Joakim Soria is not funny but the news that comes out of the LMB is and provides a nice distraction from our baseball sorrows.
Diamondbacks News
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks searching for answers in rotation after Angels pound Jon Duplantier
I thought James’ post-game comment in the Fanpost was funny: you’d hope Duplantier is injured because he is pitching that bad. If he is injured: are they not noticing that? Why do they keep running him out? And if he is not injured: are they not noticing he is this bad? Why do they keep running him out? A lot of pitchers on the D-Backs throw like they are injured. Ask Robbie Ray, who got his fourth win yesterday against the Red Sox and has already amassed 2+ WAR this season. “Hopeless Robbie” leaves the desert and becomes decent again. Coincidence?
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks’ front office working through logistics of GM Mike Hazen’s absence
Says Sawdaye: “well, we haven’t really done anything to improve the team, so we’d rather leave things untouched and don’t screw this up much more than we have already done.”
[dbacks.com] On leave, Hazen still very much in charge
There are no necessary decisions. Hazen should and can concentrate on what is most important in his life.
[Arizona Sports] D-backs lose 10th in a row, second double-digit losing streak of season
Why do they keep interviewing Torey Lovullo? I respect the poor man. After every shit performance of his team he shows up at yet another press conference and gives yet another of his bullshit lines so beat writers have something to quote. “I think we got to take a step back and just say let’s pray at a certain level, a certain way from this point forward.”
[mlb.com] Sandoval gets 1st ‘W’ as starter as Halos roll
Steve Gilbert wrote about Sawdaye as well, so in case you might be interested in how the Angels swept the snakes and yet another nobody thrived against the Diamondbacks, we have an Angels beat writer that informs us on it.
[Sports International] Arizona’s Dubious Shot at History, Summed Up in One Play (or Two)
Entertaining take on the woes of this terrible team, taking a look as well at the Diamondbacks Twitter account. I think it applies to our reporting as well: after a certain amount of time, each loss begins to feel not like an individual event but like an inevitable routine.
[Diario Libre] Luis Castillo and Junior García will join Dominican Republic in Olympics Qualifier (google translate)
The Diamondbacks gave two Dominican farm hands permission to help their country qualify for the Japan Olympics. Luis Castillo was an important member of the Águilas team that won the Dominican Winter League. He is currently pitching to a 2.35 ERA at Amarillo (AA), putting up good strike numbers, but also allowing a lot of traffic on the basis. Junior García is currently at Reno (AAA), after having started the season in Amarillo, but is having a difficult time adapting to the new surroundings. The 3.38 ERA looks better than the rest of his numbers. García also pitched in the Dominican Winter Leagues, although he was not used much at the Gigantes by Diamondbacks bench coach Luis Urueta.
Around The MLB
[Yahoo Sports] A sticky dilemma: MLB crackdown could put minor league pitchers in a bind
“One day, while he was throwing a bullpen, a pitching coordinator encouraged him to try Pelican Grip, and even demonstrated the best places on a glove to hide it — the thumb lace, the pinky lace, or inside on the thumb.”
I am pretty sure that the MLB breaking down on the sticky stuff is the reason why our pitchers are this bad. I mean, it seems the Diamondbacks don’t think it is our pitching coach that is the cause. Then surely stopping the use of foreign substances explains why our pitchers are terrible.
[CBS Sports] Blue Jays set Fenway Park record with eight home runs in 18-4 rout of Red Sox
The 8 homers by the Blue Jays were the most ever by a visitor at Fenway. So, there are still losing records we can break?
[CBS Sports] Dylan Carlson, Ian Anderson, Trevor Rogers setting pace in NL Rookie of the Year race
Not even an honourable mention for Pavin Smith?
[MLB Trade Rumors] Injury updates
They probably don’t know who he is anyhow, but the Dodgers fans that will fill Chase Field won’t see Max Muncy play as he was placed on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain. Both the Giants and the Padres got an important bat back in their daily lineup: San Francisco activated Mike Yastrzemski and San Diego reinstated Trent Grisham. Sad news in New York, where former ace Luis Severino had to leave a rehab start with a groin injury. The 2017 and 2018 All Star pitched just 12 innings in 2019 before going out with shoulder and lat injuries and finally a TJ surgery.
[MLB Trade Rumors] Vidal Nuño III signs minor league contract with Dodgers
The former Diamondback has not played in the MLB since 2018, but with all the injuries in MLB it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets a call up to toss a couple of innings. For the sorrowful 2014 D-Backs Vidal Nuño III achieved a 100 ERA+ in 83.2 innings. Despite the average overall numbers he was, unsurprisingly, tagged with 7 losses and not one win. He joined Arizona from the Yankees in July 2014 in a trade with Brandon McCarthy. After a great start to the 2015 season, he was traded to the Mariners in June 2015 with Mark Trumbo, who sent us Welington Castillo, Gabriel Guerrero, Dominic Leone and Jack Reinheimer in return. Nuño’s stint with the Dodgers will become his second, since he joined them in 2016 from the Mariners in some low profile deal.
Across The Wall
[Mexico] Mexico Baseball manager ousted, a manager knocks a player (blood alert) and LMB teams on tighter budget
Last week Mexico, all of a sudden, ousted its national baseball manager just two months prior to the Olympic Games. The reason for that is still fuzzy, but it is rumoured that political reasons were the motivation as the Mexican skipper has criticised the president of the sports association in the past and she is of the same political party as the Mexican president.
But the article has more juice, since it also relates how the Aguascalientes Rieleros manager hit his American shortstop in the face. Take that to shake up your players, Torey!
Finally, COVID also hit the Mexican teams hard this year as they are drastically cutting costs on players and player development.
[Mexico] Stadium litigation shuts down baseball match (google translate)
Imagine going to a stadium and hear the game is cancelled because of some dispute over the stadium? That happened in Mexico too where the LMB game between the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos and the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna was cancelled.
Across The Pacific
[Japan] Rebuilding Eagles not getting lift from foreign players
At 21-32, the Hanwha Eagles are performing better than anyone expected (!). The Eagles signed former MLB-ers Ryon Healy for 800,000$ guaranteed and starter Nick Kingham for 650,000$. While Kingham has been injured most of the time, Healy’s performance has been underwhelming as he is dead last among 57 qualified hitters in on-base percentage and walks. He has hit into six double plays, tied for the team lead and ninth in the league. It shows just once again that the popular thought of “MLB-ers raking overseas” is never a certainty.
Kevin Cron, by the way, is hitting .231 BA with a .701 OPS in 137 plate appearances. With 47 SO and just 6 BB (!) a return to the MLB seems as far away as the distance between Hiroshima, where he plays for now, and the USA.
[Australia] Australia to withdraw from final Olympics qualifier
After China and Taiwan, now Baseball Australia announced that it will withdraw from the final Olympics Qualifier that will start on June 22 in Mexico. That leaves Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Netherlands as the teams that will vie for the final spot.
Across The Atlantic
[Poland] Katowice Building New Stadium, Part of City Sports Complex
When news arrives on a new baseball stadium being built outside of the USA, you should rather think of a baseball park than actually a stadium with seats. However, the building of such a park in Poland, basically a country non-existent in baseball, is quite a feat. Katowice does not host one of the six teams in Poland’s top league, but could dream of becoming one now.
[Czech Republic] Czech Extraliga Signs Streaming Agreement With US Streaming Platform
The American streaming network For The Fans will stream baseball games from the highest Czech baseball league. For the fans already streams games from NPB’s Pacific League, but if you wish to see something different, you can soon watch Draci Brno, Eagles Prague, Kotlarka Prague, Nuclears Trebic, Sokol Hluboka and Tempo Prague. WBSC’s YouTube channel already broadcasts foreign league games, like the Dutch one.