Albert Pujols
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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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Diamondbacks Notes: April 14, 2009
* DO SNAKES HAVE BUTTS? - If they do, they're getting sore from yet another spanking by a visiting opponent. On Monday night it was the Cardinals who opened a three-game series by beating the Diamondbacks 2-1 at Chase Field. Starter Doug Davis pitched well and deep into the contest to finish with a line of 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K. He took his second loss of the season despite surrendering only a pair of runs on solo homers, including a blast by monster slugger Albert Pujols.
As you can tell from the final score, pitching was not the problem for the Diamondbacks yesterday. Rather, it was the offense that failed to do its part. Arizona's bats scratched out a single run on Chad Tracy's RBI double in the fourth. Conor Jackson, who doesn't get a lot of attention for his base-running, raced around from 1B for the run. (It was the second such tally by Jackson on the season; he scored from 1B on a Chris Snyder double on Opening Day.) Monday's weak out-put continues a troubling pattern...
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Series Preview: Diamondbacks v. Cardinals
* PREVIEW: ARI v. STL - The Diamondbacks (2-4) have had a disappointing start to the season, dropping back-to-back series with division rivals Colorado and Los Angeles. Arizona will have to improve its home-cooking to prevent falling further off the pace with the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals (5-2) coming to town for a three-game series.
Notwithstanding their fine record (compiled against the lowly Pirates and Astros), the Cardinals do have some questions of their own, primarily on the pitching staff. Against the Snakes, St. Louis is slated to throw a so-so trio of starters: converted reliever Todd Wellemeyer, Tommy John-returnee Chris Carpenter, and the unimpressive Joel Pineiro. Only Carpenter has ever been the type to strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters; it will take more than a win over the lowly Pirates to persuade us he's back. Wellemeyer and Pineiro are the sort of classic cast-offs with which pitching coach Dave Duncan likes to work.
Duncan asks his...
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Snakes Stake NL West Hopes on Dunn's Mighty Bat
Well, damn. Just when you thought the Diamondbacks had opted against a move for one of the big bats available on the trade market, they land the major league leader in home runs -- a week and a half past the trade deadline!
Kudos to Josh Byrnes and the front office crew for making the move to acquire Adam Dunn.
Arizona's offense, which surged after the All-Star Break, sputtered once again beginning with the July 31-August 3 series in Los Angeles. In splitting a four game set with their closest division rivals, the Diamondbacks scored a grand total of nine runs. They managed to exceed that pace in subsequent series against the woeful Pirates and Braves, but Arizona bats could not put enough runs on the board to avoid a 3-4 home stand.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have added a formidable hitter in Manny Ramirez, whose scorching hot bat may yet carry them past Arizona in the NL West. The trade for Dunn is a direct answer to the challenge laid down by LA.
The fit is not ideal for...
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