You could say I’m starting to become a little worried, even though Arizona has only played 6 games this season. Thus far, they’ve managed to play a GREAT first game of a series and continue to lose the next two games. If my math is right, they’re on pace to win roughly 53 games this year. Perhaps there are not enough games played yet, but there is still enough that I’ve seen to make me worried.

It's time for you, Mr. Reynolds, to bring your A-Game.

On another note, Mark Reynolds is not a good third basemen. When Arizona was blown-out by the Dodgers on Saturday, at least 3 of those runs (this is including the momentum that came along with it) would not have happened if Reynolds didn’t let the ball go through is legs. I can understand screwing up a few times in a year, but seriously: are you going for the most errors in a year record as well, Mark? You got the strike-out record last year, so why not?

If you hadn’t already noticed, Justin Upton looks pitiful. He’s got so much potential and I’m lead to believe that he was rushed through the minors. Perhaps Arizona needs to send him down for a few weeks and work on his mechanics, otherwise look at Upton becoming a bust in the future. I don’t want that to happen.
Brandon Webb is on the 15 Day DL as of today. Awesome. They’re doing it as a precaution to give his arm more rest, and hopefully it is NOTHING more than that. Max Scherzer: I can’t wait for you to be off the DL ASAP!

Finally, if Arizona keeps on this downhill swing, look to them to make some trades to try and turn it around. Hopefully they can get someone that’s consistant or maybe even some prospects (we’re in dire need of those). We can clean out our full bench of outfielders to build for the future.

MLB.com is reporting that (unofficially) the Diamondbacks are to be the 2011 host of the All-Star game. A press conference is set at 2:30 CST for the DBacks (and will be broadcast live on MLB.com), though they haven’t necessarily stated what exactly the conference is for. Oh, please: We already know. It would be crazier if we were blind-sided by an announcement of making a trade for Justin Morneau of the Twins!

The only other thing I want to know is when I can buy my 2011 All-Star game tickets

More on this topic to come after press conference.

Update: It’s Official. 2011 All-Star Game HOSTS!!

It’s true: I don’t like the Dodgers. Neither do the DBack Announcers. Matt Williams popped off a “Those Dodgers: Always running away from the baseball” comment when a ball was hit toward the Dodger dugout. That’s mild, to say the least.

Anyway, I’m happy to be writing “Arizona Beats the Dodgers”. Nothing brings more inner peace(in baseball, anyway) than to see the Dodgers go down to the Dbacks, as well as hear numerous “Beat LA” chants going on at the game. Ahhhh, rivalries.

Chris Young had a pretty good day: No Strikeouts. Oh, yeah he also had 3 hits, 3 runs and 3 rbi’s.

Mr. Stellar - No Strikeouts. Hopefully he keeps that total low this year.

In his debut for the Dbacks, John Garland threw 6 innings of quality ball, only giving up a run. Originally, I was a little worried because he normally has a mildly high ERA in his career, but his pitching performance yesterday gave me a glimmer of hope. He COULD be a stud this year. Watch out!

Oh, and those of you wanting to see Max Scherzer pitch, you’re going to have to wait. He’s currently on the 15 day DL (see article) and Yusmiero Petit will be taking his place on the hill.

All I have to say is that this was one of the most ridiculous games I’ve seen in a LONG time. 8 HR’s in one game? 5 of which were from Arizona! I love baseball!

Spitting Venom: Felipe Lopez hit 2 HR's in his first day as a DBack. (Matt York/AP)

Felipe Lopez: Welcome to Phoenix. Thanks for the two home runs in your first official game as a DBack!

Tony Clark: You also impressed me… 2 HR. Wow. I was doubting Bob Melvin starting you in the first place. Glad you could prove me wrong.

Brandon Webb: you didn’t impress. Through 4 Innings, you gave up 6 runs. No matter, as the bats seemed to be on FIRE as well, scoring 6 through 3 full innings of play. But still: Big Brandon struggling? 6 runs? I can’t remember the last time you gave up more than four within the last 2 years!

NOTE: Brandon Webb has never given up back-to-back home runs in his career… until TODAY.

Another interesting thing I saw: Buckner threw 3 consecutive pickoff throws to 1st with Ianetta on board… a guy that did not attempt to steal at all last year. Low and behold, Ianetta ended up trying to steal. Chris “Big Game” Snyder shot a laser to second base to get him out. That’ll teach you, Chris Ianetta!

Schoenweis’ made his debut with the Dbacks in relief Gave up a Jack to the first batter he faced. Oh, boy. Could make me squimish when he comes in the rest of the year.

Finally, Qualls came in and had a great last inning to close out the game. If he keeps his form see him being the DHL (oh wait… uh… what’s it going to be called now?) Deliver Man of the year. Yes. Better than K-Rod.

After finishing with the worst record in the Cactus League, I for one am ready for the DBacks to tear it up. Sure, I’m staying by the fact that records mean squat in Spring Ball, but I’m ready for good news. I’m ready for my productivity to drop like the stock market’s trend with the distraction of my fantasy roster and reading up on everything having to do with the DBacks, as well as anxiously waiting for the next game to be played. Off-days seem like an eternity, but after surviving the off-season one day doesn’t seem as bad.

Baseball is the best fan sport in the world because teams play nearly everyday from April until October, which means not a whole heck of a lot of down time. HECK YEAH!

My guess: Arizona will be off to a hot start. I mean, with 18 of 22 of their first games at home I’ll be a little disappointed if they don’t start of on fire. Hopefully this year they can sustain that momentum until the end and put the Dodgers back in the kiddie corner.

One other note: According to dbacks.com, Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds will not be in the lineup for opening day. Bob Melvin said he wanted to get more left-handed batters in against right-handed pitchers. Low and behold, the first pitcher they face is a righty. I’m semi-surprised Justin Upton is out and Tony Clark is in at first. Who would have thought Tony Clark would be starting opening day again??

I’m out, all. Get Ready for a GREAT SEASON! Go DBACKS!!!

From this post, we are 10 days away from opening day, and I cannot wait. Spring ball feeds my fix, but I’d consider it more low-end appetizer. Pitchers are only allowed so many at bats and hitters allowed so many innings. The WBC was great because it provided a playoff-like atmosphere (too bad USA lost). But since that finished up earlier in the week, I’m bored. It kind of ruined spring training games, but at the same time brought some excitement and restlessness for what is to come. I’m done checking scores on a regular basis. MLB ’09 regular season: Please Start. And bring a healthy Stephen Drew with you.

“What’s with Stephen Drew?”

In Saturday’s game he left with an abdominal strain. He met with team doctors on Thursday to get further treatment. You think he would have met with them sooner but perhaps they attempted good ol’ ice and rest approach. Either way, get better soon, Drew.

Oh, and Eric Byrnes is making a statement in camp. The $30 Million Man wants his job back. He’s playing like the Eric Byrnes of 2007, and I absolutely love it.

Instead of giving text, I’m giving you multimedia!

First off,  I haven’t bashed Dodger fans much… in while. I started typing Dodger Fans and a suggested video was “Dodger Fan Fights” hahah! So here’s a video for you showing the integrity of their fans.See it Here

You see, DBack fans don’t fight each other; they fight for their team… and throw trash on the field

Remember the post-season 2007 when the Rockies were in town? Here’s a (crappy quality) video to help remind you: See it Here

It’s a been a while since I’ve written, yet again. I’m working a on a few (8) mid-scale projects and barely have time to think.

Peh…

Anyhoo, DBACKS BABY!

First off, I’d like to make a shout out to Felipe Lopez: Way to help Puerto Rico kick the crap out of the USA (I’m an American. I Love the USA Baseball WBC team, but when a DBack is on the opposing team and hitting well, things change for me).

Focusing more on the team, now, it seems as if the Dbacks are looking decent right now. Chad Tracy apparently isn’t having any knee issues, which is GOOD. He’s been hurting for a while, it seems, but being able to be agile and run around without pain is a great step for him… and his trade value.

TRADE VALUE?! Say What?!

Like I’ve stated before, the DBacks are a little bloated when it comes to players that should be playing. Eric Byrnes was out most of last year with injury which helped alleviate issues with playing time. Now that he’s coming back, however, the issue lingers. How should this problem be solved?

Trade Chad Tracy.

Chad Tracy Doesn't Even Look Like he wants to be in AZ. Solution: TRADE HIM.

I know, I know, he’s a decent player and I like him. But looking into the best interests of the team, we need a BETTER CLOSER.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Back in December 2007, Arizona traded Jose Valverde to the Astros for Juan Gutierrez, Chad Qualls, and Chris Burke. And who got the better deal? At the beginning of last season, with Qualls throwing lights out, I thought we did. But no, Qualls tanked, Burke SUCKED (don’t try to tell me otherwise), and Gutierrez has yet to make an appearance in the Majors. Valverde had how many saves last year? Try 44. Brandon Lyon was no where near that.  The ability to win close games was a huge trait in the 2007 season, and he was a huge part. Who cares if it was a money issue; when he came in, fans were excited. He has an intensity that exists in two or three pitchers in the Majors. Arizona claimed it was a money issue (he wanted a bigger contract, which he should get), wanting nothing to do with it. I give them props for “wanting to believe,” but, like the X-Files I Want to Believe movie, it was absolute garbage. Trading Tracy for a respectable closer or any big minor league bat (throw Qualls in the deal) might make me feel better.

Until then, I’ll just be bitter and do my homework for class.

I know I’m a Dbacks Blogger, but this is one of those things I’ve got to write about!

When I first checked the score this morning, I was immediately shocked to see the Netherlands were up 3-1 in the 5th inning against the juggernaut Dominican Republic.  I watched the game in awe, wondering and waiting for a comeback. To my surprise, it never happened.

The intensity of the 8th and 9th innings are why I watch baseball. I’ll admit, I’ve been bored with spring training ball; the atmosphere isn’t “we’re going to with this game at all costs,” but rather “get your pitches in and that’s that.” This game, however, was exactly a David v Goliath match. No one, including myself, ever thought the Dutch had a chance! Even as the game was in the final innings, I found myself still wondering when and how the Dutch were going to blow it. Sure enough, they proved me wrong. Their young pitcher Dennis Neuman (and I mean young… he’s in the Red Sox Class A Affiliate Lowell Spinners) looked a little nervous facing the first few batter and then brought it home well. Struck out Jose Guillen and got Nelson Cruz & Moises Alou to fly out. Then came the 9th inning.

Randall Simon was nailed by a pitch in the top of the 9th and was pinch run for Michael Duursma. Duursma ended up being caught in the middle of a pickle, making it seem routine and no way to make it to base safely. After Fernando Tatis (at this time he’s playing 1st base) made his seconds throw, Duursma turned around and pretty much ran and seemingly lunged at Tatis, getting an interference call and 2B. The Dutch, however, were not able to capitalize and drive him in. So, the score stayed 3-2.

In the bottom of the 9th, Leon Boyd came in to close the game. (This guy needs to be brought over to the Major Leagues. Nasty off-speed stuff!). He ended the game on a 4-pitch strikeout against Jose Bautista. Beyond him, the biggest game changer of the inning had to be Willy Taveras being gunned down by the 6′5” Kenley Jansen at third base. If you don’t think that’s a momentum killer, then I don’t know what is. 

Lesson learned: don’t overlook teams. Even though the Dutch never hit the ball out of the infield, they proved it isn’t about getting jacks… it’s about teamwork. They overcame the power house and shocked the baseball world.

Mad props to the Dutch.

Today was the day where Randy Johnson faced the team (well, perhaps management is more the blame) that turned their back on him. Honestly, I feel for him. You don’t just dump a guy that is going to get his 300th win and going to the Hall of Fame probably with a Dbacks Jersey on. He even said he’d take a pay cut! Kudos to the Giants picking him up, and he pitched pretty damn well: No ER and 7 strikeouts in THREE (yes THREE) innings of work!

Either way, today was an epic game. Randy shut down the DBacks for the three innings he pitched, and Doug David also had a solid outing: 2 innings, no ER. In the end, ultimately, the Dbacks lost 8-7. Sad Day! I talked up Roberson in earlier posts, but it’s looking like he’s getting a little worse. However, the guy is definably getting his AB’s in, but not having as much offensive production as I’d like. He had one hit and and one RBI. He was also at the dish 5 times. All in all, not bad but I’d like to see better out of him.

Box Score.

Anyway, moving on to one more topic: What is going to happen to Eric Byrnes, the $10 million a year man? Honestly, I don’t know. He hasn’t played in any Spring Training games, and I suppose that is ok. They are rehabbing at a cautious rate as they would like to not screw up his hammies for the third time. But even beyond the injury, the outfield is crowded. Jackson has stated that he prefers to play in the outfield (and you can’t say many bad things about him because he is the only guy to hit .300 in the last two years on the team), and Chris Young/Justin Upton look to be locks for their positions. What I could see happening is that Byrnes will be a bench player for a while and eventually Jackson would be moved back to first base, leaving Chad Tracy out of the deal. Either way, it’s a sticky situation.

I’m back after a two-day hiatus. Miss me? I figured you did.

And in this two-day hiatus, the Dbacks lost twice. Maybe that means I shouldn’t disappear for a few days, right? Wrong. To me (and hopefully you as well), records mean absolutely NOTHING in Spring Training games. It does, however, bring us names to perhaps remember for the future, names like Chris Roberson.

I mentioned his name a little my last post for getting a steal, but man, he’s having a decent Spring Training. This past game, he had a HR. He may be hitting .200 but definitely doing his job and getting in runs. Another thing to note is that he is also an outfielder. The chances of starting this upcoming season would be slim to none, however, would make a decent backup if need be.

Another person to take note of is Chris Young. Yes, he’s a bigger name but he’s seeing the ball pretty well. You can’t tell me a .556 avg is NOT good! He’s never hit above .250 in a season, so it is good to see his average kind of high right now. Again, it’s spring training, but you can’t tell me it doesn’t excite you a little? Let’s see that smile!