Game Report
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Game Report: Snakes v. Rockies, April 22, 2009
The Diamondbacks found the formula on Wednesday afternoon: a strong performance from their starter, a crooked number of runs on the scoreboard, and a bullpen that pitched like it mattered. These three things are all you need to know about Arizona's 2-0 win over Colorado.
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1. HAREN WAS STELLAR ... AGAIN. He pitched brilliantly in his first three outings, only to see lesser pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez, Randy Wolf, and Jonathan Sanchez rewarded with victories that should have been his. Once again, Diamondbacks starter Danny Haren pitched deep and well on Wednesday. His line: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K. Haren now boasts an impressive 1.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 26 K in 26 IP. What else can we say? The man is amazing.
2. THE BATS GAVE HIM THE LEAD. Arizona's offense did not produce much, but the bats came through when it mattered most. The game was scoreless and Haren had thrown 103 pitches when Chris B. Young singled to lead-off the Snakes' seventh. Chris Snyder followed an Eric...
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Game Report: Snakes v. Rockies, April 20, 2009
Winning a pitcher's duel, like the Diamondbacks did on Saturday, is great. To rally from behind on three-run bombs is a blast. Losing just sucks. There's drama in each, but we've had enough drama for awhile.
For a change, we wished for the Snakes to take control of a game and hold it through the final out. Back home on Monday night, they did just that.
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Jon Garland did his part and got his deserved second win. Six and two-thirds innings pitched, with six hits, a pair of walks, just one earned run and five strikeouts. If Arizona gets innings like that from the back of the rotation, much else will fall into place.
Garland got help, too. Diamondbacks bats were silenced in San Francisco. Two home run calls announced their return tonight.
Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero connected loudly on balls that cleared the outfield fence. Reynolds' lashed his into the left field stands for an early 1-0 lead. We dig the long-ball, if you’re offering.
More than that, though, we’re down...
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Game Report: Snakes v. Cards, April 14, 2009
No Arizona player would have been better to come to the plate in the situation. Down by a 4-3 score in the eighth, runners on first and second bases, Arizona on a nasty grip of play. With two outs and the pitcher's spot up, Conor Jackson was called on to pinch hit.
The tension in the team had built in the months since Manny joined the Dodgers, through the end of 2008, over a frustrating off-season, during a loser of a spring, and well into the second week of the 2009 campaign. Hands, jaws and bellies all clenched.
How tightly wound were the Snakes, at three games below .500 despite playing their third consecutive home series? They were coiled, but not like Diamondbacks ready to strike. No, they were in a box, getting poked with a stick for their eighth game in a row.
LOVE DON'T GRIP.
Good thing Jackson is a flow player. There is a fluidity to his stance and the path of his bat that defies the paralyzing effects of pressure. He stands tall in the batter's box and swings his hips...
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Game Report: Snakes v. Dodgers, April 12, 2009
* PHANTOM RUN - We took a break from biting the heads of chocolate bunnies to take in the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game on Sunday. Unlike the Friday or Saturday night affairs, Sunday's game was a close contest throughout, ending with a 3-1 loss that gave Los Angeles the series win. Dan Haren (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) pitched another great game and was once again denied the victory.
The turning point in the contest came in the top of the second inning. With the Diamondbacks up 1-0, the Dodgers had runners on 2B and 3B with one out and Los Angeles pitcher Randy Wolf at the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, Wolf hit a line-drive back through the box, which Haren fielded on the fly for the second out. In an instant, Haren wheeled and threw to Felipe Lopez, who retired Juan Pierre at 2B to end the inning.
The Arizona players jogged into the dugout under the apprehension that they had kept the Dodgers off the board in the inning. But by the time Mark Reynolds stepped in to lead off the bottom of...
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Game Report: Snakes v. Rockies, April 6, 2009
* BANG! - We hope you'll excuse us if Diamondbacks Nation is still shellshocked over Opening Day. The 2009 season started with a BANG! And another BANG! And another still ... so many, in fact, that we thought we might be witnessing two baseball games. Or perhaps some Monday Night Football. All tolled, the Snakes socked five home runs in today's matinee, while the visiting Rockies rocked three more balls over the outfield walls.
After some first inning hiccups -- a lead-off HBP and a wild throw to 2B by Chris Snyder -- the Diamondbacks settled down to escape the visitors' first inning without surrendering a run. That was about the only settling down Arizona fans would get to see or do all day. Felipe Lopez opened the home first by clobbering an Aaron Cook pitch for a home run. The Snakes extended their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the second when Conor Jackson reached on a single, then scored from 1B on a double by Snyder.
From there, it was a track meet. Colorado took the lead in...
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