Snake Bytes 4/9: ROCKED in Colorado

The Diamondbacks suffer another loss and injury

Diamondbacks News:

Diamondbacks NOTHING, Rockies 8

Maaaaan, how you gonna get shut-out in Coors Field? With Marte likely day to day, CKelly, and Cabrera are the (regular) big bats on the team with the remainder of the offense continuing down the path of inconsistency.

Dbacks still waiting for rotation to gel

So are the fans. It seems to me that MadBum has not much left in the tank and that any wrinkles he and the team added to his repertoire this spring have been ironed out by opponents. Caleb Smith has been demoted to the pen, likely for a couple reasons: He has sucked, the bullpen was taxed the night before his demotion, and Widener is now the ACE of the squad. Weaver was meh his last start but better than usual. Gallen is still out, and MKelly has been MKelly but better than half of the guys mentioned above. Its fair to say that Dbacks starting pitching is in complete disarray.

Marte ‘doing OK’ after leaving game with leg cramp

From the article: “The hits keep coming,” Lovullo said. “But we budgeted for this and we’ve talked about these things. Good baseball teams have the depth to have a group that can fill in and hold down the fort and also can allow some guys to emerge. It’s about adaptability. It’s about being mentally [ready] and being prepared. And I think everybody that is getting the opportunity to step into new roles, we’re upgrading our roles for certain guys in certain situations, I’m excited by that, I’m excited by the chance that we’re getting, and when we get those players [back] we’re going to be that much better.”

Now, when Torey says “we budgeted for this……good baseball teams have depth…” what he means is that a bullpen catcher will likely be converted to CF/2b while Marte is out and that the 3b coach will likely also fill in as needed. That is the depth he is talking about.

Diamondbacks select Anthony Swarzak, place Chris “Devo” Devenski on restricted list.

Devenski was very recently our Knight in Shining Armor just the other night when he came in and rocked the show on the mound. Now, it seems, he has done SOMETHING to be placed on what is usually known as a ‘naughty list’ – the restricted list.

More will be revealed.

Zac Gallen to throw 80 pitches in sim game

From the blurb: While he is progressing quickly, beat writer Nick Piecoro notes that pitching on Wednesday would rule Gallen out for a possible return on Friday. There should be another update on Gallen’s progress and next steps on Thursday.

Kole Calhoun playing full speed defense

From the burb: Calhoun could return from the injured list this weekend if he can avoid any setbacks.

Baseball News:

Angel Hernandez called out for another embarrassing display

Unwritten rules are made to be broken: How a new generation of players is shifting MLB’s culture

From the article: “Guy hits a home run off me, showboat, cool. Guess what? I’m going to face you again. I’m going to strike you out. I’m going to showboat.”

Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett

Makeup dates for Mets – Nationals set

From the blurb: Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday that the season-opening series between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets, originally scheduled from April 1-4 at Nationals Park, will be made up as follows……

Click link for dates

Snek Byte

Inside Mexico’s “bat cave” of blind and def hanging snakes

From the article: The technique of the yellow-red rat snake is frighteningly precise, Bayona Miramontes said. “These snakes do not see or hear, but they can feel the vibrations of the bats flying, and they use that opportunity to hunt them with their body, suffocating their victims before gobbling them down.”