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D-backs to face off against Melvin

Photo by Paul Connors for Arizona Diamondbacks

By Greg Dillard

When the D-backs take the field at Oakland Coliseum this weekend, they’ll see a familiar face in the opposing dugout. That man is A’s manager Bob Melvin.

The former Arizona skipper took the reins of the Athletics last month, when he was tabbed by General Manager Billy Beane to become interim manager. This came after Melvin had returned to the D-backs organization as Special Baseball Advisor. Oakland is Melvin’s third-career managerial post.

He guided the Seattle Mariners from 2003-04 before leading the D-backs from 2005-09. In the desert, Melvin’s D-backs claimed the 2007 National League West crown en route to NL Manager of the Year honors that year.

Nowadays, the D-backs are led by second-year manager Kirk Gibson who has his team six games above .500 and just two games out of first place. After serving as his bench coach just a few years earlier, Gibson will face off against Melvin in a three-game set that kicks off Friday night.

“It’ll be interesting,” Gibson said. “He’s going to want to be beat me good. I know that. He’s done a great job over there. I know his style. He’s very passionate. I know his players will play very tough. We just kind of went through something like this in Detroit where I went against my home team and a guy who was my Minor League manager. So, try and keep the distraction part out of it. We certainly respect each other, and it’ll be a good series.”

This series in Oakland is the D-backs’ final Interleague action of the season. Heading into 2011, the D-backs owned a 90-112 all-time record in Interleague Play. They have posted a 9-6 mark against American League foes this season.

The D-backs also finished the month of June at 14-13, which was their second-consecutive month with a winning record. They went 19-10 in May.

While Gibson is pleased that his former boss has returned to managing, he knows it’s going to be a competitive series.

“It’s a shame the way it ended for Bob.” Gibson said. “I know it stung him pretty good. We talked as friends about it several times. He’s back where he belongs in uniform in the dugout. That I’m happy for, but I’ll be put in a position where I’ve got to try and beat him.”

 

Nagy Remembers Rapid Robert

Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller was a major influence on countless pitchers over his 70-plus years in the game, including the D-backs’ Charles Nagy. Photo: Josh Greene
By Josh Greene

In addition to being a three-time All-Star for an Indians club that won six American League Central Division titles and two AL Pennants over his 13-year Major League pitching career, one of D-backs pitching coach Charles Nagy’s indelible memories of his time in Cleveland centered around fellow right-hander (and one of the game’s all-time greats) Bob Feller.

The Baseball Hall of Famer, who passed away last December at the age of 92, broke into the league in 1936 as a 17-year-old fireballer from Van Meter, Iowa, pitching his way to 266 career wins, 2,581 strikeouts, a 3.25 ERA and eight All-Star appearances in an era that boasted the likes of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. And he also missed four years of his pitching prime to volunteer to serve in the Navy during World War II.

Still, Feller never strayed far from the game after his retirement in 1956.  

“In my rookie year in 1989, I first saw Bob in Spring Training,” Nagy began, “and he was out there shagging fly balls and talking baseball with all the guys. From that year on, it was ‘Hey, Bob’s in camp this week.’ All the guys would sit and chat with him. We had a really good relationship, and I always enjoyed talking to him.

“He would tell us about whom he faced and the outcomes, but he would also talk about old-school pitching – pitching inside with a purpose, going up and down in the zone and attacking the hitters. It was the little things, too. He talked about pitchers needing to field their position. Every time I would see him, he would always remind me of that. It was always about teaching pitchers right, making sure guys knew to cover first and to throw strikes.”

Nagy was certainly receptive to Rapid Robert’s advice, ending his career with 129 wins (10th on Cleveland’s all-time list) in 313 games before being inducted into the Indians’ Hall of Fame in 2007 – exactly 50 years after Feller’s similar honor.

 “I talked to Bob a lot over the years,” Nagy said. “He liked to talk, and he’d just sit down and talk baseball through and through. He was always around in Spring Training and would come down to the locker room. He was always easy to talk to and, of course, we had the common interest of baseball. His wife went to the University of Connecticut where I went to school. We would talk pitching, but you would just listen to him. He was Bob Feller, a Hall of Famer, and he always had great stories and great advice. He was just a very nice man, and he was always nice to me.”

Roberts, Peña spark walk-off win

Photo by Jordan Megenhardt

By Greg Dillard

In last homestand’s edition of D-backs Insider magazine, Ryan Roberts was labeled a sparkplug. It was a perfect label for a player that consistently makes things happen in the field and at the plate for the D-backs.

On Tuesday, Roberts was up to his usual habits. With the score knotted at 4-4, Roberts led off the bottom of the ninth inning by drawing a walk against Indians left-hander Tony Sipp.

Roberts wasn’t about to drop anchor at first base, but instead he was soon off to the races. He quickly swiped second for his 10th stolen base of the season. Several pitches later, Roberts was in motion once again. This time he bolted toward third, reaching safely with ease.

“Every pitcher does something, and you’ve just got to wait until you see a key,” Roberts said. “When you see a key, (don’t) give it away by jumping (around) out there. Just try to stay calm and whenever I thought I could get it, (I) took off.”

All of a sudden, the winning run was just 90 feet away. Roberts was hoping to do anything he could to draw Sipp’s attention from the pinch hitter Wily Mo Peña.

“In a situation like that, the pressure is on him to throw strikes,” Roberts said. “If I can take his mind off the batter and off throwing strikes … maybe get him to balk then we get a run scored (and) we win.”

After missing on a breaking ball to start the at-bat, Peña drilled a two-run walk-off home run into the left-field bleachers to seal the 6-4 win. It was Peña’s second career walk-off homer.

“I said I was going to go and look for a breaking pitch,” Peña said. “Everybody saw the first swing that I took. It was so hard because I was looking for a breaking pitch. So the second one I said, ‘let him bring it up,’ and that’s what happened.”

Hudson firing on all cylinders

To say Daniel Hudson helped his team defeat the Indians would be an understatement.

The D-backs’ right-hander did everything he could against Cleveland on Tuesday night. Hudson turned in a complete effort by contributing both on the mound and at the plate.

In his 17th start of the season, Hudson unleashed eight solid innings, allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Hudson retired the Indians in the second, fourth, and sixth innings. He also notched five strikeouts to raise his season total to 92.

It was Hudson’s 13th quality start of the 2011 campaign, which leads the Arizona pitching staff and is tied for third in the National League.

Hudson helped his cause by laying down a two sacrifice bunts in the game. He also laced an RBI double into the right field corner in the fifth inning. He now leads the D-backs’ pitching staff with seven RBI.

Despite not getting the win himself, Hudson was pleased with his overall effort against the Tribe.

“I didn’t have great command tonight,” Hudson said, “but I pushed through it and was able to help out and get a couple of guys in scoring position. I got a pretty good swing on a fastball.”

Castillo makes D-backs debut

Just hours after arriving at Chase Field as a new member of the D-backs’ bullpen, lefty reliever Alberto Castillo toed the rubber.

Gibson called on Castillo in the middle of the ninth inning to face Lonnie Chisenhall. The new D-back did his part by freezing Chisenhall on strike three to end the inning.  He would also earn the win, thanks to Peña’s blast one inning later.

Tuesday’s appearance was Castillo’s first Major League outing since June 8, 2010, when he was a Baltimore Oriole.

 

 

 

D-backs add pair of relievers

By Greg Dillard

The D-backs made some changes to their bullpen on Tuesday by selecting the contracts of relievers Yhency Brazoban and Alberto Castillo from Triple-A. To make room for them on the active roster, Esmerling Vasquez and Bryan Shaw were sent back to Reno.

Both hurlers were pitching well for the Aces before receiving the promotion to the big leagues. Castillo recently joined the Arizona organization via a Minor League deal on June 17. The left-hander made five appearances for the Aces, four of which were hitless outings.

Castillo reached the Major League level with the Baltimore Orioles. From 2008 to 2010, the southpaw posted a 4.81 ERA in 62 games. In 48 2/3 innings of work, he struck out 42 batters.  

Castillo’s recent success at Reno made him an attractive option for the D-backs.

“We wanted to get a second left-hander for sure,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “(Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Towers) was in Reno last week. He was also in Mobile before that, and felt Castillo was throwing the ball very good. He just came in the organization. He also was throwing the ball well before he got there.”

Brazoban meanwhile earned a 1-1 record and a respectable 2.70 ERA in his eight games at Reno. Brazoban is a familiar name for the D-backs, spending parts of five seasons with the division-rival Dodgers. He was most recently in the Major Leagues in 2008, and owns a 10-12 mark and a 4.70 career ERA at the big league level.

“As for Brazoban, he’s a guy with some experience,” Gibson said. “Obviously, with the Dodgers he hasn’t been in the big leagues in a couple of years, but he’s been throwing the ball like he did in 2007 and 2008. He’s got good velocity, throwing strikes. He’s got experience in those situations. I’ve been talking about that portion of our bullpen. Kevin felt that this is the direction we need to go in, and we’re going to see how this works out.”

The additions of Brazoban and Castillo provide the D-backs with a pair of fresh arms. By selecting Castillo, Gibson now has the luxury of having two southpaws in the bullpen.

“You can look at the Giants, it works for them,” Gibson said. “This Cleveland club here is another example. It effectively lets you match up two times through. Whereas the way we’ve had it with Joe (Paterson), it’s a onetime shot. It’ll let us do things a little differently.”

Gibson ready for next hot streak

After a catching fire in mid-May, the D-backs have cooled off a bit here in June. Arizona has suffered three consecutive losses, heading into Tuesday night’s contest against Indians.

Although the D-backs have battled some adversity as of late, Gibson remains confident that his team will get back to its winning ways.

“It goes in cycles,” Gibson said. “Every team will probably go through periods where things don’t go as they’d like them. You just have to endure them. The Giants lose what four or five in a row. Now they’re on a run. So that’s what we’re going to try and do.”

D-backs host Indians, Gibson reflects on Sparky

Photo by Jordan Megenhardt

By Greg Dillard

The Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks have been two of baseball’s most surprising teams in 2011. Both teams have surpassed expectations and sit near the top of their divisional standings.

The D-backs are set to host the Tribe in a three-game set this week in the final home series at Chase Field before the All-Star break.

Arizona enters tonight’s series at 43-36 and 1.5 games out of first place in the NL West, while Cleveland owns a 40-36 record and trails first place Detroit by 1.5 games in the AL Central division race. After suffering 93 losses a season ago, few saw the Indians competing for a division title this season.

“They surprised everybody,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “Their bullpen is the best in the American League. They’ve got some very athletic kids. They’re going to throw seven left-handers at us tonight. They’re very aggressive. They play good defense.”

In the bullpen, closer Chris Perez has locked down 18 saves. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera makes highlight-reel plays on a routine basis, while designated hitter Travis Hafner is red-hot with a .338 batting average.

Prior to Monday’s series opener, Cleveland promoted former first-round pick Lonnie Chisenhall from Triple-A Columbus.  With both teams just 1.5 games out of first place, it’s sure to be entertaining.

“We saw it in Spring Training, and they’ve carried it into the season,” Gibson said. “This game is very unpredictable. It’s a credit to them as to where they’re at today. Just like the last opponent, they’ll be very tough for us.”

Gibson reflects on his days with Sparky

Throughout Gibson’s tenure as D-backs manager, he’s spoken of the impact his former manager Sparky Anderson had on him.

Gibson played for Anderson’s Tigers from 1979 to 1987. Under Anderson’s direction, the Tigers won 104 games in 1984 en route to a World Series championship.

On Sunday, the Tigers honored Anderson by retiring his famous No. 11. Since the D-backs were in Detroit wrapping up a three-game series, Gibson and bench coach Alan Trammell were on hand to witness the tribute.

“Sparky’s had a huge impact on me, and Alan, and so many other people,” Gibson said.  “He was represented very well yesterday by the speeches, the video, just talking to the people, and to see the Detroit fans react the way they did…”

Although Gibson last played for Anderson over two decades ago, his impact is still felt to this day.

“It’s why I’m the way I am,” Gibson said. “He’s affected me more so than anybody I’ve been associated with in the game.  He certainly taught us how to play the game and how to act professional and a lot of the things that I preach here, but he really cared about you as a person.”

Collmenter, D-backs head to Detroit

 

By Greg Dillard

Interleague play continues for the D-backs this weekend as they travel to the Motor City to take on the Tigers. Arizona is fresh off a three-game sweep of Kansas City and maintains a slim half-game lead for first place in the National League West.

The Tigers return to Comerica Park after a 2-4 road trip on the West Coast.

For several D-backs, playing in Detroit will be a homecoming, of sorts. 

Manager Kirk Gibson and bench coach Alan Trammell both starred in Detroit during their playing days. Closer J.J. Putz is also a Michigan native and attended the University of Michigan.

This weekend’s series is extra special for rookie pitcher Josh Collmenter. According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, the town of Homer, Mich., welcomed him back on Friday by celebrating Josh Collmenter Day. The right-hander was greeted by plenty of fans at the downtown celebration on Main Street, and was awarded a plaque celebrating the event.

Collmenter is slated to toe the rubber against Tigers ace Justin Verlander in Saturday’s game. The D-backs rookie owns a 4-3 record with a 2.09 ERA in 15 appearances this season.

­D-backs Insider recently caught up with Collmenter to talk about his homecoming and growing up a Tigers fan.

 

Goldschmidt, Skaggs to play in All-Star Futures Game

Photo by Jordan Megenhardt

By Greg Dillard

The 2011 XM All-Star Futures game at Chase Field will feature a pair of D-backs top prospects. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and pitcher Tyler Skaggs have been selected to participate in this year’s event.

The 13th annual Futures Game will take place on July 10 and showcases many of baseball’s elite prospects on two teams: U.S. and World. In this year’s contest, Goldschmidt and Skaggs will be teammates on the U.S squad.  

After being drafted by the D-backs in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB Amateur draft, Goldschmidt has torn through Minor League pitching. In nearly three seasons, the hard-hitting first baseman has crushed 75 home runs, 83 doubles, and 231 RBI.

He batted .334 and .314 in his first two seasons, respectively. In 2011, Goldschmidt keeps on hitting and is enjoying a standout season at Double-A Mobile. Through 70 games, he is hitting .328 with 22 homers and 61 RBI.

Despite his recent success, Goldschmidt only wants to get better as his season continues.

“I just try to do my best every day and keep improving,” Goldschmidt said in Spring Training. “Listen to what the coaches are saying and the other guys on the team. Your teammates can help you out so much.”

Goldschmidt recently participated in the Southern League All-Star Game, where he launched a two-run homer in the first inning.

“All you’ve got to do is look at his numbers and wow,” D-backs Director of Player Development Mike Bell said in Spring Training. “I think the way he does it makes it really impressive, too. He’s got a lot of power to right field and right centerfield. The majority of his home runs come that way, which is the sign of a guy that knows how to hit.”

Then there’s Skaggs, who was acquired last summer in the Dan Haren trade with the Angels. Skaggs was a first-round draft pick by Los Angeles in the 2009 draft. With an electric arsenal of pitches and smooth mechanics, the southpaw has immediately become one of Arizona’s top pitching prospects.

As a member of Single-A Visalia’s starting rotation, Skaggs has a 3.36 ERA and 4-5 record in 14 starts this season. Following last year’s trade, he made four starts for South Bend, where he went 1-1 with a sharp 1.69 ERA. In Skaggs’ 83 innings of work, he has tallied 102 strikeouts, which leads the entire California League.

After a slow start to the season, Skaggs has found his groove in recent weeks.

“I’m just attacking hitters,” Skaggs said, “using my fastball inside outside, my curveball, and then I really worked on my changeup. (It’s) just going out there thinking the best, and you can’t be hit. You’ve just got to go out there and go pitch by pitch.”

Skaggs was also a recent Minor League All-Star when he started for the California League in the Single-A All-Star game against the Carolina League on June 21.

Goldschmidt and Skaggs are the latest D-backs to suit up for the Futures Game. Shortstop Stephen Drew, pitcher Daniel Hudson, and outfielders Justin Upton and Chris Young were all participants in past Futures Games.

Peña makes D-backs debut, Upton red-hot in June

Photo by: G. Norman Lowrance/Getty Images

By Greg Dillard

In search of some pop in the designated hitter slot, the D-backs selected the contract of Wily Mo Peña from Triple-A Reno prior to Tuesday’s series opener against Kansas City.

With Arizona playing six straight and nine of its next 12 games in American League parks, Peña is the likely candidate to serve as the regular designated hitter. On Tuesday, he was penciled into the starting lineup in that spot, batting seventh.

He wasted no time in making his presence felt by crushing a solo homer to deep centerfield in the fifth inning. That blast was Peña’s first big league home run since 2008 and knotted the score at 1-1.

“That was probably one of the more impressive home runs I’ve ever seen,” right fielder Justin Upton said. “That ball was on a line. If it didn’t run into something, it was going to keep going. It was an impressive swing. We hope to get more of that out of him.”

After signing a minor league deal with the D-backs in the offseason, Peña posted a monster first half of the year at Triple-A Reno. In 63 games, he smacked 21 homers, 17 doubles and 63 RBI, while hitting a red-hot .363.

While home runs have always been a part of Peña’s game, he now focuses more on hitting for average.

“I wasn’t thinking about the homer,” Peña said. “I work hard in the offseason just to make contact, to hit for average. The home runs will come. That’s what I was doing, just making contact.”  

The D-backs hope those impressive numbers will translate to the Major League level.

“After he hit the home run, they became a little stingier with their pitches,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “He’ll have to make some adjustments on that, because you can see what he does when he gets a fastball out over the plate.”  

For more info and pictures of Peña, check out Focus Point: The D-backs Photography Blog

Upton continues hot streak

Since the beginning of June, Justin Upton has been nearly unstoppable at the plate. This month, he is hitting .417 with 30 hits, nine doubles, a walk-off homer, and 11 RBI.

Upton took home National League Player of the Week honors last week when he hit .552 in seven games. He also led the Major Leagues in hits with 16.

Upton’s hot hitting continued into Tuesday’s 7-2 win against the Royals. He collected two more hits, both doubles. In the sixth, Upton’s RBI double gave the D-backs their first lead of the game.

Despite being shut down by Royals’ starter Luke Hochevar early on, Upton and the D-backs’ offense caught fire in the later innings.

“I think we had to make him throw the ball in the zone,” Upton said. “He was throwing a lot of marginal pitches that looked good to us. We were swinging early. That’s kind of his game. That was probably his game plan early on … to get us to swing early at his pitches. Later on, we were able to get him in the zone and get some pitches that we wanted to hit and not his pitches, and we came out on top.”

Dad’s Day at Chase Field, Bauer Style

Photo by Jordan Megenhardt

By Josh Greene

While Father’s Day is usually a date reserved to show dad your everlasting appreciation, D-backs first-round draft pick Trevor Bauer did one better earlier this week. The young right-hander got to show his father where he may be pitching one day, thanks to Tuesday’s introductory press conference at Chase Field.

 “I’m so happy for Trevor,” Warren Bauer said. “He’s worked a lot to get where he is, and I’m just happy it looks like it will turn out. A lot of kids put effort into things, and they don’t pan out. Some get to live their dream, and he’s getting to live his. It’s been great watching him. We’re proud parents, but it’s not about us. It’s him who is on the field doing the heavy lifting. We’re just along for the ride.

“He takes it all in stride. He understands he needs to stay grounded in the fact you still need to go out there and produce results. It’s not a done deal. It feels like the finish line, but it’s really the beginning.”

Even at 4 years old, the future UCLA standout was a hot commodity for his neighborhood baseball team. Of course, back then it was because the team was always short on players.

“When he was little, Trevor showed an interest right away,” he added. “We had neighbors who were a few years older than him and liked playing baseball, so when they needed another guy, they’d come get him. Half the time he’d come home crying, because the bigger boys wouldn’t let him hit or whatever. He grew up having to compete against guys older than him, so he learned how to thrive in that environment and enjoy it after awhile. After he got old enough to understand, he learned that when you play against older guys, you will be the last man out.

“There was a point where we thought if he made the high school team and not warm the bench, that would be enough. Anything past that would be gravy. He had a good junior year, and UCLA got interested. It snowballed from there. At no point did you say this will turn into something bigger. You just tried to take each step as it came, and it came pretty rapidly. It was like a fire hydrant opening up. From high school to college, they put him on the mound right away, and he was successful right away. It just kept going.”

Even coming off all of his son’s collegiate success, the elder Bauer admits Trevor wasn’t the most athletic kid out on the diamond growing up. But, boy, have times changed.

“He’s very diligent and maximizes the ability he has,” Warren said. “He’s never what you would call an athlete growing up. He didn’t run fast or throw hard. He was a guy you’d look at and say, ‘He was alright.’ When you’re talented, you have the option of working hard or not. When you’re not, you don’t have any choice but to work hard. He was always the guy who had to work hard. When he did begin to blossom athletically in high school, he already had the work ethic to go with it and it followed him. He’s a hard working kid, and his success is a product of a lot of hard work.”