I'm a life long A's fan in Portland, OR and Eric Byrnes is one of my all-time favorite players. Even to the point where I find myself rooting for the Dbacks on a consistant basis. I was watching a Dbacks-Dodgers game a couple weeks back and I saw the promo for the Eric Byrnes show, I was wondering how it is and if anyone has a torrent or anything so those of us without FSAZ can check it out.

Anyway, keep up the good work and take that division!

Since it looks official that we'll be aiming to use our front starters as much as possible down the stretch, with Petit being skipped whenever necessary, I thought we should take a look at the anticipated match-ups for the series until the end of the season. This is, obviously, provisional, and any corrections or amendments are welcome.

• August 18, Off-day
• August 19-21, vs Padres: Davis, Haren, Webb
• August 22-24, vs Marlins: Johnson, Petit, Davis [Petit is SnakePitFest!]
• August 25-27, @ Padres: Haren, Webb, Johnson
• August 28, Off-day
• August 29-31, vs Dodgers: Davis, Haren, Webb
• September 1-3, vs. Cardinals: Johnson, Petit, Davis
• September 4: Off-day
• September 5-7, @ Dodgers: Haren, Webb, Johnson
  
  Up to this point, it seems fairly locked in. Beyond this, it gets a bit more speculative. In the next series, for example, they could insert Petit at any point if necessary. But my best guess would be.
• September 8-10, @ Giants: Davis, Petit, Haren
• September 11: Off-day
• September 12-14, vs. Cincinnati: Webb, Johnson, Davis
• September 15-18, vs. Giants: Petit, Haren, Webb, Johnson
• September 19-21, @ Rockies: Davis, Petit, Haren
• September 22-25, @ Cardinals: Webb, Johnson, Davis, Petit
• September 26-28, Rockies: Haren, Webb, Johnson

The divisional playoffs begin October 1, so this would also set up Haren to pitch Game 1, and Webb Game 2. Of course, if we've clinched a post-season spot earlier, than any or all of the final series could see us resting our starters.

According to John Fay, the Reds beat writer for the Cincinatti Enquirer, the third player going to the Reds in the Dunn trade is catcher Wilkin Castillo. Supposedly our 14th best prospect going into the season, he had decent numbers for Tucson. He also played games at 3B, SS, and OF. I don't know a whole lot about him, so I can't say I'm too upset with him being included in the package. Still not too thrilled with losing Micah though.

On May 22nd I posted a quick review of our off season moves  from 2007/2008 Linky  and now nearly 3 months later I thought I would revisit and review again. Once more sorry for the lack of in depth knowledge/scouting, I'm restricted to stats I'm afraid but if anyone wants to chip in please feel free

Players In

Dan Haren: SP    (Ari)   

 24 GS  159 IP  12-6    SO 147   BB 27  3.00  ERA  1.025 WHIP

I don't think this needs much comment really. Haren has been awesome in the process of recording a 12-6 record and an ERA of 3.00. Had it not been for the general offensive woes of the late spring and early summer, Mr Haren could well be on 15 wins by now. Still Haren has been a co-ace of the staff this year and his recent contract extension is well deserved in my opinion.

Chad Qualls: RP (Ari)

57G 54IP   2-7  2 SV     51SO  17BB  3.50 ERA 1.24 WHIP

There is a certain hand drawn graphic that demonstrates just how much Qualls (or rather Melvin's use of Qualls) has frustrated the fans at times this season. Despite several implosions which have helped contributed to 7 losses Qualls has by and large been a decent aquisition for the Diamondbacks, posting a respectible ERA  and K/BB ratio. Used in a variety of roles by BoMel Chad has settled into the bullpen and  whilst his meltdowns do frustrate, such troubles a bullpen wide issue and not just one for Mr Qualls to worry about.

Billy Buckner: SP     

(ARI)  6G  9 IP   1-0    SO 7 BB 2  4.00 ERA   1.56 WHIP

(TUS) 19 GS 110.1 IP  5-8    SO 63 BB 39  5.30 ERA  1.53 WHIP

After being aquired for Alberto Callaspo  in the off season Buckner was sent down to AAA where he and his felow Tuscon starters not named Sherzer all found themselves getting shelled in a team wide struggle. That being said Buckner has made it to 'the show' this season and performed admirably in his few appearences out of the 'pen.

Connor Robertson:  RP

(Ari)  6G  7 IP  0-1   2 SO  2 BB   5.14 ERA   1.429 WHIP

(Tus) 40 G  66IP  7-3    63SO  25BB 4.23  ERA  1.21 WHIP

Part of the Haren deal, Robertson has settled in well in a relief role with Tuscon. His ERA has dropped by around a run at AAA since I last reviewed and like Bucknor he has been up and down with the D-Backs and pitched a handful of largely average innings. The jury is still out on this one but he doesn't look too out of his depth so far.

Juan Gutierrez:  SP (Tus)

21G  18GS   91.2 IP   3-10      74SO  35 BB   6.68  ERA   1.79 WHIP

Fighting it out with Chris Burke to be crowned worst piece of the Valverde trade is Juan Gutierrez who is sucking the big one down in Tuscon, An ERA closer to 7 then 6 and a WHIP nudging towards 2 says it all. Certainly not someone who we'll be expecting up at the big league level when the rosters expand.

Jose Marte: RP (Vis/Mob)

(Vis A+)   9G  14 IP  1-0  3SV  15 SO  4 BB    1.93 ERA  1.21 WHIP

(Mob AA) 31G  42.1 IP  4-2  6 SV  33 SO  22BB  4.68 ERA   1.56 WHIP

Our return for Dustin Nippert was relief pitcher Jose Marte who impressed early on with high A ball for Visalia and was promoted to Mobile early on in the season. However the jump to AA proved challenging for Jose and whilst not being terrible he looks set to at least repeat AA.

Chris Burke: OF/INF (Ari)

67 G   137 AB  26 H  14 R  0 HR  7RBI  .190 AVG  .536 OPS

Chris Burke has managed to cross the plate a whopping 7 times since I wrote this original article, very impressive stuff from the Chocolate Teapot! The man who has one less home run then a pitcher sitting in Tuscon and as many RBI's as Brandon Webb has at least been useful defence wise this season but at the plate....well. I made this comment back in May.

 Burke should heat up and when that happens he's a guy you want on your bench.

 What a fool I am :(

Trot Nixon: OF/1B (Tus/NYM)

(TUS) 58G  181AB  56H 39R    10 HR   31RBI   .309 AVG  .995 OPS

(NYM) 11G  35AB    6H    2R       1HR    1RBI  .171 AVG  579 OPS

Despite the injuries to several outfielders and infielders during the early part of this season, Trot Nixon never made it onto the Diamondbacks roster and eventually found his way to the Mets  where he has largely been sidelined by injury.

Josh Whitesell: 1B (Tus)

114G  421 AB  139H  77R  23 HR  95 RBI  .330AVG  .996 OPS

This waiver claim from Washington is quietly having a great season down is Tuscon  hitting for a decent average and slugging well. Sadly his progress is blocked by a number of players who can play 1st and might well end up like Chris Carter V1.0.

 Players Out

 Livan Hernandez: SP (Min/)

(MIN) 23GS   139.7 IP   10-8   5.48 ERA   54 SO  29BB

(COL) 1GS         2.7 IP   0-1     30.38 ERA  1 SO  4 BB

Livan left us as a free agent in the hope of snagging a mega bucks multi year deal but ended up signing for a year with the Twins. After a great start he fell off a cliff around the same time our offence did and after 2 months of sucktitude was DFA and picked up by the Rockies. In his lone start so far he managed to give up 9 earned runs in only 2 2/3 innings, so thanks Livan ;)

Dana Eveland: SP (Oak)

22 GS  125.0 IP  7-8  85 SO  64 BB  4.46 ERA  1.52 WHIP

After a bright start Eveland has faded fast due in a large part to a sharp drop in his K/BB ratio as the season has progressed. His stock has fallen so low as of late that he's not even on the roster for the A's right now and has been DFA

Gregg Smith: SP (Oak)

23 GS  137.7 IP  5-11    90 SO  65 BB  3.92 ERA

Like Eveland, Smith found himself in the A's starting rotation at the start of the season and like his former D-Back he made an immediate impression winning many plaudits  for his role in keeping the A's as contenders in a rebuilding year. Sadly much like Eveland his stock has fallen recently but he still has decent numbers on the year.

Jose Valverde: RP (Hou)

55 G  54.3 IP  5-3  29 SV  4.31 ERA  62 SO  19BB

The Valverde deal seems to fluctuate almost weekly between good/bad for the D-Backs.  At times Valverde has been dominant bt at other times he's looked lost, so in a way him and Qualls really aren't so different. Still, Jose is on course for around 40 saves and few in Houston will look at an ERA some 1.5 runs higher then last year.

Dustin Nippert: RP (Tex)

13 G  35.7 IP  1-2    24 SO  23  BB 7.82 ERA   2.13 WHIP

After a nightmare start at Texas and injury to boot, Dustin has somewhat settle down and pitched a few innings in the Lone Star State but really nothing spectacular

Brett Anderson: SP (Oak Class A/AA)

(A) 14G 13GS  74 IP  9-4    80 SO  18BB  4.14 ERA  1.16 WHIP

(AA)  5GS  25 IP  2-1  29 SO  8 BB  1.80 ERA  1.04 WHIP

Anderson is progressing nicely so far, already having moved from high A to AA ball and based on early results is settling in well. Again as with all young pitchers its harder to project, especially when you rely on pure numbers but he does seem to have some talent. 

Carlos Quentin: OF (CWS)

114 G  423 AB  120 H  82 R  32 HR  90 RBI  .284 AVG  .947 OPS

For old times sake....

Alberto Callaspo:  SS/OF (KAN)

42G  100AB  29H  8R  0 HR  4RBI  .290 AVG  .679 OPS

Alberto has been blighted by injuries and personal problems this season but in his limited playing time he is showing glimpses of talent.

Tony Clark: 1B (SD/ARI)

(SD)  70G  88AB  21H  5R  1HR  11RBI  .239 AVG  .684OPS

(ARI) 17G 37AB 8H 4R  2HR  9RBI  .216 AVG  .698 OPS

Well, we all know how this one worked out... GIDP anyone? Still joking aside Tony came back to the D-Backs after being one of the best examples of a pure pinch hitter around whilst in San Diego. Since coming 'home' to the Diamondbacks Tony has had more playing opportunities but has underwhelmed 2 home runs aside.

Chris Carter: 1B (Oak Single A)

(A+) 118 G  437AB  119H  89R  34HR  97RBI  .272AVG  .958OPS

So, maybe Byrnes was onto something with 'that trade' after all. It's a small sample size and at A+ level but so far Chris Carter V2.0 is showing some awesome power connecting for 34 Home runs already this season whilst keeping a respectable batting average and OBP to boot. One to watch...

Carlos Gonzalez: OF (Oak/ AAA)

(AAA) 41 G  157 AB  46 H  23 R  4 HR  25 RBI  .293 AVG  .790 OPS

(OAK) 62 G  234 AB  64 H 25 R  3HR  19 RBI  .274 BA  .715 OPS

Shortly after I wrote my first review CarGon was called up to join the A's and has held his own in the major leagues. The centrepiece of the Haren deal still has a lot to learn but there is no question about the potential.

Aaron Cunningham: OF (Oak AA/AAA)

(AA) 87 G  347 AB  110H  65R  12 HR  52 RBI  .317 AVG  .893 OPS

(AAA) 5G  17 AB  7H  7 R  2HR  3RBI  .412 AVG  1.506 OPS

Aaron has recently been elevated to AAA and has started brightly after playing well at AA ball for the A's.  

I don't have too much to say about these really. I think the interesting bits are the results of the Haren trade. The A's really do look to have received a lot of talent with 3 players making an impact in the big leagues and another at AAA, even below that level Chris Carter seems a genuine power prospect. However from a Diamondbacks perspective we have received a man who is an All Star and a man who is a genuine Cy-Young candidate so we can't be anything but happy. Tony Clark looked to be slowly rocking towards retirement before we granted him a final hurrah, whilst Livan looks a spent force. The trade involving Papa Grande has been a draw so far and we looked to have picked up a decent reserve player/trade bait in Whitesell

So yeah, any fresh feelings/thoughts welcome :)

It's that time again pit dwellers. A new Diamondbacks wallpaper is here. Little story to go along with this one. I was going to enter the diamondbacks free t-shirt giveaway contest but the wife and I ended up out of town and I never gof to finish my entry. This design is close to what I would have entered. Let me know what you guys think. As always thanks in advance for the compliments and visits to my site. If I can ask one tiny favor, if you know anyone in need of some design (mainly web design or t-shirt design) if you don't mind sending to see my site I would appreciate it. Anyways thanks again and enjoy. Just click on the link and head to the free-stuff section for the wallpaper.

hat the Diamondbacks have just acquired Adam Dunn in exchange for Dallas Buck and two players to be named later.

Got this as a text alert, no link or confirmation as of yet.

Here it is:

Diamondbacks acquire Adam Dunn from Reds

August 11th, 2008 @ 10:57am 

by Tyler Bassett/Sports 620 KTAR, John Gambadoro/Sports 620 KTAR

<!-- ===================[ STORY BODY : RICH TEXT ]================= -->

Sports 620 KTAR's John Gambadoro reports the Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds.

The Diamondbacks are giving up three prospects in the deal, minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two other players to be named later.

Dunn has 32 home runs in 2008 with 74 RBI. His average this season is .233.

Figured it might well be a place to talk about anything interesting that you've seen in the Beijing coverage, be it good, bad or indifferent. This morning, we watched the Brazilian soccer team take apart New Zealand, 5-0: I'm pretty sure than Ronaldinho earns more than the entire New Zealand roster, and the gulf between the two outfits was pretty obvious. Argentina had a lot more trouble beating Australia, behind held at bay until deep in the second-half, and only winning 1-0.

And Britain got their first gold, courtesy of Nicole Cooke in the women's cycling road race. W00t! We're #1! We're #1! Admittedly, only in the women's cycling road race, it would appear... :-) Though I was probably more impressed by France's Jeannie Longo, who finished a respectable 24th...at the age of 49, in her seventh Olympics.

Emilio Bonifacio has had another multi-hit game today. That's his fourth in six since being traded to the Nationals, and his average with them is currently .385, having gone 10-for-26, including three triples. While, obviously, it's a small sample size, is this going to end up being another one of "those" trades, that we end up regretting later? Did we give up on him too early? After all, he is only twenty-three, more than two years younger than another second baseman that we let get away: Dan Uggla...

Continue reading this post »

So a little nugget was unearthed in the recent Game Thread about possibly setting up a game of stick and ball.  Obviously with SnakepitFest coming up and then Rauch's birthday part/end of the year blowout, this is something that might not happen until the offseason.  Another good reason to wait a little bit is simply so we don't all die of heat stroke.

No, this is a little fishing post, an attempt to gauge the interest level if you will.  I have a few questions that can make a gathering easier to plan in the future, so if you'd happily oblige me:

1) Do you want to play? The simplest question, but even if you say no, a game and barbeque/picnic I think would be perfect for the people that might not be completely interested in playing.

2) Would you rather play baseball or softball? This is important, as if more people would want to play softball, we would need to know that for equipment, location, et cetera.

3) Do you own a glove? Saying no wouldn't exlude anyone as we can share gloves, but ideally we would want to have 9 or so gloves as a group.  Also, we would need the right gloves as infielder baseball gloves don't really work well for softball.

4) Do you own a bat? Obviously we'll need at least one bat.

5) Where do you live? Most likely any location would be in the central areas of Phoenix, but if the vast majority of us are in a particular area, that would be good to know.  You don't have to get specfic, just a general area like Scottsdale or Surprise or Gila Bend.

6)  Do you have any experience? Again, obviously this wouldn't exclude anyone, but it would interesting to know.  Me, I have some Little League experience and softball from grade school, but haven't played much since then.

Thanks for your participation!