SB Nation Arizona - D-backs Blanks KC, Wins 1st Series In Mayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46593/arizona-fave.png2012-05-20T16:07:59-07:00http://arizona.sbnation.com/rss/stream/27931452012-05-20T16:07:59-07:002012-05-20T16:07:59-07:00MLB Trade Rumors: Diamondbacks Could Look To Deal Joe Saunders Before Deadline
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<p>The MLB trade deadline is a little more than two months away, but the speculation surrounding the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> is already starting to swirl. Despite their slow start to the 2012 season, there is still plenty of time for the team to make a move in a weak National League West.</p>
<p>According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the D-backs may deal veteran lefty <span>Joe Saunders</span> regardless of whether or not the team is in contention for a playoff birth.</p>
<p>According to <a target="_blank" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video/MLB?vid=de3fba4d-ad43-4812-bc29-120b2cc9fcbf">Rosenthal's latest video update</a>, the club is prepared to listen to offers for Saunders regardless of their record. With young guns <span>Ian Kennedy</span>, <span>Daniel Hudson</span> and <span>Trevor Cahill</span> already in place in Arizona, prospects <span>Trevor Bauer</span> and <span>Tyler Skaggs</span> breezing through the Minor Leagues with dominant stuff. Saunders is only signed through the end of the 2012 season and it would appear that he would not be re-signed in the offseason, so it only makes sense for general manager Kevin Towers to test the market.</p>
<p>The return for Saunders would not be high, but the move could free up a little bit of salary space for another move. Again, no deal is imminent, but Rosenthal's video leads one to suggest that Arizona will be very active in the coming months as the trade deadline looms.</p>
<p><i>For more on the D-backs, be sure to check out <a target="_blank" href="http://azsnakepit.com">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/20/3032980/diamondbacks-trade-rumors-joe-saundersScott Coleman2012-05-20T14:05:29-07:002012-05-20T14:05:29-07:00Wade Miley Shines, Diamondbacks Blank Royals 2-0 To Win Series
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> pitcher <span>Wade Miley</span> was spectacular again as the team ended their road trip and interleague series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>. He pitched another seven scoreless innings, allowing only six hits and the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Royals 2-0. </p>
<p>In the fifth inning, <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> doubled to lead off the inning. <span>Aaron Hill</span> singled, but Goldschmidt held at third. Then <span>John McDonald</span> executed a squeeze bunt that scored the run. </p>
<p>They added on a run in the eighth when <span>Gerardo Parra</span> walked, was sacrificed to second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by <span>Justin Upton</span>. </p>
<p>David Hernandez struck out the side in the eighth and <span>J.J. Putz</span> set down KC in order in the ninth to lock down the win and record his ninth save on the year. </p>
<p>Miley improved to 5-1 on the year, as Arizona won a series for the first time since April when they took three of four from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>. </p>
<p>They return home for a homestand on Monday. </p>
<p><b><i>Get more Diamondbacks coverage over at </i></b><a href="http://azsnakepit.com/"><b><i>AZ Snakepit</i></b></a><b><i>.</i></b></p>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/20/3032798/wade-miley-shines-diamondbacks-blank-royals-2-0-to-win-seriesJess Root2012-05-19T19:16:01-07:002012-05-19T19:16:01-07:00Royals Shell Kennedy, Diamondback Fall 7-3
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<p>Ian Kennedy is not playing as well as he did last season. In that regard, he joins many (most) of his <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> teammates. Kennedy managed just five innings with six runs allowed on eight hits. Instead of the staff ace extending a rare two-game winning streak, Kennedy got shelled by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, it's hard to blame Kennedy when the offense made <span>Bruce Chen</span> look like <span>Justin Verlander</span> (6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 SO, 2 BB). Apparently, having Chris Young back in the lineup isn't a silver bullet after all.</p>
<p>The Royals got to Kennedy for one run in the second inning off a Chris Getz RBI single. They score two more in the third, another in the fourth and a couple more in the fifth before Ian was sent to the showers. The pen (lefty <span>Mike Zagurski</span>) gave up another in the sixth just to keep the Royals scoring streak alive.</p>
<p>The D-backs finally broke up the shutout in seventh inning with a minor rally started by a <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> double. <span>Ryan Roberts</span> doubled in Goldy and then scored himself off a <span>Willie Bloomquist</span> single. Aaron Hill's double-play ball ended the threat.</p>
<p><span>Wade Miley</span> (4-1, 2.52), who's been the Snakes most consistent starter, takes the hill Sunday against the Royals Nathan Adcock (0-1, 2.51). That day game starts at 11:10 a.m. Arizona time and will be on Fox Sports Arizona.</p>
<p><i>For more on the slumping Diamondbacks, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com">AZ Snakepit</a>.</i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/19/3031632/kc-royals-ian-kennedy-arizona-diamondback-recapSeth Pollack2012-05-18T20:17:07-07:002012-05-18T20:17:07-07:00Diamondbacks Beat Royals In Chris Young's Return, 6-4
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<p>For one night at least, the 2012 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> looked a lot like their brethren from last summer. Solid starting pitching. Clutch hitting. Late taking of a lead. Bullpen shutting the door. That's a recipe for success in a lot of baseball games but it only works with the right ingredients.</p>
<p>Chris Young, back for the first time since going on the DL after an April 17 meeting with the wall, was the missing piece. Maybe.</p>
<p>Young had a ridiculous start to the season going (.410 BA, 1.397 OPS) before a spectacular catch injured his right shoulder. In his first game back he was "relegated" to the DH role (which must have killed the defensive stud) against the AL <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>. All he did was line drive a double that plated the tying and go-ahead run in the sixth inning.</p>
<p>Perhaps even more encouraging, middle of the order guys <span>Miguel Montero</span> and <span>Justin Upton</span> seemed <strike>buoyed </strike>calmed Young's presence.</p>
<p>Montero wasn't over-swinging at every pitch and as a result "gently" drove a ball to the opposite field that gave the D-backs the two-run margin of victory. Upton went 2-3 with a walk and scored three of his team's six runs.</p>
<p>On the mound, <span>Joe Saunders</span> bounced back from a couple of bad outings to give his team what they'd come to expect.</p>
<p>We knew he wasn't the guy who had a .090 ERA in April and we also know he isn't the guy who gave up 13 runs in his last two starts. Instead, Joe gave up eight hits but only three runs in his six innings. It was a very Saunders-like start which is exactly what his team needed.</p>
<p>Sure, <span>Brad Ziegler</span> gave up game-tying run in the seventh that cost Joe a win, but a glimpse of the late-inning heroics we were spoiled by last summer quickly got two back of the aforementioned Montero double.</p>
<p>Craig Breslow and J.J Putz finished off the Royals night.</p>
<p><span>Ian Kennedy</span> faced <span>Bruce Chen</span> on Saturday in Kansas City.</p>
<p><i>For more on the D-backs, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com">AZ Snake Pit</a></i></p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/18/3030056/arizona-diamondbacks-kansas-city-royals-final-scoresSeth Pollack2012-05-18T12:50:20-07:002012-05-18T12:50:20-07:00Chris Young Returns To D-Backs, A.J. Pollock Optioned To Triple-A Reno
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<p>The slumping <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> will be betting one of their big bats back in the lineup as the team announced Friday afternoon that they have reinstated outfielder Chris Young from the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder <span>A.J. Pollock</span> to Triple-A Reno, according to D-backs' Executive Vice President & General Manager Kevin Towers.</p>
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<p><u></u>Young was placed on the 15-day DL after suffering a right shoulder contusion back on April 18. He played four rehabilitation games with Single-A Visalia and Triple-A Reno, going 4-for-15 (.267) with 3 doubles, 1 home run (a grand slam) and 8 RBI. Before going down with injury Young was .410 (16-for-39) with 4 doubles, 5 home runs and 13 RBI for Arizona. </p>
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<p><u></u>As for Pollock, 24, was had an up-and-down time with theD-backs, hitting .229 (11-for-48) with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 4 RBI in 20 games with Arizona.</p>
<p>The D-backs begin interleague play this weekend with a three game set with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>. </p>
<p><i>For more on the Arizona Diamondbacks, head over to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com">AZ Snake Pit. </a></i></p>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/18/3029362/chris-young-returns-from-dl-diamondbacksErnie Pomin2012-05-18T11:36:20-07:002012-05-18T11:36:20-07:00All Eyes On Trevor Bauer In Triple-A Debut In Reno
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> pitching prospect <span>Trevor Bauer</span> gets a lot of attention wherever he goes. He is quirky, he throws hard and a lot of pitches and he has that fascinating warm up routine of long-toss. And not just long-toss, it is foul pole to foul pole long-toss. </p>↵<p>On Friday night, he will make his debut with the Reno Aces, the triple-A minor league affiliate of the D-backs. He was promoted on Thursday from Double-A Mobile after eight starts, going 7-1 with a 1.68 ERA.</p>↵<p>This start is significant because he starts for the first time, not only in a higher level of professional ball, but Reno's stadium and the Pacific Coast League in general are known for being very, very hitter-friendly. By the same token, the Southern League (where Mobile is) is a pitcher friendly league. </p>↵<p>So if he can duplicate his success, which was pretty much complete dominance, everyone can ratchet up the buzz a little bit more. Because if he keeps it up, the big leagues will not be too far away. </p>↵<p><b><i>Get more Diamondbacks coverage over at </i></b><a href="http://azsnakepit.com/"><b><i>AZ Snakepit</i></b></a><b><i>.</i></b></p>↵<p><b><i>For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter </i></b><a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/sbnarizona"><b><i>@SBNArizona</i></b></a><b><i> </i></b><b><i>and "Like" us </i></b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/sbnarizona"><b><i>on Facebook.</i></b></a><b><i></i></b></p>↵
https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/18/3029157/all-eyes-on-trevor-bauer-in-triple-a-debut-in-renoJess Root2012-05-18T11:06:28-07:002012-05-18T11:06:28-07:00Arizona Diamondbacks Smartest Team in MLB, According To Report
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<p>With the amount of money being thrown around and the dream of playing a game for a living a possiblity, it's easy to see why most talented baseball players would choose to skip higher education after high school and do what they can to go pro. There are only a select number of players in MLB who go the whole way, actually earning a four-year college degree. </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/curtis-granderson-college-grads-in-baseball-a-rare-breed-051712">Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi</a> dug into this fact in his column Friday morning, noting that only 39 of the 917 players to see action in the majors this season have a degree, a whopping 4.3 percent. But the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> are way ahead of the curve, as they are (technically) the most learned team in all of baseball. </p>
<p>Arizona has seven players with college degrees on their roster, including <span>Willie Bloomquist</span> (Arizona State), <span>Craig Breslow</span> (Yale), <span>John McDonald</span> (Providence), <span>Takashi Saito</span> (Tohoku Fukushi University in Japan), <span>Mike Zagurski</span>(Kansas) and <span>Brad Ziegler</span> (Southwest Missouri State) and <span>J.J. Putz</span> (Michigan), who earned his kinesiology degree 11 years after being drafted. That 18 percent of the league's current degree holders. </p>
<p>Although that looks good on paper, those degrees don't necessarily equate to more offense and better defense:</p>
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<p>"I am thrilled to see we have the most educated players, but they are only as smart as their win/loss record," Diamondbacks club president Derrick Hall said when told of his team's standing among baseball's mortarboard wearers.</p>
<p>"I happen to believe our guys are as smart as any, but fans want to see wins. Where I do see the difference is with an educated group that understands the business of the game, the importance of the fan and the significance of giving back to the community. That can be linked to education and a strong level of common sense."</p>
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<p>Arizona will have to use all of their smarts to get back into the NL West race, but luckily have lots of time to do so. But they already knew that. </p>
<p><i>For more on the D-backs, head over to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com">AZ Snake Pit</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.arizona.sbnation.com">SB Nation Arizona. </a></i></p>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/18/3029118/arizona-diamondbacks-smartest-team-in-mlb-according-to-reportErnie Pomin2012-05-18T10:39:20-07:002012-05-18T10:39:20-07:00Diamondbacks Vs. Royals, Series Preview: D-Backs Head to KC For First Interleague Matchup Of 2012
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<p>The Diamondbacks head to Kansas City to take on the Royals in interleague play. For more on the D-backs head over to <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com" target="new">AZ Snake Pit. </a></p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> are stuck in a bit of a funk, but are hoping to shake things up and turn their ship around with their first interleague series of the season against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> at Kaufman Stadium. </p>
<p>Arizona has won just three of their last 10 games, while the Royals have begun to fight back after their 12-game losing, wining 12 of their last 19 matchups. But with Chris Young on the mend and the top of the rotation taking the bump this series, Arizona could make up some ground this weekend in the NL West. </p>
<p>Lefty <span>Joe Saunders</span> (2-3, 3.43) takes the bump on Friday, squaring off against the Royals' <span>Luis Mendoza</span> (2-2, 4.76). Saunders finds himself 0-2 with a 12.96 ERA in his last 2 starts after starting the season 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA in his first five. Medonza earned the victory in an emergency appearance in his last outing with 5.2 innings of one-run ball against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> after starter <span>Danny Duffy</span> left with an injury. </p>
<p>First pitch is set for 5:10 p.m. PT with coverage on Fox Sports Arizona, KTAR 620, ESPN Deportes 710, and Jose 106.9, while Fox Sports KC & 610 Sports in with have coverage in the Kansas City area. </p>
<p><span>Ian Kennedy</span> (3-3, 3.81) takes on lefty <span>Bruce Chen</span> (2-4, 4.34) in Saturday's game, with Kennedy looking to stop the bleeding after three straight losses. He bested the Royals on June 22 of last year at Kauffman Stadium, giving up just one run in six innings pitched, though has had his problems in interleague play with a 2-4 record and 5.76 ERA in 7 interleague starts, including going 1-4 with a 6.37 ERA in AL ballparks. </p>
<p>As for Chen he's coming off of two straight wins including 6.2 innings of one-run ball against Texas. First pitch is at 4:15 p.m PT with coverage on FOX Network in both regions, KTAR 620, ESPN Deportes 710, and Jose 106.9 in AZ and 610 Sports in KC. </p>
<p>Have breakfast with the D-backs on Sunday when <span>Wade Miley</span> (4-1, 2.52) takes the bump. Kansas City is yet to name a starter for this game.</p>
<p>Miley has been pitching very well as of late, getting four wins in his last five starts including a victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in his last outing. First pitch will be at 11:10 a.m. PT with Fox Sports Arizona, KTAR 620, ESPN Deportes 710, and Jose 106.9 will have coverage in AZ. Fox Sports KC & 610 Sports will have coverage in the Kansas City area. </p>
<p>Arizona swept the Royals in their interleague meeting last season at Kaufman Stadium, a similar outcome would certainly do them some goos this time around. </p>
<p><i>For more on the D-backs, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.azsnakepit.com">AZ Snake Pit</a>. For the Royals side of the story, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.royalsreview.com">Royals Review</a>. </i></p>
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https://arizona.sbnation.com/arizona-diamondbacks/2012/5/18/3029029/diamondbacks-vs-royals-series-preview-ian-kennedyErnie Pomin