![[Valid Atom 1.0]](images/valid-atom.png "Valid Atom 1.0")
This is a valid Atom 1.0 feed.
This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.
line 35, column 0: (19 occurrences) [help]
<img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-ri ...
line 35, column 0: (19 occurrences) [help]
<img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-ri ...
line 35, column 0: (19 occurrences) [help]
<img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-ri ...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" xml:lang="en-US" > <title type="text">AZ Snake Pit</title> <subtitle type="text">Your best source for quality Arizona Diamondbacks news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.</subtitle> <updated>2025-08-25T01:35:55+00:00</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/index.xml</id> <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/rss/index.xml" /> <entry> <author> <name>imstillhungry95</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Snakepit Roundtable: Realignment Beckons]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/arizona-diamondbacks-analysis-amp-commentary/83914/snakepit-roundtable-realignment-beckons" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83914</id> <updated>2025-08-24T21:35:55-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-24T21:35:55-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Arizona Diamondbacks Analysis & Commentary" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[What cities should get MLB teams in expansion? Spencer: I like the idea of Charlotte and Portland. Coastal and newer.  James: Nashville feels inevitable to me. They have an ownership group. They have a stadium deal.They have been patiently doing everything necessary to hit the ground running. If Nashville gets passed over, there are going […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-1032280996.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><h4 class="wp-block-heading">What cities should get MLB teams in expansion?</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Spencer: </strong>I like the idea of Charlotte and Portland. Coastal and newer. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>James:</strong> Nashville feels inevitable to me. They have an ownership group. They have a stadium deal.They have been patiently doing everything necessary to hit the ground running. If Nashville gets passed over, there are going to be an awful lot of questions needing answers. My guess is, the other team will be placed somewhere in the west. If that’s the case, either Portland or Salt Lake City make sense to me. I would probably preferPortland, but there is something to be said for SLC getting a team. SLC, Las Vegas, and Arizona make for a nice grouping of three teams to put into a four-team conference. Given that Fisher still owns the Athletics and new teams have significant hurdles placed in their paths, I like Arizona’s chances in such a conference.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Ben: </strong>I’ll definitely shill for Nashville – although they’ve done a great job advocating for themselves already. My best friend lives there and I’ve visited enough to really like the area. It’s a surprisingly strong sports town too with good attendance for the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC from MLS, and even the Sounds regularly top MiLB attendance records. I suspect the other site would be on the western side of the country so Salt Lake City would be a strong contender as would Portland, but I’ll go outside the lines a little and ask if another Canadian city like Vancouver or Calgary would be considered given the ongoing focus on growing the game outside of the US. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>1AZfan1:</strong> Agree with James that Nashville feels like a lock. Salt Lake would be my pick for the other if it comes down to needing to be a western team. I know Portland has been pushing for a team, but Salt Lake City’s push for being the temporary home of the A’s while they waited for the Las Vegas stadium to be built was pretty impressive. Portland does have a larger population than SLC and is close to Seattle, which may be a factor if reducing wear and tear on players by reducing travel distance is the main goal of divisional realignment. If MLB decides that travel distance really isn’t the priority and they don’t go to some sort of East/West conference alignment, I think Charlotte has a really good argument to be the second team added. Charlotte is larger than both Portland and SLC and they already support NFL and NBA teams. Atlanta may have strong feelings about allowing 2 teams from their geographic area into the league, though.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Makakilo: </strong> I’m not sure, and I’m giving it some thought. Perhaps it will take an offseason of thinking to decide. A preliminary observation: Of the locations in the United States, Salt Lake City is furthest from any existing MLB team’s city, while at the same time filling the gap between the Rockies, the Diamondbacks, and the Las Vegas As.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">With expansion comes the potential for realignment. What do you think the team should prioritize when advocating?</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Spencer: </strong>I hope they prioritize winning and therefore removal from the California teams. But if Kendrick wants to leave the team to his children, I could very easily see him wanting to keep the Dodgers, Padres and Giants as draws for filling seats with butts regularly. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>James: </strong>It really depends on how many teams are placed in each division. The common theory seems to be that they will have eight, four-team conferences. If that turns out to be the case, I would want the Diamondbacks to focus on getting themselves slotted into a division away from the Dodgers. With there still being four teams remaining in California, it would make sense for California to be its own conference. But, there is something to be said for regional rivalries and travel time. I could see Arizona winding up in a conference with San Diego and maybe even the Dodgers. If I am Kendrick, I am trying to avoid that. Sure, those games might put a few more butts in seats, but the reality is that the team would be forever praying to earn a wild card berth each season. Away from the California juggernauts, Arizona has a real chance of being competitive every season.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Ben: </strong>While I’d obviously love to see the team prioritize winning when advocating, I suspect they will keep an eye out on attendance and revenue. Those competing priorities might mean that the team focuses more on being grouped with at least one of the California teams, but I could easily see them betting on the population growth of the expansion team like SLC and expecting to be the “big fish” in the smaller pond to offset the lost rivalry from the current alignment. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>1AZfan1:</strong> Getting away from the juggernaut Dodgers seems to be the consensus, and I agree with that, but I’ll present a devil’s advocate view. Staying in the same division as the Padres, Giants and Dodgers (likely the other 3 teams in a theoretical 4 team division) would be really good for regular season attendance, as noted by Spencer above, which provides a more stable stream of income than hoping for playoff revenue (at least that’s what I assume). What the Diamondbacks ownership group could bang the table for if they appear to be getting pushed into this monster of a division is for MLB to add a fourth Wild Card berth. That would take the odds of being a playoff team up from the current model. As we’ve seen every year, division crowns don’t necessarily equate to playoff success, so just get to the dance by whatever means and then who knows what can happen once you’re in. Getting expanded playoff berths while keeping our current rivalries would be best of both worlds, in my opinion.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Makakilo:</strong> Grouping the Diamondbacks with Denver, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City would be geographically close. Also, the absence of the Dodgers would feel great. That means I hope Salt Lake City gets an expansion team. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Thinking deeper, if Portland gets an expansion team, perhaps they would be grouped with California teams, making it less likely that the Diamondbacks will be grouped with the Dodgers.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Corbin Carroll is setting career highs like they are nothing this season. How many (and which ones) do you think will remain career highs for him when he’s preparing for retirement?</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Spencer: </strong>I’m going to be optimistic and say none of the 2025 career highs he’s set remain so when he’s giving his Hall of Fame induction speech. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>James: </strong>I think it is still possible that Carroll ends up with a 20-triple season. If he does, I could see that being a single-season highwater mark. I would not be surprised if he continues to set new marks for the next few years though.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Ben: </strong>I love Spencer’s optimism! I tend to agree with James, the number of triples he’s posted this year will be difficult to surpass. They’re just so situation-dependent while something like home runs are a little less so and can be a focus in the offseason for him. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>1AZfan1:</strong> I’ll guess that this year will be his high-water mark for Outfield Assists, but who knows. I am just continually floored by the man, I’m sure he can find plenty of ways to surprise us.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Makakilo: </strong> James looks right: he will hit 4 more triples to reach 20, which will very likely be a career-high.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gurriel looks like Schwarber in August. Does this change his decision on the player option he holds for 2026?</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Spencer: </strong>I lean no, but I somewhat hope he does opt out. It would give us some more leeway on the free agent market. Assuming we stick in house with his replacement, it could open up some Reno/Amarillo playing time for the likes of Caldwell and Waldschmidt and maybe some MLB time for Lawlar. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>James:</strong> I don’t think one hot month towards the end of the season is going to change his calculus much. If he stays this hot through the end of the season entirely, maybe he opts out. If he doesn’t opt out, I think he returns as the veteran presence and, despite his salary, becomes a part-time player. But that would require some prospects panning out too. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Ben: </strong>He’d have to go on a real heater over the last few weeks to warrant opting out. Given his age and track record, he’d have a difficult time beating out the $13 million his option includes on the open market given the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/_/year/2026/position/of/level/mlb">upcoming</a> free agent market for outfielders has alternatives at basically every price point. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Makakilo: </strong> In August, his homers per PA was 6.7% (compared to 2.8% March to July). In August, his RBIs per PA was 31.1% (compared to 11.3% March to July). Very impressive!</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">A broader look at the entire season shows 14 K% (89th percentile in MLB per Baseball Savant), which was much better than 18 K% projected. Two contributors were whiffs and squared-up at the 77th percentile. It is unlikely he will opt out because:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>his full season OPS is slightly less than projected.</li> <li>his homers are nearly entirely pulled (perhaps not sustainable).</li> <li>he can achieve great performance in his role as a Diamondback. </li></ul> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>1AZfan1:</strong> Agree with James that he’s gonna need to stay close to this hot through the end of the season to make opting out a real possibility. If he ends up around 25 HR/100 RBI, there’s likely a multi-year deal waiting for him in free agency. If he’s closer to 20/85, it means he didn’t do much of anything the final month of the year and other teams would probably be wary of offering more than a single year guaranteed.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">You’ve woken up and the world needs you to pick a naming structure for a whole new human solar system. What do you roll with? </h4> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Spencer: </strong>I am a well known Star Wars fan. So I’ll go with my favorite fandom and go with that. But I would want to see each solar body and decide which name fits best. Whatever planet humans settle first would be Coruscant. But if there’s a big water giant out there, Mon Calamari would be good. I’d try to focus on the lesser known planets from the lore rather than the generic single biome planets the movies tend to show. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>James:</strong> I tend to be unimaginative and practical about those sorts of things. Spencer’s Forest Moon of Endor would simply be Forest Moon. Aarakis is simply called Dune. A water planet like Caladan would be Oceana, a diverse world would probably be some “clever” name that is a reference to a number, representing whatever number planet it is for the naming convention.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Ben: </strong>I’m also not creative enough for this assignment. I think the easiest method would be to find the identifying geographical or geological features of the planet and find a systematic way beyond that. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Makakilo: </strong> Instead of naming the planets after Greek Gods, I’d roll with women superheroes:</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Mercury> Lightning</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Venus> Wonder Woman</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Earth> Electra</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Mars> Black Widow</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Jupiter> Thunder</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Saturn> Supergirl</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Uranus> The Wasp</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Neptune> Elastagirl</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>1AZfan1: </strong>Good idea from Mak! I have zero imagination so will probably just stick with naming conventions that I’m familiar with. The planet with human existence will be Earth and I’d just go from there with the closest planets to Earth being Venus and Mars and so on. No need to change a whole bunch of names, enough has obviously changed that I don’t need to go mucking it up even more with new planet names to learn.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><em>[Ed. note] Special thanks to Spencer for his assistance with this week’s roundtable!</em></p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Jim McLennan</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Diamondbacks 1, Reds 6: Heel turn dooms D-backs]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2025-diamondbacks-games/83899/diamondbacks-reds-recap" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83899</id> <updated>2025-08-24T19:26:16-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-24T19:24:49-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="2025 Diamondbacks games" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Record: 64-67. Pace: 79-83. Change on 2024: -11. A four-game winning streak had, once again, begun to spark whispers of “We can still do this!” among the more optimistic corners of Arizona fandom. The Mets had already lost, and if the D-backs could complete a sweep of the Reds, it would have pulled them to […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2231883037.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><h4 class="wp-block-heading">Record: 64-67. Pace: 79-83. Change on 2024: -11.</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">A four-game winning streak had, once again, begun to spark whispers of “We can still do this!” among the more optimistic corners of Arizona fandom. The Mets had already lost, and if the D-backs could complete a sweep of the Reds, it would have pulled them to 4.5 back of New York, and also two behind their opponents. However, it was not to be. The Reds remained the only team in the majors not to be swept, and also clinched the season series against the D-backs, effectively giving them a four-game margin over Arizona. With the schedule only getting tougher going forward for the Diamondbacks, it probably indicates all right-thinking fans will re-enter “This is good practice for 2026” mode. Until the next four-game winning streak anyway.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">It started well enough, leadoff man Geraldo Perdomo tripling on a ball hit down into the right-field corner, which didn’t carom back out. He scored with two outs, on a Lourdes Gurriel sacrifice fly, and the Diamondbacks had jumped out to an early lead again. That was the good news. The bad news? Arizona wouldn’t get another hit until Corbin Carroll’s two-out single in the eighth inning. But let’s talk a bit more about Perdomo. There’s a real case to be made that he has been the team’s MVP this year. By bWAR coming into today, he had been worth 5.0, a full win more than Ketel Marte and Carroll (both 4.0). fWAR concurs, having Perdomo at 5.3 wins, ahead of Carroll (5.1) and Marte (4.3). Both metrics have him ranked fourth in the entire National League.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">His actions off the field don’t hurt. In the recent kerfuffle over Marte’s days off, it was notable that it was Perdomo who made the most striking statement in defense of his team-mate, interrupting the manager’s press conference to do so. And just today, it came out that Geraldo was leading by example, playing through the pain of a bone bruise in his left hand for several months. And he’s still aged only 25. Dunno about you, but at that age, I was not leading anything. 1AZFan1 perhaps put it best, apparently <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2025/1/15/24341676/geraldo-perdomo-diamondbacks-intangible-pesky-shortstop" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seeing this coming</a> in January: “Gerry’s effect on the entire club is special. Something that we can’t properly quantify. To my eye, there is only one Geraldo Perdomo. He may not rack up WAR, but he is a classic greater-than-the-sum-of-his-parts player.“</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">I feel comfortable devoting a couple of paragraphs to this, because with one exception, there was precious little else worth positive comment. That exception was Zac Gallen, who had his best start in a while. Zac tossed six innings of one-run ball, on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. The resulting Game Score of 66 was Zac’s highest since July 7, but the lack of offense doomed him to a no-decision today. It was only his fifth ND in 27 starts: you don’t see that often these days, with pitchers going less deep. Indeed, Gallen’s 22 decisions going into play today was the most in the majors, with the Giants’ Logan Webb and the Nationals’ Mitchell Parker the only others with more than twenty. This was a tough ND, to be sure.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">The Reds tied things up in the sixth, on a play the D-backs would like to have back. Noelvi Marte (no relation) hit a pitch to deep left-center, Alek Thomas taking a weird route to the ball and it went over his head. He seemed to take a bit of time getting it back to the infield, and Perdomo’s throw to third caromed off the heel of the runner as they slid into third, and into foul territory, allowing them to score. It looked like worse was to follow in the seventh when Juan Morillo relieved Gallen, and loaded the bases with one out, on a hit and two walks. But Kyle Backhus took over, and his first pitch resulted in a tailor-made double-play ball to Perdomo, who stepped on second and fired to first, ending the threat. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">This proved only a temporary reprieve, as the Reds batted around in the eighth, sending ten men to the plate in a five-run inning. Most of the damage came off Juan Burgos, who was clearly due for a meltdown, not having allowed an earned run since arriving from Seattle in the Eugenio Suarez trade. That is no longer the case. This afternoon, he retired one of the six batters faced, and was charged with four earned runs, a three-run homer to Spencer Steer being the back-breaker. John Curtiss mopped up the final four outs, and Carroll’s single in the eighth was Arizona’s second and final hit. While the bullpen certainly bears some responsibility, you won’t win many games with two hits, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and striking out a dozen times.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Carroll did reach base three times, drawing two walks in addition to his hit, and also stole two bases to put him in the 20 HR/20 SB club for the third consecutive season. Before Corbin, the last D-backs to do it were a pair in 2016: you would probably (and correctly) guess Paul Goldschmidt, but the other was the much less remembered Jean Segura. Here’s <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/3JzIi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the list</a>, not including Carroll’s 2025. Also of note, Perdomo struck out twice, his first multi-K game since July 1st. Though that 45-game streak is well short of the franchise best. Mark Grace went almost the entire World Series season without a two-K appearance, from April 22nd through September 19th, a run of 113 consecutive games. </p><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/chart_4b54ab.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><div><b>Click <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/livescoreboard.aspx?date=2025-08-24" target="_blank">here</a> for details, at Fangraphs.com</b><br><B>Moby Dick: Zac Gallen, +20.7%</b><br>Jaws: Kyle Backhus, +20.1<br><b><i>Orca, Killer Whale: Juan Burgos, -42.0%</b><br>Sharknado: Morillo, -15.5%; Marte, -11.0%</i></div> <p class="has-text-align-none">It was a lively and thoroughly entertaining Gameday Thread – right up until the Steer home-run, when it suddenly resembled the Sonoran Desert, for perfectly understandable reasons. A wide-ranging discussion up until that point, including the works of James Joyce, which segued into a discussion of unreadable books, that explains the captions on the Win Probability graph. But for Comment of the Game, we go with KJKrug and about the most un-Joyceian comment possible.</p><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/Capture_784d7a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><p class="has-text-align-none">Yes: yes, you do. It’s onto the road for the D-backs and a tough road trip to Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Eduardo Rodriguez starts tomorrow against the Brewers, with a first pitch at 4:40 pm Arizona time. </p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Jim McLennan</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Gameday Thread, #131: 8/24 vs. Reds]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/gamedaythreads/83888/gameday-thread-131-8-24-vs-reds" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83888</id> <updated>2025-08-24T13:58:07-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-24T15:30:00-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks Game Days" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Gameday Threads" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Today’s Lineups REDS DIAMONDBACKS TJ Friedl – CF Geraldo Perdomo – SS Noelvi Marte – RF Ketel Marte – 2B Elly De La Cruz – SS Corbin Carroll – RF Austin Hays – DH Lourdes Gurriel – DH Gavin Lux – LF Pavin Smith – 1B Spencer Steer – 1B Jake McCarthy – LF Ke’Bryan […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2212969526.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"><h3>Today’s Lineups</h3><div class="lineup"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra"><thead><tr><th align="left">REDS</th><th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td class="td-last td-name">TJ Friedl – CF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Geraldo Perdomo – SS</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Noelvi Marte – RF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte – 2B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Elly De La Cruz – SS</td><td class="td-first td-name">Corbin Carroll – RF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Austin Hays – DH</td><td class="td-first td-name">Lourdes Gurriel – DH</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Gavin Lux – LF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Pavin Smith – 1B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Spencer Steer – 1B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Jake McCarthy – LF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Blaze Alexander – 3B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Matt McLain – 2B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Alek Thomas – CF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Will Banfield – C</td><td class="td-first td-name">James McCann – C</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name"></td><td class="td-first td-name"></td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Brady Singer – RHP</td><td class="td-first td-name">Zac Gallen – RHP</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div> <img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/Capture_9a290d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><p class="has-text-align-none">The Diamondbacks have a chance this afternoon to do something no team has managed in 2025: sweep the Reds. For Cincinnati are the only team in the majors not to have suffered a sweep. They have had that solitary distinction for more than two months. It was June 15 when both the Mets and Yankees lost their sweepless status, leaving the Reds alone. There have certainly been opportunities, going back to April 23, when they took the last game of a series in Miami. But they have always prevailed, and are 8-0 when facing a sweep – most recently, a win over the Brewers last Sunday. Cincinnati were two outs from defeat, but an error led to the tying run, before winning 3-2 in ten.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Should the Reds stave off defeat today, and get through the rest of the schedule without getting swept, they’ll be the only NL team outside Atlanta to manage the feat over a full season since 1998. The Braves, weirdly, have done it three times: 2002, 2004 and 2022. But it’s interesting Cincinnati have only the seventh-best record in the league. For there’s another, less pleasant record the Reds hold: the longest time without advancing in the playoffs. Not just baseball either, but across all four major sports. The last time Cincinnati won a postseason series was when they beat the Dodgers in the 1995 NLDS. It’s a full decade more than the next worst in baseball: the White Sox’s last was the 2005 World Series. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Indeed, the Reds last playoff victory was 2012, which was also the last time they finished better than third in the NL Central. Doesn’t look this season will end that one, since they are eight games back of the second-placed Cubs right now. A win for the D-backs would give them a split of the season series, after the Reds won all three in Cincinnati. Probably not important, but in the <em>highly</em> unlikely event of a tiebreaker being needed, that would send it to record within their division. That could still change, but at this point, the Reds are 16-20 and the D-backs are 20-17, giving Arizona the advantage. </p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Justin Criscuolo</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Snake Bytes 8/24]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/d-backs-daily/83883/snake-bytes-8-24" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83883</id> <updated>2025-08-24T08:32:44-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-24T10:00:00-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Snake Bytes" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Arizona Diamondbacks blow out Cincinnati Reds; Geraldo Perdomo playing hurt https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2025/08/23/arizona-diamondbacks-vs-cincinnati-reds-game-time-matchups/85566618007/ D-backs rout Reds, inch closer to final Wild Card spot https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/diamondbacks-collect-big-win-over-reds Diamondbacks’ Geraldo Perdomo reveals he’s been playing through bone bruise https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/geraldo-perdomo-3/3593733/ Why Diamondbacks’ Pitching Future May Be in Good Hands https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/arizona-diamondbacks-prospects/why-diamondbacks-pitching-future-may-be-in-good-hands This day in history: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-24 This day in baseball: https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/August_24]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Arizona Diamondbacks blow out Cincinnati Reds; Geraldo Perdomo playing hurt </strong><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2025/08/23/arizona-diamondbacks-vs-cincinnati-reds-game-time-matchups/85566618007/">https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2025/08/23/arizona-diamondbacks-vs-cincinnati-reds-game-time-matchups/85566618007/</a></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>D-backs rout Reds, inch closer to final Wild Card spot </strong><a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/diamondbacks-collect-big-win-over-reds">https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/diamondbacks-collect-big-win-over-reds</a></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Diamondbacks’ Geraldo Perdomo reveals he’s been playing through bone bruise</strong> <a href="https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/geraldo-perdomo-3/3593733/">https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/geraldo-perdomo-3/3593733/</a><br><br><strong>Why Diamondbacks’ Pitching Future May Be in Good Hands</strong> <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/arizona-diamondbacks-prospects/why-diamondbacks-pitching-future-may-be-in-good-hands">https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/arizona-diamondbacks-prospects/why-diamondbacks-pitching-future-may-be-in-good-hands</a></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">This day in history: <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-24">https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-24</a><br><br><br></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">This day in baseball: <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/August_24">https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/August_24</a></p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Dano_in_Tucson</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Diamondbacks 10, Cincy 1: What Have You Done with Our Bullpen?!??]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2025-diamondbacks-games/83874/diamondbacks-10-cincy-1-what-have-you-done-with-our-bullpen" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83874</id> <updated>2025-08-24T00:20:03-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-24T00:20:03-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="2025 Diamondbacks games" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[So initially Nabil Crismatt was supposed to start this game for us, fresh off of being signed as roster filler (after DeSclafani hit the IL) and then pitching five impressive innings in a start in Colorado last weekend, but sometime earlier today the designated starting pitcher was changed to Jalen Beeks. Lefty reliever and just-before-Opening-Day-dumpster-dive […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/pitchers.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><p class="has-text-align-none">So initially Nabil Crismatt was supposed to start this game for us, fresh off of being signed as roster filler (after DeSclafani hit the IL) and then pitching five impressive innings in a start in Colorado last weekend, but sometime earlier today the designated starting pitcher was changed to Jalen Beeks. Lefty reliever and just-before-Opening-Day-dumpster-dive find Jalen Beeks. Jalen Beeks who pitched the top of the eleventh inning last night to secure the win in extras. That Jalen Beeks. Um, okay.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Meanwhile, we were going up against Cincinnati lefty Andrew Abbott, he of the 2025 ASG appearance and the third best ERA among starters in the Major Leagues at start of business today. So, again. Um. Okay?</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">It seemed like it might be a long and grueling night. And so it was. Happily, however, and unexpectedly, that wound up being what Reds fans experienced, not ours!</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Turns out that Torey Lovullo decided last night that he wanted a lefty to open today’s game and face the top of the Cincinnati lineup—specifically lefty center fielder and leadoff hitter Ty Friedl, who’s a tough out, and switch-hitting phenom Elly De La Cruz, who typically bats third and who does far more damage hitting from the left side than the right side. It worked brilliantly, as Beeks set down the top of the Reds’ lineup in order.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">In the bottom of the first, we got our first look at Abbott, and after Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo got set down with only three pitches thrown, it looked like it was indeed gonna be rough. Not so fast, though! Corbin Carroll lined the third pitch he saw from Abbott deep into the right-center gap, where it bounced into the pool area for a ground-rule double and promptly stole third without a throw. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., his mohawk back to its expected resplendent purple, continued his current crazy offensive output with a single up the middle that scored Corbin. Gabi Moreno launched a double past Friedl in center that drove in Lourdes, and then Blaze Alexander hit a ground rule double of his own, this one to left, to score Moreno. Tyler Locklear drew what should have been a six-pitch walk, but was called out on strikes thanks to a bogus call by home plate umpire Adam Hamari, who kind of sucked tonight. But still, Abbott on the season had given up three first-inning runs across the entire season to that point, and in one inning, we’d doubled his total and scored enough runs to win us the ballgame. <strong>3-0 D-BACKS</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Nabil Crismatt came out, as expected, to start the second, and while he was much less efficient than he was at Coors Field, and while he pitched around a fair amount of traffic in every inning, managed to pitch four innings of shutout ball to get us through the fifth inning. Meanwhile, our offense continued to pile on against Abbott.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">First there was Perdomo reaching on an error by Elly De La Cruz at shortstop to lead off the third, as Elly sailed the throw to first and while Reds first baseman Spencer Steer caught it, he needed to make a balletic leap to do so that took him way off the bag. One out later, Lourdes continued doing the Lourdes things that are making him a frontrunner for NL Player of the Month honors in August, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/lourdes-gurriel-jr-homers-18-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-center-field-geraldo-p">sending a ball into the left-field seats</a>:</p><div class="mlb-com-embed"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/lourdes-gurriel-jr-homers-18-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-center-field-geraldo-p" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View Link</a></div><p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>5-0 D-BACKS</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">But wait, there was more! Ketel Marte dunked a two-out single into left in the bottom of the fourth, and Perdomo decided to get in on the hit-and-RBI parade<a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/geraldo-perdomo-homers-14-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-ketel-marte-scores?q=geraldo%20perdomo"> with a long ball of his own</a> into the left field seats.</p><div class="mlb-com-embed"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/geraldo-perdomo-homers-14-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-ketel-marte-scores?q=geraldo%20perdomo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View Link</a></div><p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>7-0 D-BACKS</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Abbott did record the final out of the fourth, but that was the end of his night, and out of the Cincinnati bullpen came an astonishingly large man named Zach Maxwell, aka “Big Sugar,” to make his major league debut. “Big Sugar” stands 6’5”, he weighs 275 pounds, and he throws fastballs, often in the strike zone, that have been clocked upwards of 102mph. So, yeah. He recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the fifth, before Blaze Alexander decided that he had a sweet tooth and wanted to <a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/blaze-alexander-homers-5-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field">take a bite out of one of those heaters</a>:</p><div class="mlb-com-embed"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/video/blaze-alexander-homers-5-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View Link</a></div><p class="has-text-align-none">So many souvenirs to be had if you were lucky enough to be sitting in the left field bleachers at Chase tonight! Man. <strong>8-0 D-BACKS</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Jake Woodford was the third man out of the bullpen for us tonight, entering the game to start the sixth, and he retired Cincinnati in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. He did give up a run in the eighth, thanks to a one-out DeLaCruz double and then a two-out Austin Hays single that drove home Matt McClain, who for some mysterious reason was brought in to pinch-run for the Reds shortstop. <strong>8-1 D-BACKS</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">That was fine, though, as we got two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on four singles from various contributors to bring us to our final score. Only other thing of note is that Woodford came out and pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, and made MLB history for the Diamondbacks by becoming the <strong>15th</strong> <strong>(!!!)</strong> pitcher to record a save for the team this year, which no team has ever had to do since saves became a thing in 1969. So, yeah. <strong>10-1 D-BACKS FINAL</strong></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Win Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs</h3><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/chart50.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><p class="has-text-align-none"><strong>Leaders of Men: Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (4 AB, 2 H, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR, +16.4% WPA), Nabil Crismatt (4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K, +12.4% WPA), Gabriel Moreno (4 AB, 2 H, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, +10.3% WPA)</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Another blowout game, another example of the WPA algorithm leveling things out so that, after the big early hits and stuff, nothing else registered. Again, though, an example of the sort of solid team baseball our Diamondbacks are playing right now. Everyone in the lineup contributed with either a hit or a run scored, aside from slightly sad Tyler Locklear, who should have been on base twice with full-count walks, but was screwed both times by erroneous Adam Hamari called-strike calls on what each time should have been ball four. Too bad for the kid, but at least neither one wound up affecting the outcome of the game.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">It was a lively and lovely Gameday Thread tonight, as far as I saw, though I did admittedly check out after a certain point. 283 comments, though, at time of writing, with a lot of Cantaloupe Pink to choose from. By popular acclaim, and because it deftly referenced culinary techniques while also taking Zach Maxwell down a peg, tonight’s Comment of the Game goes to Diamondhacks for their apt observation after Alexander took him deep:</p><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/cotg-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><p class="has-text-align-none">In <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/series/83828/series-preview-43-diamondbacks-vs-reds">his series preview</a>, ISH not unreasonably predicted us to lose this series 2-1, but going into tomorrow, we in fact find ourselves reaching for our brooms as we try to hand Cincinnati their first series sweep of the season! Join us if you dare, as Zac Gallen goes for us and Brady Singer goes for the Reds. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time. Hope to see you!</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!</p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Jim McLennan</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Gameday Thread, #130: 8/23 vs. Reds]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/gamedaythreads/83868/gameday-thread-130-8-23-vs-reds" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83868</id> <updated>2025-08-23T18:33:28-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-23T19:30:00-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks Game Days" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Gameday Threads" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Today’s Lineups REDS DIAMONDBACKS TJ Friedl – CF Ketel Marte – DH Noelvi Marte – RF Geraldo Perdomo – SS Elly De La Cruz – SS Corbin Carroll – RF Miguel Andujar – DH Lourdes Gurriel – LF Austin Hays – LF Gabriel Moreno – C Spencer Steer – 1B Blaze Alexander – 3B Ke’Bryan […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-1735948751.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"><h3>Today’s Lineups</h3><div class="lineup"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra"><thead><tr><th align="left">REDS</th><th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td class="td-last td-name">TJ Friedl – CF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte – DH</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Noelvi Marte – RF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Geraldo Perdomo – SS</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Elly De La Cruz – SS</td><td class="td-first td-name">Corbin Carroll – RF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Miguel Andujar – DH</td><td class="td-first td-name">Lourdes Gurriel – LF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Austin Hays – LF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Gabriel Moreno – C</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Spencer Steer – 1B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Blaze Alexander – 3B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Tyler Locklear – 1B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Jose Trevino – C</td><td class="td-first td-name">Jake McCarthy – CF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Santiago Espinal – 2B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Ildemaro Vargas – 2B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name"></td><td class="td-first td-name"></td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Andrew Abbott – LHP</td><td class="td-first td-name">Nabil Crismatt – RHP</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div> <img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/capture_34f6ce.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><p class="has-text-align-none">Something I noticed about last night’s bullpen usage: five different Arizona pitchers having outings with single-digit pitches. That’s not something you see often, especially since the introduction of the three-batter rule, which came in for the start of the 2020 season. Before that, it did happen – three times in fact, once in each season from 2017-2019. All three were also in September, which makes sense given the greater number of arms available in those days. Again, up until 2020, when rosters expanded, teams could include anyone on the 40-man roster, which is how you got <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201909240.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">games like this</a>, where the two sides used <strong>24</strong> pitchers between them. Oddly – or perhaps not so oddly, given his origins as a LOOGY – Andrew Chafin was involved in all three instances. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">The last time it happened was, coincidentally, also against the Reds, in Cincinnati <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN201909080.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on September 8th, 2019</a>. Mike Leake worked the front 6.1 innings, but the D-backs then used six relievers to record the next six outs. They were Matt Andriese (two outs on 8 pitches), Chafin (1/4), Jimmy Sherfy (2/11) and Robby Scott (1/6), before Yoan Lopez and T.J. McFarland failed to retire anyone on five and nine pitches respectively, as the Reds walked off winners. Under current rules, neither the Sherfy nor McFarland changes would have been permitted, as the previous pitcher had neither faced three batters nor ended the inning. But the all-time MLB record is <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201510040.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this late-season monstrosity</a> from 2015, where the Giants used eight consecutive relievers to throw a total of 39 pitches. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Since the new rules for “brighter baseball” came in, last night’s outing by the D-backs was actually the first by an NL team with five pitchers throwing fewer than ten pitches. The Twins also <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX202309020.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">managed it in 2023</a>. The rule change does seem to have had the desired impact. Last year, there were 1,235 outings where a pitcher faced two or fewer hitters; that’s less than half the peak number of 2,588 in 2015. However, this has been countered by things like starting pitchers not going as far into games. As a result, the number of relief outings overall actually <em>increased</em> from 2015 to 2024, going up from 15,108 to 15,836. The all-time record of 16,686 took place under current rules in 2021 – the first full season post-COVID, which does make sense. </p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>James Attwood</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Snake Bytes 8/23: Another Inspiring Walk-Off]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/news/83861/snake-bytes-8-23-another-inspiring-walk-off" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83861</id> <updated>2025-08-23T13:43:19-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-23T13:43:19-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks News" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Latest News" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="MLB News" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Diamondbacks News Diamondbacks Walk Off Reds The Diamondbacks made some great defensive plays and then Lourdes Gurriel Jr. found the go-ahead hit in the 11th inning. Torey Continues Annual Tradition of BP for Fantasy DraftTorey Lovullo honce again took to the batting cages to take some BP with the draft order for the team’s fantasy […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2231588873.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><p class="has-text-align-none">Diamondbacks News</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-az/3593610/">Diamondbacks Walk Off Reds</a></p> <p class="has-text-align-none">The Diamondbacks made some great defensive plays and then Lourdes Gurriel Jr. found the go-ahead hit in the 11th inning.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://arizonasports.com/haboob-blog/lovullo-fantasy/3593591/">Torey Continues Annual Tradition of BP for Fantasy Draft</a><br>Torey Lovullo honce again took to the batting cages to take some BP with the draft order for the team’s fantasy football league on the line.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2025/08/22/diamondbacks-reds-score-news-updates/85566616007/">Lourdes Gurriel Jr Comes Through Again</a><br>Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is collecting himself a pile of steaks in August.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/arizona-diamondbacks-news/how-gabriel-moreno-triumphant-return-drove-diamondbacks-victory">Moreno’s Return Drives Diamondbacks to Victory</a><br>This is simply just a different team when Gabriel Moreno is behind the dish.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Other Baseball News</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jacob-degrom-is-a-litmus-test-for-hall-of-fame-voters/">Jacob deGrom is a Litmus Test for HoF Voters</a><br>Injuries may still make the entire debate meaningless.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/orioles-to-extend-samuel-basallo.html">Orioles Extend Samuel Basallo</a><br>The rookie backstop has extended his time with Baltimore, signing on to an 8-year/$67 million pact. The deal raises plenty of questions about the future of Adley Rutschman.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46053227/top-prospect-chandler-debuts-pirates-4-inning-save">Top Prospect Chandler Debuts with Four-Inning Save</a><br>The Pirates promoted their top prospect, pitcher Bubba Chandler. While his future is as a starter, he has opened his account with a four-inning save.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46052238/red-sox-move-walker-buehler-bullpen">Red Sox Move Buehler to Bullpen</a><br>The struggling right-hander seems to quickly be approaching the end of his career.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none"></p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>1AZfan1</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Diamondbacks 6, Reds 5: Defense Leads to Offense]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/2025-diamondbacks-games/83849/diamondbacks-6-reds-5-defense-leads-to-offense" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83849</id> <updated>2025-08-23T01:16:51-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-23T01:16:51-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="2025 Diamondbacks games" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Game Summary What a game! This had all the makings of a patented 2025 Diamondbacks blown lead loss, but, on this night, the feisty Snakes played some sparkling defense late to secure a huge win. Even if the Diamondbacks don’t make the playoffs this year, games like this are why we love watching baseball. The […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2231589287.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="ylUMvG">Game Summary</h3> <p class="has-text-align-none">What a game! This had all the makings of a patented 2025 Diamondbacks blown lead loss, but, on this night, the feisty Snakes played some sparkling defense late to secure a huge win. Even if the Diamondbacks don’t make the playoffs this year, games like this are why we love watching baseball. The team showed heart, hustle, and a flair for the dramatic. That’s what we love to see as fans!</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Ryne Nelson bounced back from his wobbly last couple outings to toss a Quality Start, and it felt like he was control from the middle of the second inning on. After a mound visit from everyone’s favorite pitching coach during a rough start to the second, Nelly set down 11 straight Reds before getting tagged for a triple by the exciting Elly de la Cruz. After the triple, Ryne retired the final 3 hitters he faced. The bullpen ended up tossing 5 innings on the night, only allowing 1 earned run plus allowing the Manfred Man to score in the 10th, but thanks in large part to some spectacular defense, that was it. Corbin Carroll got the Serpientes out of the 10th by making a phenomenal throw from medium depth right field to the plate and nailing the Reds runner attempting to score what likely would have been the winning run. In the 11th, the infield provided the sparkling defense with an unconventional 6-5 DP to end the inning. The Reds’ zombie runner was at third with 1 out, but a soft line drive hit directly at Geraldo Perdomo followed by his quick toss to Blaze retreating to third and no-look tagging the base with his foot while making the catch kept the Reds off the board and allowed magic to happen in the bottom half of the inning.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">The offense looked locked in early, scoring 4 runs off a tough customer in Zack Littell and chasing him from the game after only 4 innings. Gabi Moreno got a huge 3-run bomb into left in his first game back, and the Snakes were getting traffic on the base paths, but after the bullpen came in, the Snakes only mustered 2 hits and a walk over the final 5 innings of regulation, striking out 7 times! Fortunately, situational hitting returned in extras. Domo bunted Alek to third to start the 10th, then Ketel, who was having a really rough night offensively, worked a 13-pitch at bat before blooping a single into shallow right to tie the game up. Then in the 11th, Corbin started at second and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., August’s hottest hitter on the planet, roped line drive into center on the second pitch of the inning to score Corbin and walk it off! </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">What. A. Game.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="IRFR1T">Win Probability and Box Score</h3><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-22-at-10.05.40%E2%80%AFPM.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-22-at-10.06.05%E2%80%AFPM.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=4.987293519695,0,90.02541296061,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="4ulEtM">Outside the Box Score</h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Gabi Moreno returned to the field for the first time in a couple months after breaking his throwing hand. Thankfully, it looks like he learned his lesson and was catching with his throwing hand behind his back tonight instead of in front.</li> <li>TJ Friedl led off the game with a bouncing single just outside the reach of Ketel at second. Gavin Lux hit a slow roller toward the hole between Ketel and Pavin. Ketel was able to get to this one and made a gutsy decision to throw to second and try and cut down the speedy Friedl. Ketel executed perfectly and he was able to get the throw perfectly in time for the first out of the game.</li> <li>Corbin’s double in the bottom of the first was, of course, a ‘hustle’ double. It was a ringing line drive (110 mph!) past the second baseman and into right-center field. The right fielder was able to cut it off before it could get to the wall, but it didn’t matter as Corbin was hustling out of the box and made it in to second without a play.</li> <li>Lourdes Gurriel continued his RBI hot streak (24 in his last 20 games if I heard the broadcast correctly) with a sacrifice fly to score Gerry from third. What was impressive about it was he started the at bat in an 0-2 hole and swinging sillily at some bad pitches. He battled his way back to a 2-2 count by fouling off some tough pitches before finally getting a ball he could lift to the outfield.</li> <li>The D-Backs gave the lead back to the Reds in the second on a rare defensive mental error by Domo. Geraldo received the ball pretty deep into the outfield as the cutoff man on a double to the wall in center. Instead of eating the ball, he threw all the way home and wasn’t all that close to getting the runner scoring. On the throw, the hitter was able to advance an extra 90 feet to third with only one out. Given that situation, the Snakes brought the infield in and the next hitter was able to slap a grounder past the drawn in infielders to score the runner from third. Had they kept the original runner at second, it’s likely they could have got out of the inning with only allowing the one run instead of two.</li> <li>The Serpientes got ADC to third with only one out in the second but could not get him in. Alek popped up on the infield for out #2 before Perdomo drew a walk to load the bases for Ketel. Unfortunately, Ketel went down swinging at a nasty sweeper to end the inning. On the bright side, the D-Backs forced Zack Littell to throw 49 pitches through 2 innings.</li> <li>Gabi’s first game back off the IL came with fireworks. After the Diamondbacks got runners on via walk (a rarity for Littell) and catcher’s interference, Moreno cashed them in with a blast into the left field bleachers for a 3-run homer.</li> <li>Ryne Nelson set down 11 straight Reds after giving up 2 runs in the second inning. His streak was snapped on an Elly de la Cruz triple into right that not even a streaking Corbin Carroll could stop from rolling to the wall. </li> <li>Blaze has been in a slump over the last week, but he hit the ball hard the first 3 times he was up tonight. The exit velocities on his plate appearances were 104, 101, and 104. Only one resulted in a hit.</li> <li>Ketel Marte had a rough go of it at the plate tonight, but he made a snazzy play to retire the leadoff man in the 8th inning. TJ Friedl dropped a surprise bunt in between Pavin and Backhus, the pitcher at the time, and Ketel made his now patented glove-scoop-toss to first and got the out.</li> <li>Kyle Backhus got chased after facing the minimum three batters and getting only one out and allowing the game tying run in the eighth, but Juan Morillo came in and cleaned up the mess promptly by inducing an inning ending double play off a 100mph sinker.</li> <li>On the first play in extra innings, the Reds tried to bunt the Manfred Man to third. It wasn’t a great bunt and John Curtiss made a very athletic play to dive and stop it from getting past him, holding the runner at second. Unfortunately, Curtiss hopped up and rushed the throw to first and it sailed wide of Ketel (covering first) bounced down the wall to Corbin in right, allowing the runner to score and the hitter to get to second.</li> <li>Corbin Carroll’s improvement in throwing from the outfield this year has been the most mind-blowing thing I’ve seen from him this year, and that’s saying a lot. In the 10th inning, he tracked down a fly ball in foul territory. He was still moving to his left as he caught it but was able to quickly plant and fired a strike to Gabi at the plate who then made an athletic play himself by diving backwards and tagging out the Reds’ runner before he reached home plate. What. A. Play.</li> <li>Not to be outdone, the infield turned their own sparkling double play to end the top of the 11th inning. With one out and a runner on third, Elly de la Cruz hit a soft liner directly at drawn in Geraldo Perdomo. Blaze Alexander was able to react quickly and start running toward third as Domo made the catch. Domo then quickly shoved his throw to the retreating Blaze who somehow found third base without looking and doubled off TJ Friedl.</li></ul> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="7lZs3N">Comment of the Game</h3> <p>Not a very active Friday night in the GDT, at least not until the extra innings started. At time of publishing, only 189 comments and very few rec’d comments to choose from. While a couple comments did get more recs than this one, I believe this one from ChefAZ summed up the evening best:</p><img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-22-at-10.10.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="7wwPLH">Coming Up</h3> <p>The Diamondbacks face the Reds in the second game of this important series tomorrow with a 5:10pm first pitch Arizona time. Nabil Crismatt will be on the hill for the Snakes and he will be opposed by lefty Andrew Abbott who is 8-3 with a sparkling 2.28 ERA. I don’t know how that game could top this, but I’m excited to find out how!</p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Jim McLennan</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Gameday Thread, #129: 8/22 vs. Reds]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/gamedaythreads/83843/gameday-thread-129-8-22-vs-reds" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83843</id> <updated>2025-08-22T19:59:11-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-22T21:00:00-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks Game Days" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Gameday Threads" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Today’s Lineups REDS DIAMONDBACKS TJ Friedl – CF Geraldo Perdomo – SS Gavin Lux – DH Ketel Marte – 2B Elly De La Cruz – SS Corbin Carroll – RF Austin Hays – LF Lourdes Gurriel – LF Noelvi Marte – RF Pavin Smith – 1B Spencer Steer – 1B Gabriel Moreno – C Ke’Bryan […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2207413457.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"><h3>Today’s Lineups</h3><div class="lineup"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" class="zebra"><thead><tr><th align="left">REDS</th><th align="left">DIAMONDBACKS</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td class="td-last td-name">TJ Friedl – CF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Geraldo Perdomo – SS</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Gavin Lux – DH</td><td class="td-first td-name">Ketel Marte – 2B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Elly De La Cruz – SS</td><td class="td-first td-name">Corbin Carroll – RF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Austin Hays – LF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Lourdes Gurriel – LF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Noelvi Marte – RF</td><td class="td-first td-name">Pavin Smith – 1B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Spencer Steer – 1B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Gabriel Moreno – C</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Adrian Del Castillo – DH</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Jose Trevino – C</td><td class="td-first td-name">Blaze Alexander – 3B</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Matt McLain – 2B</td><td class="td-first td-name">Alek Thomas – CF</td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name"></td><td class="td-first td-name"></td></tr><tr><td class="td-last td-name">Zack Littell – RHP</td><td class="td-first td-name">Ryne Nelson – RHP</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div> <img src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/capture_809984.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /><h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Roster moves</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Reinstated from the 60-day injured list</strong>: C Gabriel Moreno (right hand contusion)</li> <li><strong>Designated for assignment</strong>: C Jose Herrera</li></ul> <p class="has-text-align-none">Not sure if this will be the end of Herrera’s time in Arizona. It’s possible he may end up going unclaimed on waivers, and be re-assigned to Reno. It’d be kind of cool if Herrera showed up in 2026, because there are only a handful of catchers to have played for the D-backs in five different seasons: Miguel Montero most obviously (9 seasons), and also Chris Snyder (7), Carson Kelly, Rod Barajas and Damian Miller (all 5). This has actually been Jose’s busiest year, and the first time has has appeared in fifty games (57 at time of the DFA). Though with an OPS+ of 52, and a bWAR below replacement each season to date, you can understand why the team opted to go with Brian McCann and/or Adrian Del Castillo for the rest of the season.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Another change on the field – albeit just outside the lines. Nick Piecoro <a href="https://x.com/nickpiecoro/status/1958957386020135275">Tweeted</a> that Tim Bogar will be taking over from Shaun Larkin, after the latter was relieved of his duties as third-base coach a couple of days ago. Larkin will be staying on as infield coach, so the dugout will be a little more crowded going forward, I guess. Bogart hasn’t been far off though, being a player development staff advisor this season, after managing the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles in 2024, following his move to the Arizona organization from Washington. Speaking (loosely) of which, he was also, briefly, the manager of the Texas Rangers back in 2014, taking over for the final 22 games of the season after the Ron Washington resigned from the position. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">I’m hoping the D-backs will get hold of Zack Littell tonight, because he has been very vulnerable to the long-ball this year. Indeed, he is one of the few (three, to be exact) pitchers in the majors this year to have allowed more home-runs than Zac Gallen. At 27, Littell is one ahead, and trails only Jake Irvin of the Nationals (29). Be nice to add a few more to his total this evening. Not many times a qualified pitcher has allowed more HR than BB. At 27/24, Littell is only the 26th pitcher in baseball history to achieve the feat. A couple of D-backs have though: Mike Leake in 2019, albeit more for Seattle then Arizona (though here, he allowed 15 HR and 8 BB!). And back in 1998, Brian Anderson sent 39 hitters trotting around the bases, with only 24 jogging to first. </p> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>imstillhungry95</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Series Preview #43: Diamondbacks vs. Reds]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/series/83828/series-preview-43-diamondbacks-vs-reds" /> <id>https://www.azsnakepit.com/?p=83828</id> <updated>2025-08-22T03:09:11-04:00</updated> <published>2025-08-22T14:00:00-04:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks Opinion & Analysis" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Diamondbacks Previews" /><category scheme="https://www.azsnakepit.com" term="Series Previews" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[If after losing three out of four to the Rockies you were expecting that a series against an actual winning team would go poorly, you could probably be forgiven. I can’t say that I went into it with high expectations, and yet, here we are on the other side of a series win against the […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.azsnakepit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/08/gettyimages-2227549774.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption></figure><p class="has-drop-cap has-text-align-none">If after losing three out of four to the Rockies you were expecting that a series against an actual winning team would go poorly, you could probably be forgiven. I can’t say that I went into it with high expectations, and yet, here we are on the other side of a series win against the Guardians. Not much changed for the Diamondbacks as a result. They’re still four games under .500. They’re still 5.5 games behind the Mets for the final Wild Card spot. It was still good to see some fight from the team, and maybe give some hope that we’ll see some solid baseball as we head towards the Winter of Discontent. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">They face another contender next. The Cincinnati Reds come to Phoenix just a single loss behind the Mets. With that in mind, the Diamondbacks will have their best chance to play spoiler yet, even better than when they took down the struggling Rangers. This is a Reds team that is in the thick of it, and the Diamondbacks can spend three games mucking that up. It wouldn’t hurt how their final standing position will look either, for what it’s worth.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Game 1 — 8/22, 6:40 PM — Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.58 ERA, 121 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP) vs. Zack Littell (9-8, 3.52 ERA, 118 ERA+, 1.11 WHIP)</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">Nelson has been on a bit of a rough streak recently. After four straight starts of two earned runs or fewer, he gave up five in Texas and four in Colorado. Of course, the obvious caveat of Coors is there, but that’s still two subpar starts in a row for the otherwise consistent and reliable Nelson. An interesting thing to note is that he did not walk a batter in either of those starts. I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse, if I’m being honest.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Littell just joined the Reds, coming from the Tampa Bay Rays. This will be his fourth start, with mixed results in the first three. In his first start, he made a great first impression, going seven innings of three hit, one run ball. However, in his second start, he didn’t make it out of the fifth and gave up four runs. Third time around he flipped it back again and went six innings of four hits and one run. That back and forth has been fairly normal for him this season, but more often than not he’s landed on that one run side of the coin. We’ll see if the Diamondbacks offense can handle him.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Game 2 — 8/23, 5:10 PM — Nabil Crismatt (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 258 ERA+, 0.80 WHIP) vs. Andrew Abbott (8-3, 2.28 ERA, 199 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP)</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">Crismatt made his season debut against the Rockies, throwing an impressive five innings where he gave up just a single run scored before the bullpen imploded and lost us the game. He’s bounced around the league for the last few years, including a two inning relief appearance for the Diamondbacks back in 2023. In 2024 he made five appearances with the Dodgers, but nothing seems to be stopping him from finishing the season in the Diamondbacks rotation at this point. </p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Andrew Abbott is having a phenomenal year. That 199 ERA+ is the best in all of baseball right now. His more than a full run worse than his ERA, so perhaps a little luck, but you don’t get that good without luck, so I wouldn’t read to much into it. Fifteen of his 22 starts have seen him give up one earned run or fewer with essentially six innings pitched per start on average. He is going to be a problem for the Diamondbacks offense, but he’s not untouchable. Milwaukee, Philly, and the Cubs have all gotten to him for more than four earned runs this season, so it is possible. </p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Game 3 — 8/24, 1:10 PM — Zac Gallen (9-13, 5.28 ERA, 82 ERA+, 1.33 WHIP) vs. Brady Singer (11-9, 4.18 ERA, 109 ERA+, 1.30 WHIP)</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">Gallen has been better of late. For the month of July, he had a 5.10 ERA. In August, that number has plummeted 3.52. That’s skewed by a one run outing against the Rockies at Chase, but even when you take that into consideration, his worst outing was three runs in six innings. That would have been his third best in July. Baby steps.</p> <p class="has-text-align-none">Singer is in his first season with the Reds, having spent the first five years of his career with Kansas City. He’s pitched well enough, pretty much in line with his career norms. Only real thing that stands out from a perusal of his BR page is that his walks are up, something that the Diamondbacks will hopefully be able to take advantage of. </p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h4> <p class="has-text-align-none">It’s going to be a tough series. None of the three pitchers could be considered bad, and Abbott is one of the best in baseball right now. Nelson gives us a good shot in Game 1, and if Gallen continues to be his improved version of himself, that’s a decent start there. Not holding much hope though. Diamondbacks lose 2-1</p> ]]> </content> </entry> </feed> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
Download the "valid Atom 1.0" banner.
Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)
Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):
If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:
http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//www.azsnakepit.com/rss/index.xml
