2008 Regular Season: August 2008 Archives

Going into the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers I had such high hopes. The Dodgers were playing some of the worst baseball I had seen all season. They came in having lost all seven games of the current road trip. They had been swept by the Philadelphia Phillies which you could somewhat explain but they had also been swept by the Washington Nationals where were the worst team in all of Major League Baseball. The first game of the series had the pitching match-up that most favored the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks handed the visiting team their eighth straight loss. If you were a Diamondbacks fan you had to be feeling pretty good about your chances.

I generally do not pay much attention to the Diamondbacks promotional schedule unless of course we are talking about bobble heads. I can give you the dates of each one of those giveaways (by the way the final one is September 13 for the Dan Haren bobble head). I don't have to keep trace of the promotions; my kids do a more than adequate job of it. At the beginning of each season we go over the Diamondbacks schedule with a fine tooth comb. I am of course looking for interesting games and match ups (and the occasional bobble head). The kids are scouring the schedule to see when the cool giveaways are and what dates they have to be nice to their younger brother since he is the only one age eligible for the Sunday promotional items. So to say I was ill-prepared for tonight's game would be an understatement.

All the hype to this series touted that it would be a match-up between the top two teams in the National League West to decide who would have the upper-hand down the stretch run for the divisional title. Before the season began these two teams were picked to duke it out in what was expected to be the most difficult division in baseball. Instead what we have are two teams that look exhausted. They are both coming off road series against last place teams and both were just swept by those last place opponents. The Arizona Diamondbacks were just soundly beaten by the San Diego Padres while the Los Angeles Dodgers were just taken to task by the Washington Nationals. You could have easily made the argument that these teams were battling for the rights to the first overall pick in next year's amateur draft and few people would have contradicted you.

When the San Diego Padres visited Chase Field last week I was really hoping to be able to take 2 of 3 games and win the series. When the Diamondbacks swept the Padres my confidence swelled. With the Dodgers struggling and losing all of their games during their current road trip I thought that this was the time for the Arizona Diamondbacks to nail the lid to the coffin shut and take control of their play-off destiny. All it would take would be for Arizona to win two or three games against the last place Padres and this race would basically be over even before the upcoming series against the Dodgers.

When the Arizona Diamondbacks traded for Randy Johnson prior to the 2007 season everyone wondered why. They felt as though Johnson was in the twilight of his career and many questioned whether he had anything left in the tank. This appeared to be a sentimental trade to allow a player to retire with the club where he had the most success. Randy kept alluding to the fact that he wanted to continue to pitch and he felt that he could help this young team return to the post season. Everyone laughed and questioned whether he was delusional.

For the past several seasons the Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled with attendance especially in the upper deck along the first and third base lines beyond the bag. Sure we have all heard that attendance is actually on the upswing and that this year the team is on pace to increase again but it is still somewhat disconcerting to look up and see all of the empty seats during the game. I am especially interested in getting more people in the seats in the upper deck but for an entirely selfish reason.

After yesterday's game the Arizona Diamondbacks packed up and headed to San Diego for a brief 3 game road trip. They will return home on Thursday to begin preparing for a 6 game home stand which includes the final home series with the Los Angeles Dodgers next weekend. This means it is time once again for the next edition of "State of the Home Stand Address" where I give a fan's perspective of how the games went during the recent home stand. This entry covers the three game series with the San Diego Padres and the three game series with the Florida Marlins. As always I'll start with my standard disclaimer that the opinions expressed within this post and this blog are my own and in no way are indicative of how others see the games or the series.

There are certain things that absolutely scare me in life. Those would include things such as the Arizona Diamondbacks being realigned into the American League and me having to accept the Designated Hitter; my wife standing behind the door leaping out questioning why I made my latest purchase at the Diamondbacks team shop; and clowns. These fears are very real and I have had to learn to deal with them. I thought that was an exhaustive list but now I am adding one more item to that list; Stitch and Pitch.

Each year the Arizona Diamondbacks are scheduled to play one home and one away series with every National League team outside of the Western Division. Then there are the Interleague games which rotate each year so that ultimately the Diamondbacks will play every American League team at some point. Because of the quirks of the 162 game schedule there is always one non-NL West team that the Diamondbacks play more than once. Last season it was the Pittsburgh Pirates whom the Diamondbacks visited twice. This season the team is the Florida Marlins. In many cases that would not be bad since the Marlins always seem to be in some sort of rebuilding mode as they wait for the Florida voters to decide the fate of their new stadium. Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks they never match up well with the Marlins and typically get the lunch eaten.

It has been a great year to be an Arizona Diamondbacks fan especially when they are playing the National League Western Division. I have watched nearly every game that the Diamondbacks have played this season (ok that may be an understatement, I have even watched some of them multiple times analyzing footage) and I have no idea how to explain the National League West or why the Diamondbacks seem to be dominating the teams in their division. Through tonight's game the Diamondbacks are a ridiculous 34-16 against the West which is part of the reason why they have a 2 game lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers despite not playing well since May.

I love my Chase Field seats. No not the ones I have installed in my house although I do love those. The problem with the seats in my house is that they come with a lot of baggage; namely the eternal fight I have with Trina as to whether these stadium seats are appropriate home furnishings. I know, it is a strange notion that somehow Major League Baseball stadium seats may not be appropriate chairs for your living room. And don't even think about suggesting that we buy 6 more to serve as dining room chairs. I mean really what would be wrong with that. They are plastic so you could hose them down if they get dirty, the fold up when not in use, they have the Diamondbacks logo integrated into the side of them, and they come with their own cup holders. If you ask me, stadium seats are the perfect home furnishing. The one problem is no one ever asks me.

After a six game road trip the Arizona Diamondbacks return to Chase Field to play host to their National League West opponent the San Diego Padres. This game will mark the home debut of Adam Dunn. The deal bringing Dunn to Arizona was announced shortly after the Diamondbacks left for Colorado meaning that fans have not gotten an opportunity to see the big man in Sedona Red. I've been lukewarm about this trade since it went down. I completely understand Josh Byrnes thinking, I am just not sure I understand how this is going to play out. With the size of the outfields in the ballparks in the NL West, putting someone like Adam Dunn out there will definitely reduce your teams defense. We've gotten used to seeing the likes of Chris Young, Eric Byrnes, Justin Upton, and Alex Romero patrol the vast spaces in the outfield. All of this was of course hearsay until we had an opportunity to see for ourselves what Adam Dunn has to offer.

You would think that going 4-2 on a road trip would be cause for celebration. The goal of every team is to win each series that they play. If you could somehow do that over the course of a season you would end up with right around 108 wins more than enough to get you to the play-offs. Considering how much the Arizona Diamondbacks have been struggling over the last three months fans should be absolutely ecstatic. Instead, all I am hearing lately is doom and gloom surrounding this team.

Over the course of the first two games against the Houston Astros, the Arizona Diamondbacks scored 23 runs from 26 hits including 6 home runs two of which were grand slams. It appeared as though the Diamondbacks bats had come fully loaded to Minute Maid Park. This was especially surprising considering that the Astros were on an eight game winning streak when the Diamondbacks came to town. Finally Arizona was beginning to look like the dominating team that they had been during the first month of the season. After watching this team struggle from May through July; the fans were poised to watch their favorite team complete another dominating road trip. Everything seemed to be lining up right for the Diamondbacks. The final game of the series would send the resurging Randy Johnson to the mound in what looked to be a classic pitcher's duel.

Earlier this season Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall stated; the team would be announcing Season Ticket Renewal for the 2009 season earlier than they had in years past. In the first year of their existence the Diamondbacks announced upcoming ticket prices which included a substantial price increase during Fan Appreciation week. That of course caused all kinds of problems and since that time the Diamondbacks have been very careful in how and when they introduce any price changes. I have been eagerly awaiting the Season Ticket Renewal package. First I wanted to see what changes if any there would be for next year and secondly that ticket renewal package usually contained information on the post season tickets for the current year. It is still relatively early to be thinking of playoffs but with the Diamondbacks having been in first place since April 4, the fans are pretty hopeful that October baseball will return to the valley. Today in the mail I received a large envelope containing invoicing and ticket renewal.

Recently I received a post card in the mail. That in itself is pretty much a big deal. In this day and age you rarely find anyone willing to take the time to write a post card let alone go out and get a stamp and try and find a post office to mail the thing. I remember as a kid when my parents would go out of town on a trip, they would always send us a post card. I am sure the sentiment was to tell us that they were thinking of us while they were having fun. Looking back at it, that was kind of mean sending us a card of some exotic destination while we're stuck at home with an evil babysitter whose whole goal in life is to break our very spirit and will to live. Ok I exaggerated the destinations were not that exotic on the post cards. Given my past experiences with postcards, you would not think I would be excited to get one but I was; especially this one.

With the Arizona Diamondbacks in Colorado to play the Rockies things are a little crazy around here. When the Diamondbacks are in town my life is fairly simple. I go to work, I come home from work, I put on my Diamondbacks jersey, I grab my seat cushion, I go to Chase Field. Like is good. When the team is out of town things get kind of messy. I still go to work, I still come home from work, I still put on my Diamondbacks jersey, then I am completely at a loss. I wander around the house staring at my seat cushion then the calendar then the television then back to the seat cushion. Trina of course is no help whatsoever as she is constantly reminding me that the Diamondbacks are out of town and that I promised I would get to the "Honey-Do" list. This of course makes me even more frantic as I stare at my seat cushion then the calendar then the television then back to the seat cushion. After about 30 minutes of that Trina usually gives up and walks away leaving me in my confused state.

Over the course of the past 8 months Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes has shown a propensity for dealing away young unknown talent in exchange for veterans who have had Major League experience and are under contract beyond the current season. This philosophy was apparent in December when he dealt several prospects to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for staff co-ace Dan Haren. That trade has so far paid substantial dividends and I briefly considered calling Josh and asking him what I should do with my 401K since it seems like he is on a roll and everything he does turns to gold. With his recent success, it is hard to stand here and question any of the deals that he has made but still there are a couple that at least today are making me scratch my head and wonder.

The Arizona Diamondbacks left Chase Field after Sunday's final game with the Atlanta Braves. They travelled north to the Rocky Mountains to Denver Colorado. They begin their road trip today after having the day off yesterday. There are three games scheduled with the Colorado Rockies followed by a three game series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. They will then return home to host the San Diego Padres and the Florida Marlins. It looks to be a very busy week for the Diamondbacks as they welcome slugger Adam Dunn to the team when they reach Coors Field today. With the Diamondbacks being out of town it is time once again for the next episode of the "State of the Home Stand Address" where I attempt to give a fan's prespective on how the games went during the recent home stand. This entry will cover the three game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the four game series with the Atlanta Braves. As is always the case I'll start with my standard disclaimer that the opinions expressed within this post and this blog are my own and in no way are indicative of how others see the games or the series.

With the loss of Orlando Hudson for the rest of the season everyone was curious what the Arizona Diamondbacks might do. Losing a team leader is hard enough but when that leader also is a gold glove fielder and one of the most consistent hitters on the team that loss is magnified. Things are further complicated by the fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks traded away Emilio Bonifacio who had been designated as their second baseman of the future. Bonifacio was the primary chip used in the trade that brought Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks. Many of the media outlets have wondered whether the Diamondbacks are second-guessing that deal now that they are without an everyday second baseman. Personally I think the deal still made sense. While Bonifacio was indeed one of the fastest players I have ever seen, his plate discipline was lacking and I have doubts that he can have a high enough on-base percentage to take advantage of that speed. I also question whether he has the mental focus to become a premier defender up the middle. Rauch on the other hand has had very good success in the bullpen and provides the Diamondbacks with an option as closer should they be unable to come to terms with Brandon Lyon when he becomes a free agent after this season. Debating the merits of that trade does little to solve the current issue the Diamondbacks are facing. So what would Arizona's response be?

When this home stand began I thought there was a very real possibility that the Diamondbacks could end it with a 5-2 record or perhaps 6-1. They had just finished a road trip through the National League West where they went 7-3 and would be facing two teams in the Pirates and Braves who had both been struggling. After taking the first two games of the Pittsburgh series I was feeling very confident in my prediction. Even the near perfect final game with the Pirates didn't dissuade my confidence. But when the Diamondbacks dropped the first two games with Atlanta I had to begin questioning whether this team had what it would take to be competitive down the home stretch of the season; still I had faith that the ship would right itself with Dan Haren on the mound. But after the events of last night my confidence was extremely shaken.

The last two games with the Atlanta Braves have been a complete disaster. Before the season began everyone pointed to the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching staff as the strength of the team. In particular the starting rotation was expected to be one of the best in all of baseball. The bullpen returned roughly intact from last year where they were very good at maintaining a lead late in the game. In the past week that strength has shown a very real weakness. But if the 2008 season has taught us anything it is that the Diamondbacks are resilient enough to not panic. After all, with staff co-aces Brandon Webb and Dan Haren at the front end of the rotation it is doubtful that there will be an extended losing streak. So when Dan Haren was listed as the starting pitcher for tonight and Webb going tomorrow it looked like the Diamondbacks would at least earn a split with the Braves. Well at least that is how it looked on paper; unfortunately I don't take that paper.

After the painful final game against the Pirates I was really looking forward to the upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves. It still seems funny to say. For so many years teams have dreaded seeing the Braves and their potent pitching staff and strong hitters. These days the Braves have come back to earth and are in the midst of a mini-rebuilding phase. Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are both injured as is Tim Hudson meaning that the one-time strength of the team had suddenly become an unknown and unproven commodity. The Braves had just come off two series where they had lost 4 of their last 6. This was just what the Diamondbacks needed to erase the bad memories of that near perfect game.

There are not many things that make a baseball fan's heart race quite like a perfect game. I remember as though it were yesterday the events of May 18, 2004 when Randy Johnson took the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks and threw the 17th and last perfect game in baseball. Each pitch seemed to build upon the last one as Johnson completely baffled the Atlanta Braves hitters. It started with the Braves shortstop Jesse Garcia and ended 27 hitters later when Johnson retired pinch hitter Eddie Perez. Catcher Robby Hammock had the pleasure of seeing each and every pitch and when the final out was recorded he rushed to the mound to celebrate with the Big Unit. It was a sight that was second only to scoring the winning run in the 2001 World Series in Diamondbacks history. I remember turning to my wife as we watched the game and saying how I would love to see a perfect game in person sometime in my life. Little did I realize what I was saying.

I'm not much into astrology, I can barely keep track of the planet I am on let alone trying to figure out where all the other planets are at. I'm still just a little freaked out that Pluto has been kicked off the planet island relegated to the status of just a weird freaking rock a long ways away. So you'll excuse me if I am not completely current on what is going on with the stars and planets. But after the first three games of this home stand I may have to make an exception and check in with the Discovery Channel and see if there is some astronomical event that is occurring. It is the only explanation I can think of as to why I am having such a strange week at the ballpark.

Going into this season everyone agreed that the Arizona Diamondbacks strength would be their starting pitching. With the addition of Dan Haren to the rotation the D-backs would have what many were describing as the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball. Add to that the improving Micah Owings and the workhorse Doug Davis and the snakes were pretty solid. At the beginning of the season everyone questioned whether Randy Johnson would even be able to pitch let alone be successful. As the season has worn on the Big Unit has shown that he is deserving of the moniker of number 3 starter. While Micah Owings has struggled as of late and was sent to Tucson to try and work through the mental block he seems to have in trusting his mechanics; the team as a whole has proven everyone right who proclaimed they had one of the best pitching staffs in the National League.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my entry for the Arizona Diamondbacks promotion where they were allowing one fan to design a T-shirt that would be given away before the August 9th game against the Atlanta Braves. I got a new box of Crayola crayons and a brand new notebook and began doodling trying to come up with something extra special. I was pretty confident in my chances. After all, if the Diamondbacks did any kind of research they would realize that I once won first place in my fifth grade class for doing the best scribble picture. My scribble picture was displayed in a local bank and kids were required to go on a field trip to look at it along with the other entries. So when you have a world famous scribble artist entering your contest, its game over right?

I sat watching the Arizona Diamondbacks final game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before this game I would have said the Diamondbacks had completed a successful road trip having gone 7-2 so far. Some of my worst fears were being realized as Diamondbacks starter Doug Davis lasted just 1 2/3 innings. This was especially frustrating since his last start saw him take a perfect game into the seventh inning. The Manny Ramirez train continued to barrel down the tracks today with his collecting another 4 hits including his second home run in as many days. The Diamondbacks again collected 8 hits but were only able to get 3 runs out of those hits. In the end they would lose 9-3 to end the trip a respectable 7-3 but carrying a 2-game losing streak back to Chase Field. The split with the Dodgers left them in the exact same spot they were in before the series. While I was a little depressed to see the road trip and the series end like it did, I was still ok at least for a moment.

Through either lack of wanting to pay the price or from having confidence in the current roster, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a choice to stand pat and not make a trade at the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline. As a result their roster will remain relatively unchanged for the remainder of the season except for player transactions surrounding the disabled list. Unfortunately for Arizona their nearest rivals in the National League Western Division standings did not take the same approach. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't just stick their toe into the trade waters; they made a running start and did a cannon ball into the trade pool.

This four game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers has major implications for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They entered the game with a one game lead over the second place Dodgers and need at least a split to maintain their lead in the National League West. Just before the Diamondbacks got to Chavez Ravine to begin this series there was a mild earthquake that hit southern California. There was no structural damage to Dodger Stadium and play was scheduled to continue for the four game set.