D-backs say adios to 2008

Well...it was just a matter of time I guess. But with that dreadful loss yesterday to the Cardinals, the season is finally over for the D-backs. So close...yet so very far away. For the first five months of the season, it looked like they were golden to get in and make at least a decent run in the playoffs. But...that all seemed to change in a heartbeat this month. Boy oh Boy......

Not looking good for D-backs

After tonight's 7-4 loss to the Red Birds, along with the fact that the Dodgers are up early against the Padres, it doesn't look real promising right now for the D-backs. If they go down to three games back with five to play, it will take a miracle for them to pull it off.

I had a feeling today that tonight's game against St. Louis would be a letdown game. Mainly because of all of the breaks that Arizona had last night. Things generally have a way of evening out, and I just did not feel good about this one. Oh well..they're doing everything they can...let's see how it plays out.

Two sounds good to me

Deuces were wild tonight as Brandon Webb won his major league leading 22nd win tonight en route to the D-backs 4-2 win over the Red Birds. This huge win for Arizona now pulls them to within two games behind the Dodgers with only six remaining. This is getting to be real fun....

Webby was his usual self, going seven and giving up only a couple. Even more impressive tonight once again was Stephen Drew. This guy has flat out carried this offense over the last week, hitting .452, with three homers and 10 runs scored in those seven games. Drew is quickly becoming one of the most indispensable members of this team.

So, got Randy Johnson going tomorrow while the Dodgers are back at it as well. Go Padres. The nice thing about playing in St. Louis, is that if the D-backs are fortunate enough to put up a 'W' tomorrow, it will be in the early stages of the Dodger game. So, they would know that their lead was trimmed to 1 1/2 games and hopefully would put some more pressure on them...So many things have to go right for Arizona and wrong for Los Angeles for this to work....but that's what makes it so much fun.

D-backs set to make their move now

Well, things are starting to look a tad bit better now after the weekend series for the D-backs and Dodgers has come to an end. Arizona was able to take two of three in Colorado, while Los Angeles was beaten two out of three by the Giants.

I had mentioned before the weekend series began that hopefully the Giants were pissed off enough after being swept by the D-backs that they would take out their frustrations on the Dodgers. And sure enough, they came out and put up a good fight out there.

So, 2 1/2 game lead now...seven left for Arizona and six left for the Dodgers. I like the way this showdown is shaping up. It may seem as if the D-backs are at a disadvantage with having to go play four games in St. Louis, while L.A. has an off day tomorrow followed by three home games against the lowly Padres. But, the Cardinals have no shot at the postseason, so who knows who they'll be running out there in these four games. The same of course can be said of the Padres, but the Dodgers and Padres have a rivalry, just as the Dodgers have with the Giants. So, San Diego won't be rolling over for three here, they will be doing everything they can to punish L.A.

So, I think (read hope) it's a good story we have in front of us the next four days. I'm really looking forward to it. And no better way to get it going than throwing Brandon Webb out there on the hill tomorrow....the fire looks to be coming back....let's make it a bonfire now.

No real fire out there in loss to Rockies

Well, the old cliche in baseball is to hit 'em where they ain't. Tonight in Denver against the Rockies, the D-backs could not seem to get on board with that philosophy. It was a brutal combination of balls being hit juuuussst foul, and a stellar defense from Colorado that kept Arizona at bay the entire night. They lose it 3-2 and fall to four games back in the West.

The D-backs offense certainly had their chances. Twice loading the bases and they could not score a single run. The last time was in the ninth inning, when once again Chris Young exhibited his awful eye at the plate. Taking the first one down the middle; fouling off a good second pitch; and striking out on a high fastball that was clearly a ball. But, it wasn't just Chris Young. They put together some decent at bats in the game, but could not string anything together.

So, a couple of solo shots from Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds, and that was all she wrote. I don't know about how you saw the game, but they just looked really apathetic out there...no real energy could be sensed from the team. This is not the time to go back into your shell Arizona....it's time to bust some guys up out there.

The saving grace is that as I write this the Giants are leading 7-0 over the Dodgers in the seventh, so they should be able to go back to 3 1/2. But....time is running out quick....

D-backs beat the wonder boy to sweep Giants

The wonder boy Tim Lincecum is beatable after all. He pitched pretty darn well, but not well enough to hold off the pesky D-backs, as they win a huge game tonight 3-2 and sweep the Giants in this four-game series. Woohoo!!!!

That was one of the better games I've seen all year. It had it all. Both sides provided big time pitching performances from Lincecum and Randy Johnson, in addition to clutch hitting from Justin Upton, Bengie Molina, and Adam Dunn.

Johnson pitched his %^#@*! off out there for seven innings, and only gave up a first inning run. But win 295 was still not in the cards for him...but that's ok...he really was the guy responsible for the win even though the stats won't bear it out.

With the D-backs trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Upton hit a missile to left over the head of Eugenio Velez and went cruising around the bases about as fast as I've ever seen him, ending up with a triple. That shot scored Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson to give the D-backs the lead. Velez looked shell shocked out there the ball came on him so quickly. The amazing thing about that hit was the fact that the pitch was about three inches off of the ground when he hit it.

Benjie Molina then came right back in the eighth and tied with a solo shot off of Juan Cruz. It really felt like at that point Upton's huge hit was all for not.

But the biggest play of the game then came when Conor Jackson stole second base in the eighth to get himself into scoring position. That's the kind of thing that Arizona should have been doing this entire season. Dunn then came to the plate facing Lincecum for the fourth time of the night, having not fared well in his previous three. He then lasered one to right field and Jackson was off to the races to score with the go ahead run.

Qualls then shut down San Francisco in order in the ninth, and there's the four-game sweep.......sweet....too bad the Dodgers won earlier in the day in extras...but this was an absolute must win for Arizona, and they did exactly what they needed to do to ensure a victory tonight against arguably the Cy Young winner of the NL. Although that now drops Lincecum to 17-4....so...there may still be a little daylight for Webby to still possibly snag it.

So, the D-backs get back to .500 and still 3 1/2 back with 10 to go. You hope to get back more than a game after winning four straight, but nobody said this would be easy. Let's now hope that Colorado rolls over for three and the D-backs can make up some more ground. The Dodgers now start a weekend series with these Giants. Maybe they're pissed enough after getting swept that they'll put up a good fight over in L.A......let's hope.....

Webb's arm and bat pace D-backs to third straight

Well, after what I had said about Brandon Webb yesterday being in good shape for today's game, I almost had to eat my words. After struggggelllling mightily in the opening inning against the Giants tonight, giving up all three of the runs he surrendered, he was tremendous in his next six innings in shutting them out. The D-backs now win their third game in a row against San Francisco, this time by a 7-6 score.

Webby did look shaky at the start, but quickly turned it around, mostly with the help of his own bat with his two-run double in the bottom of the second. That hit seemed to rally Arizona as it then scored three more runs in the inning, including a mammoth blast by Justin Upton. Webb now goes to 21-7 on the year...not too shabby. His Cy Young challenger Tim Lincecum goes tomorrow for the Giants against the Unit. Would be nice to see the D-backs rattle Lincecum early and knock him around the park a bit. Good luck though....that 13-year old looking kid brings a serious arm to the hill.

Stephen Drew is back to his old tricks and just knocking the cover off the ball again. He went 4-for-5 tonight, bringing his average up to .287 now on the season. He has really come into his own this second half of the season, and has truly solidified his position at short in the future for this team.

As for the bullpen....well...a 7-3 lead going into the ninth should more than enough cushion you'd say...but not for Doug Slaten who quickly came in and walked the first two Giants batters. Tony Pena then came in and gave up a two-run triple to Omar Vizquel, and this game was on. I'm still not sure exactly what the team sees in Slaten except for the fact that he throws left-handed. I know lots of guys who are left-handed....they just don't happen to throw in the bigs...

So...just as big as the D-backs winning tonight was the Dodgers getting smoked by the Pirates. So, it's now down to 3 1/2 games.....ya never know....

Haren masterful in shutting out Giants

There was no way in the world that Dan Haren wasn't going out in the ninth inning tonight to try and finish off the Giants and go for his first career shutout, even if he was over 100 pitches and looked to be tiring just a bit. He did give up a couple of hits in the ninth, but he was nails as he struck out Ishikawa to end it.

That's the kind of pitching performance the D-backs have been looking for from Haren and he delivered big time. Are you kidding me? 12 strikeouts and two walks and only four hits in nine innings. That's the Dan Haren we know and love. Arizona has now had three straight excellent starting pitching performances. Starting with Max Scherzer on Sunday, to Doug Davis yesterday and Haren tonight. Too bad the staff seems to have gotten their swagger back a couple of weeks too late.

A couple of solo shots from Stephen Drew and Chris Snyder is all the Diamondbacks needed with Haren out there. Giants starter Matt Cain actually threw a very good game, sans those two dingers. With the way those two guys were throwing tonight, it's no wonder the game barely broke the two-hour barrier.

The Dodgers win again of course against the pathetic Pirates. Nobody said this would be easy, but hey, two wins in a row now is a start, even if they still remain 4 1/2 games back. But, I'm starting to like what I see out there. With Brandon Webb going tomorrow I see good things continuing, especially since he has win number 20 off of his back, and with the added peer pressure of following Haren's performance tonight. Webby will be just fine tomorrow....

So, 12 games remaining for Arizona and only 11 games left for the Dodgers. So, how can they manage to catch 'em? Well.....can we hope for 9-3 for the D-backs and 4-7 for the Dodgers??? That would get them to a tie....ya never know....

So many missed opportunities in loss to Reds

Gotta feel for Jon Rauch. I understand the bullpen was heavily worked over the last few days, but Rauch simply cannot be put into critical situations - he is not getting the job done and I still don't understand the rationale of Bob Melvin.

So, for the second straight day the D-backs lose in extra innings, this time 2-1 on a Corey Patterson homer off of Rauch in the tenth. It just does not seem like it's meant to be now for the D-backs. The last at-bat in the bottom half of the tenth by Chris Young was a microcosm of how the D-backs offense has been performing. First pitch he hacks at that was high and out of the zone. Second pitch was right down the middle and he looked at it. The third pitch was also right down the middle and he swung feebly at it. Young has one of the worst eyes at the plate of anyone I have ever seen.

The Dodgers lost earlier today, and to gain back a game today would have been huge - both from a standings and psychological point of view.

Arizona otherwise got outstanding pitching from their starter Max Scherzer along with Lyon, Cruz, and Qualls. I was certainly glad that Melvin decided to flip flop Lyon and Qualls in the bullpen as it definitely makes sense, and probably should have been done about two weeks ago. Scherzer was fantastic as he went six and only gave up a run on two hits. He also had nine punchouts...that is one huge bonus going into next season - Scherzer is going to be an amazing third guy in the rotation.

The biggest issue by far today once again was the inability to knock guys in that were in scoring position. 17 guys left on base....unbelievable. Justin Upton was the only guy up there that looked like he was on a mission. He ended up 4-for-5, including an absolute blast to the concourse in center field.

Starting a four gamer with the Giants tomorrow and I'm just not sure there's anything left in the tank for Arizona. Come on guys....pull it out and play with some with fire!

Sigh of relief for Webb and D-backs

Well, it took four tries, but Brandon Webb finally nailed down number 20 last night against the Reds at Chase. Webby surely was relieved to finally snag it:

"It's good to get it over with and get that put behind me," Webb said. "Hopefully I can go out now and don't look back."

"Getting 20 wins, that's a pretty big number," Webb said. "That's what many pitchers strive for at the beginning of the year. Twenty wins is kind of a goal. You know, we're here. I've got three starts left. We've got a lot of work to do. We've got to get back on the horse."

But much more important than Webb getting win number 20, was the D-backs FINALLY getting a win under their belt. Of course it wasn't without a little excitement from the bully. Webb was masterful eight innings, giving up only five hits and not a single run. But, bring in Brandon Lyon in the ninth with a 3-0 lead, and you just knew it would get interesting.

Four hits and two runs later, Melvin yanked him and brought in Qualls to get the final out. Boy oh boy. Now what does Melvin do with Lyon going forward? I know he pitches like a single A pitcher when he's at home, so should he basically shut him down in crucial situations? Maybe.

But of course there's always the offense. Still only managing five hits off of Reds starter Aaron Harang, who coming in was 4-15 with an ERA about 5. Just don't understand why these guys cannot rake off of pitchers like this.....I mean they were only leading 1-0 going into the eighth, when they picked up a couple of runs they probably shouldn't have.

But, a win is a win is a win is a win. Too bad the Dodgers kept pace and won as well, but Arizona just has to put their head down and roll off as many 'W's as possible these last two weeks. Let's see if the Unit is big tonight against Reds ace Edinson Volquez. Volquez is a monster out there, but if this team will go anywhere this year they must start beating ace starters like him.

The season is still salvageable.......maybe

Okay, being swept by Padres and now by the Giants was not what the D-backs were shooting for when they started this road trip from hell last Friday. They blew a game in the bottom of the ninth for the second consecutive game today, and just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse...it did.

Six straight losses now, and they've lost 14 out of the last 18. Meanwhile the Dodgers are on a tear and have won 9 of their last 10. So, looks pretty dismal, but that's exactly what gives me a glimpse of optimism for the remaining 17 games.

The D-backs are absolutely playing the worst brand of baseball imaginable right now. All facets of the game are in the toilet. But, think about it, they can't possibly play any worse than they are right now for the remainder of the season. This is the absolute bottom. It's the buy low and sell high analogy to the stock market. It would be like selling all of your stock after the market had plummeted 1000 points over a couple of weeks. By then it's too late. Selling the D-backs now would be the gut instinct reaction, but it could be a buying opportunity instead. On the flip side, the Dodgers are at an all-time high and everything looks rosy. Jumping in now to buy that stock while you can would be the common mentality. But again, you want to be selling at the top, not buying.

Over the next couple of weeks, two things will happen: the D-backs will come up for some air after nearly drowning, and the Dodgers will float back down to earth after their skydive. And then we're right back to being even at the top of the division again. Now I'm certainly not convinced that even if this team does make the playoffs that there is any kind of run in them at all, but if they just so happen to be hitting on all cylinders for just a couple of weeks, you never know.

So, while many in the media have officially put the fork in this team, I don't think it's quite dinner time yet.

Rauch and D-backs go up in flames in Bay

Why Bob Melvin continues to show faith in Jon Rauch in critical situations amazes me...and more than that...appalls me. Except for a couple of innings of good work last week, Rauch has continued to demonstrate his ineptitude on the mound. Why do the rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1 if you're not going to take advantage of some fresh arms out there instead of continually calling on a guy that is absolutely driving this team down??

Look, I'm not a Bo Mel basher and won't go create firebobmelvin.com, but..... there are times when I just don't understand why the right match ups aren't being called upon in game situations, both on the offensive and pitching sides.

After Tony Pena gave up a couple of runs (the first runs he's given up in his last 12 games) in the bottom of the eighth to enable the Giants to break up the tie and go up 4-2, it seemed like the D-backs were done. But Chris Snyder came up absolutely huge in the top of the ninth in hitting that two run missile to left to tie it up.

And all the momentum came to a halt in the bottom of the ninth after Rauch came in and quickly gave up a single and a walk. Juan Cruz was summoned to try to put some water on the fire, but to no avail as he gave up the game winner.

Oh, and to add insult the Dodgers won.....so now the D-backs go down 2 1/2 in the West. I really hate to say this, but.....it really doesn't look good with 18 games to go. I just don't see this team turning it around.

Missed opportunities and errors sink D-backs in finale

Boy, I had really thought getting swept by the Dodgers this weekend was a near impossibility. I thought the guys would circle the wagons and come out with guns firing. Well, that wasn't exactly the case, as they went down 5-3 today to now trail by 1 1/2 games in the NL West. Boy what a difference three days can make - going from 1 1/2 games up to 1 1/2 down....

As for the performance today....well...what says it all is the 10 hits and 21 left on base. They just could not capitalize on any opportunities out there. Another rough game for Justin Upton, as he wore the collar with three punchouts and four LOB. He also had an error in the seventh when transferring the ball from his glove to his throwing hand on a sac fly. I honestly don't think Upton is capable of playing even respectable ball out there in the outfield. Sure he has show to have a tremendous arm in right, but his mental miscues are atrocious, and do not seem to be dwindling with more experience out there. I still believe he should be moved to the infield (second or third), where he can play more on instinct.

However, many props go to Max Scherzer for his performance today. He will definitely be in this rotation come next spring. He shows a fire and determination that I wish could be seen on some of his teammates. Fanning 11 out there in only five innings was astounding. He did give up a couple of runs in the first, then settled down and was just mowing guys down. He looked to tire in the sixth, as his pitch count was getting elevated.

Chris Snyder had a very nice game offensively for Arizona, going 2-for-3 with a double and a homer.

As for the Dodgers, Man Ram and Andre Ethier of course did their usual damage against the D-backs, going a combined 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Sure wish they could figure these guys out already.

As I noted before, this is gut check time for the D-backs, and they thus far have not answered the bell. It's honestly very disappointing. Apparently Bob Melvin's pre-game pep talk did light up some of the bats, but the overall play was not what it should have been. There just seems to be something missing out there that I can't place my finger on.

It's up to the Bay area tomorrow night to begin a three game set with the Giants. If the D-backs don't take at least two of three, I think they are done.

Troubling loss for D-backs

Apparently, the Arizona Diamondbacks were not in sync with my post from yesterday about how now is the time for them to shine. They laid a serious egg last night in their pathetic loss to the Dodgers 7-0.

Derek Lowe looked like Cy Young out there. Granted he is a good pitcher, and an even better pitcher when he's at Dodger Stadium, but all the D-back hitters could manage was two freaking hits in this game?? On the other side, Andre Ethier was on white-hot fire last night, going 5-for-5, and nearly hitting for the cycle. He thought about stretching his second double into a triple in his fourth AB, but was caught between second and third and was tagged out sliding back to second. Once again, this is a case of a guy who has historically hit extremely well against the D-backs, and the D-backs not making the necessary adjustments to try to neutralize him. Just don't understand it - these are big league players and coaches, they absolutely must make the changes necessary to keep these type of guys down.

But even more troubling was seeing Dan Haren struggle once again. This is becoming a serious concern for this team. Another early departure for Haren, as he only managed four innings and gave up five earned runs in that short span. I'm thinking it's dead arm time right now for Haren, much like Webb had earlier in the season. I know that Bob Melvin has offically gone on a strict four days rest recipe for his top three starters, but I think Haren needs some rest. Skipping a day here and there before the end of the season seems to definitely be in order here.

Now down to a 1/2 game lead in the West. Let's hope Webby can get it back together this afternoon, as he has struggled of late as well. This is a game where he needs to put the team on his back, and put up a fat zero up there. And let's hope the offense can pull something out of the bat rack that is conducive to hitting, otherwise Arizona will fall into second place for the first time in what....forever....

The time is now for D-backs to shine

With only 23 games left in this season (wow it has gone fast), the Arizona Diamondbacks have a very slim 1 1/2 game lead in the NL West. But unbelievably almost is that fact that they have either led or been tied atop the division since April 6. That is nearly an impossible feat to accomplish over five months of baseball. So many, many props go to the D-backs for remaining resilient and playing just well enough not to give it up.

But, having said that.....again this is the National League West.

With only being three games over .500, this is by far one of the weakest divisions in recent MLB history. The Dodgers appear to be a big force down the stretch, especially now that notorious clubhouse cancer Jeff Kent is now on the DL for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, loosening up the Dodger clubhouse is not something D-backs fans want to see, as that should give them a boost here until his probable return near the end of the season.

My only fear is if the D-backs do end up relinquishing the lead somewhere in these last 23 games. Not sure exactly how they will respond. There should be enough veteran players on this roster now (Tony Clark, David Eckstein, Adam Dunn, Randy Johnson), that you wouldn't think it would cause their downfall to slip from first. I'd prefer not to go down that road and simply stay afloat at the top.

This is really the time now for all Diamondback players to step it up a notch and play their @#%@$*! off the rest of this month. To go down now would be a disappointment of huge proportions, but I have a feeling that the team is now capable and ready to go into rally mode and finish with a vengeance.

Let's hope that the players actually feel that too.....

Huge win for D-backs in Cards finale

Just got finished watching the replay of the D-backs/Cards game played earlier today, and it was quite impressive. Adam Dunn's walkoff double (watch it here) in the ninth capped off a two-run comeback inning as the D-backs win the series in dramatic fashion.

As Daren Sutton and Mark Grace talked about in the broadcast, the fans looked like they were asleep out there in the ninth inning. Goodness gracious guys....get up...makes some noise....act like you actually care about September baseball.

Anyway, that was a huge game and win for the Arizona. And it was a good thing they pulled it out, because the Dodgers also were winners tonight. So, the D-backs maintain their 1 1/2 game lead heading into tomorrow's off day before leaving for L.A. on Friday for a big-time weekend series.

Conor Jackson showed some signs of getting his swing back, as he had two big RBIs in this one, including the tying run in the ninth to knock in Stephen Drew after Drew led off with a triple. Jackson then scored the game winner on Dunn's double, and he was absolutely motoring around the bases from first....Chip Hale never hesitating with the windmill fully primed and spinning full speed ahead.

So, the bats looked much better today...but that's the thing with this club, there is absolutely no telling what you're going to get on a daily basis. As was expected somewhat based on his prior experience against the D-backs, Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse shut them out through six innings. But, thankfully his pitch count got elevated and the bullpen for the Cards gave up the four runs needed today to get it done.

It's a scary proposition heading to L.A. this weekend knowing full well that the D-backs could come back to Phoenix in second place. But, I really don't see that happening. The Dodgers are off tomorrow as well, so with a 1 1/2 game lead, the worst case scenario if they are swept would be 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, while the best case scenario would be a 4 1/2 game lead. Most likely, it will either be a 1/2 game lead or a 2 1/2 game lead by the end of the weekend. I'm banking on a 2 1/2 game lead based on this win today and the lost opportunity against the Dodgers last weekend firing them up for this series.