbacks, 3-0, at Chase Field.</p>
<p>Cain (8-8) allowed three hits and walked three batters to win his second straight start after losing four consecutive decisions. Brian Wilson retired the side in order in the ninth for his 27th save.</p>
<p>Andres Torres belted a solo homer for San Francisco, which won for the eighth time in 10 games. Posey, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games, has been the majors’ hottest hitter this month leading the entire league in average (.438, 32-for-73).</p>
<p>Rodrigo Lopez (5-9) surrendered five hits and three runs over seven innings for Arizona, which was coming off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1583658/game-recap-d-backs-fall-to-cainCory Williams2010-07-22T17:36:51-07:002010-07-22T17:36:51-07:00Manager's Pregame Notes: Bullpen Is A Go, Encouraged By Winning Close Games
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<p><b>The hangover effect</b></p>
<p>After playing almost 5 hours in last night's 14 inning victory, the Diamondbacks were a bit slow getting rolling today. Gibby's pregame media availability was pushed back 30 minutes and the team skipped formal batting practice.</p>
<p>The Snake's bullpen however, is fully available despite five guys pitching a combined eight innings.</p>
<p>Qualls and Noberto, the only two arms who didn't throw in the extra-innings duel, are likely the first up. Hopefully, Rodrigo Lopez can go long and the bats provide plenty of run support. No one wants to see Qualls come into a close game.</p>
<p>"I think everybody's available. We have to be careful with some of the guys but they've, I believe, had the least amount of inning of any bullpen so they're well-rested," Gibby said.</p>
<p>Montero is back in the line-up after catching all 14 innings last night. He told his manager that he's fine and ready to go.</p>
<p>"It will be interesting to see how he reacts to it. It will give us a better idea of where he's at."</p>
<p><b>Feeling good...or better anyway</b></p>
<p>Gibby expressed his pleasure at the way his team won the past two games.</p>
<p>He was even more pleased with their ability to win low-scoring, tight games than getting the sweep itself, "We need to be able to score three runs and win a game, or four runs and win a game, or two runs and win a game and that was the most encouraging thing."</p>
<p><b>Emergency preparations</b></p>
<p>When the D-backs used their final bench player, Chris Snyder, as a pinch hitter Gibby had to prepare for the game to go longer and the possibility of losing his catcher to injury. If that happened, Ojeda was the emergency catcher with Upton moving in to third and Mr. Edwin Jackson set to take the outfield.</p>
<p>Edwin was pretty pleased with himself just for being asked to put on his spikes and grab a glove, just in case.</p>
<p>At the end of the 14th, the D-backs still had two arms left in the pen so they could have gone a few more innings but Adam LaRoche was slated to get the ball if the game went that far. He fancies himself a potential pitcher and jokes about going to Winter ball to work on his pitching.</p>
<p>Mark Grace, who <a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20021211&content_id=184550&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=null">famously pitched an inning</a> against the Dodgers in September 2002 in a 19-1 blowout, was sitting in the office and surprisingly didn't chime in about the pitching prowess's of first-basemen.</p>
<p>Gibby said he was involved in a 20 inning game in Houston during his career that ended with Fernando Valenzuela playing first base.</p>
<p>It would have been fun to see Edwin in the outfield and LaRoche on the mound but I am glad the game ended when it did - and how it did.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1583254/managers-pregame-notes-bullpen-isSeth Pollack2010-07-22T08:52:28-07:002010-07-22T08:52:28-07:00Confident Diamondbacks Host Giants, Lopez Gets Start, 6:40 P.M, AZT
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<p> <span style="border-collapse: separate; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">(Sports Network) - The<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/SFG">San Francisco Giants</a><span> </span>are still fighting for the top spot in the National League West Division. An upcoming four-game series against the<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/ARI">Arizona Diamondbacks</a><span> </span>could help with that quest.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/SFG">Giants</a>, who are four games behind the NL West-leading<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/SDP">San Diego Padres</a>, will kick off a four-game set tonight in Phoenix and will try to rebound from last night's 2-0 loss to the<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/LOS">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>.<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/328/Barry_Zito">Barry Zito</a> suffered the hard-luck loss in the finale of a three-game set at Chavez Ravine and was reached for both runs and six hits over 7 1/3 innings.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">"I didn't have it the first three innings," Zito said. "Giving up the homer to [Casey] Blake was frustrating. I settled down after that."</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/357/Freddy_Sanchez">Freddy Sanchez</a><span> </span>had two of San Francisco's five hits and<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/68908/Buster_Posey">Buster Posey</a><span> </span>extended his career-high hitting streak to 15 games after going 1-for-4.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">The Giants have still won 11 of their last 14 games, but need to work on their 11-21 ledger against division opponents.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Streaky Giants starter<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/1081/Matt_Cain">Matt Cain</a><span> </span>will handle pitching duties for the 20th time this season tonight and is just 7-8 with a 3.30 earned run average in 19 starts. After winning four straight starts over a month ago, Cain fell into a slump and went 0-4 with a 7.45 ERA in five starts from June 19-July 9.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Cain, however, bounced back in Saturday's 8-4 triumph over the visiting<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/NYM">New York Mets</a><span> </span>by tossing seven innings of one-run ball and allowing four hits.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">The right-hander is only 2-5 in 10 road starts this season, but shut out Arizona the last time he faced them on May 28. He went the distance in that game, which took place in San Francisco, and yielded one hit with nine strikeouts in improving to 5-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 15 career starts versus the D-Backs.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Cain owns two shutouts and three complete games this season.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Arizona enters this series with some added confidence after sweeping the visiting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM">Mets</a> in three games at Chase Field. It entered the series having lost four in a row, but bounced back in a huge way with a 13-2 win in the opener of the set. The D'Backs then won by a 3-2 score on Tuesday and are coming off last night's 4-3 victory in 14 innings.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Pinch-hitter <span>Chris Snyder</span> singled home<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/4313/Justin_Upton">Justin Upton</a><span> </span>for the game-winning run in the 14th frame, while<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31892/Rusty_Ryal">Rusty Ryal</a><span> </span>ended 4-for-5 with a home run.<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/247/Chris_Young">Chris Young</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/688/Mark_Reynolds">Mark Reynolds</a><span> </span>also went deep for Arizona, which got three hits and a run scored from Upton.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/28/Dan_Haren">Dan Haren</a><span> </span>started for Arizona and gave up three runs and six hits with eight strikeouts in six innings for the no-decision. The D-Backs had lost each of Haren's last six starts.<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/1011/Blaine_Boyer">Blaine Boyer</a><span> </span>got the win with two scoreless innings of relief.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">"He threw well, but unfortunately we got into a deadlock there," <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/ARI">Diamondbacks</a> manager Kirk Gibson said of Haren. "He went as far as I would let him go."</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">The Diamondbacks, who are last in the NL West, will hand the ball to<span> </span><a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/548/Rodrigo_Lopez">Rodrigo Lopez</a><span> </span>tonight, and he is 3-2 with a 4.40 ERA in his last five starts. He lost his most recent mound appearance in an 8-5 decision at San Diego on Saturday, as he permitted six runs and six hits over six innings.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">Lopez, who has given up a total of 11 runs over his last three starts, fell to 5-8 with a 4.62 ERA in 19 total trips to the mound this season. He is 3-4 in 10 home starts and will face San Francisco for the second time in 2010. Lopez was reached for six runs and 10 hits in five innings of an 8-7 loss to the Giants back on May 20 and is 0-1 in three career starts versus San Francisco.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">San Francisco leads the 2010 season series with Arizona by a slim 3-2 margin, but is 16-7 over the past 23 meetings between the two ballclubs.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/2318226/confident-diamondbacks-host-giants-lopez-gets-start-6-40-p-m-aztLolly Konecky