Over the course of a season there are certain days when I just have a lot of things on my mind. Very few of them warrant an entire entry but they do seem to eat at me to the point that I need to write something about it. So today seemed like the perfect time for a potpourri of subjects to be covered in a single entry. Today marked the end of what seemed like the longest road trip in the universe. It's only been a week since the Diamondbacks last game at Chase Field but it just feels like a lot longer than that. This is probably due to the fact that away from the friendly confines of Chase the team plays like a bunch of clowns in the circus. I realize that Chase Field is known as a hitter's park but I still cannot get my hands around the fact that Diamondbacks batters are hitting nearly 100 points lower on the road than they are at home. This coupled with the on-again-off-again nature of the offense makes these games feel like an eternity.
Today marked the return of Chad Tracy. I initially was going to pen an entry of all the things that have happened since Chad Tracy was last in a Diamondbacks line-up. I had things like:
- Earthquakes destroy over 100,000 homes in China
- Olympic flame is lit and extinguished several times
- Primary election season ends and two candidates emerge to battle to be the next president of the United States (sorry Hillary, it's over)
- Brandon Webb wins 9 consecutive games
- Children return to school, and get out for summer vacation
- Americans file their income taxes and subsequently get an economic stimulus check from the government
- NASA successfully lands on the planet Mars
When you put it in these terms, he's been gone a long time. Everyone wondered what would happen once Chad was ready to return. That question was answered when Tracy started at first base in place of Conor Jackson. He went 1 for 4 at the plate with a single and more importantly didn't commit an error. I wish the same could have been said for Mark Reynolds. He too went 1 for 4 but threw a ball away in the second inning that turned into 3 runs allowing the Braves to go up 5-1 in route to a 7-3 victory. Reynolds is now hitting .225 for the year and has a whopping 61 strike outs. That is a staggering number of strike outs until you see that Justin Upton and Chris Young are right behind him with 57 and 54 respectively. The eight regular starters for the Diamondbacks have a combined 329 strike outs. This is an alarming trend that needs to be turned around if this team has hopes of getting very deep into the post season (or even make the post season for that matter).
In a move that surprised absolutely no one, the Arizona Diamondbacks optioned Robby Hammock to Tucson to make way for Chad Tracy. Hammock has been a persona non grata for nearly the entire season. I'm not sure I completely understand the lack of playing time being made available to Robby. I recognize that Chris Snyder is the starter and the organization has decided that Miguel Montero would be the back-up but that doesn't mean Hammock could not have gotten a few at-bats either as a pinch hitter or at another position. It is impossible to stay sharp when you get 22 at bats spread over 10 games. In the past month Hammock has seen more action as a pinch runner than he has at the plate. Robby had a minor league option so he was sent down. Hopefully he will be able to get more playing time in Tucson and put up some monster numbers. It's fairly evident that Hammock does not fit into the Diamondbacks plans and will be traded at the end of this season or before Opening Day 2009 at the latest. I hope he gets an opportunity with another club and has a successful career similar to what we are seeing with Carlos Quentin in Chicago. It's hard to believe that only 4 short years ago Hammock was the catcher of the future for the Diamondbacks as he caught Randy Johnson's perfect game.
I'm still trying to understand what Clint Hurdle was thinking when he selected managers for the National League for the all-star game. I get it that it is typical to name the manager from the city which is hosting the all-star game but I don't think this is exactly what they had in mind in years past. Since New York has 2 teams it doesn't necessarily mean there must be a manager from the Mets and the Yankees. I could see Terry Francona selecting Joe Girardi after all you are going to Girardi's house but the game is not at all connected to Shea Stadium or the Mets. That is of course the easy manager decision to justify. I have no clue why Hurdle selected Bud Black from San Diego. At the time of the selection San Diego had the worst record in baseball. Subsequent to the selection Black and Willie Randolph of the Mets have been identified as the two managers most likely to lose their jobs before the all-star break. Meanwhile National League Manager of the Year whose team is in first place and at the time had the best record in baseball was passed over. Likewise the leading candidate for the 2008 Manager of the Year, Fredi Gonzalez of the Florida Marlins was likewise ignored. Perhaps Clint Hurdle's critics are right; maybe he has no clue what he is doing and has no baseball sense.
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