Category: Uncategorized
Great game by Huddy and the D-backs!
Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
Since arriving in Arizona in July of 2010, Daniel Hudson has done nothing but dominate as a member of the D-backs’ starting rotation.
The right-hander has collected 15 wins, including eight this season. In his latest outing, Hudson took the mound against his former team on Friday night at Chase Field.
Hudson faced the player he was traded for in White Sox pitcher Edwin Jackson and simply outpitched the former D-back.
The right-hander needed a career-high 119 pitches to limit the White Sox to one run on three hits en route to a 4-1 win and his first career complete game.
“It was very exciting,” Hudson said. “Obviously, defense played great behind me, (with) a lot of ground balls tonight. I was just trying to go out there, work ahead in the count and work down in the zone.”
After allowing a pair of base runners in the first, Hudson settled in to retire 15 consecutive White Sox batters through the sixth inning. The Chicago lineup mustered just a single hit in the game’s first six frames.
A solo home run off the bat of Paul Konerko in the seventh was the lone White Sox run of the game. Hudson jogged back to the mound in the top of the ninth with the heart of the Chicago order due up.
“He threw the ball great,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “He had good command. He wanted a complete game. He said he wanted it bad, and that’s his first complete game.”
Carlos Quentin was hit by a pitch to start the inning, but Hudson rebounded by striking out Konerko for the first out. One batter later, A.J. Pierzynski grounded into a 1-6-3 double play to end the game.
“It’s a little bit special,” Hudson said. “I didn’t have any different mentality going out there than I had for the whole year. It’s just another game for me. Going against the team that drafted me and gave me my first chance in the big leagues was a lot of fun and to be able to do what I did was cool.”
Hudson’s success wasn’t limited to the mound, as he even contributed at the plate. With Ryan Roberts on first, Hudson drove an RBI double into the right-centerfield gap.
Hudson’s RBI is the 16th by a D-backs pitcher this season, which leads the entire National League.
“He’s hit a couple balls that way,” Gibson said. “He’s got some pop that way, and it was a good count there to get a good pitch.”
Drew flashes the leather at shortstop
Stephen Drew was kept busy at shortstop throughout Friday night’s series opener. Hudson received plenty of help from the slick-fielding Drew, who set a career high and a team record for assists in a single game with 11.
Drew corralled two or more ground balls in three innings and helped turn a game-ending double play in the ninth.
That total is the highest amount of single-game assists by a shortstop this season.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that many,” Gibson said. “It was a pretty good sight. Stephen Drew is pretty sure-handed.”
Welcome to the Big Show
Photo by Jon Willey
By Josh Greene
Whether you’re the newest member of the D-backs’ pitching staff or, in my situation, the team’s new publications director, being a fresh face around the ballpark can be a whirlwind of excitement and anxiousness, especially in your first official week in the Majors.
Granted, my eight-year stint in the Phoenix Suns’ (NBA) digital and publishing department is a bit different than pitcher Bryan Shaw’s transition to the big league mound. Selected by the D-backs in the second round of the 2008 draft, the 23-year-old right-hander was called up by Arizona a week ago Friday to make his debut in Florida.
“I was in shock,” said Shaw, who posted a 4-1 record, 10 saves and a 2.37 ERA in Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno this season. “I was confused at first. I didn’t realize the D-backs were in Miami, so I couldn’t figure out why I was going there until I found out that was where we were playing next. That was cool.”
Pitching one scoreless inning against the Marlins in his first-career game, Shaw gave up two walks but recorded his first career K, striking out outfielder Scott Cousins.
“The best advice I’ve gotten here is to not change anything,” the pitcher said. “Keep it all the same, and throw strikes. Everybody’s trying to help me out, and I’m trying to follow the examples of the guys who have been here for a bit.
“The team has been playing well. I’m just looking to come in and contribute in a positive way and help this team get to a playoff spot.”
And as for his new, yet still-comfortable Major League surroundings…
“This is all a dream come true,” Shaw said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Yes, it is.
Check out D-backs insider on Twitter at @Insider_Writer
Hudson faces off against former team
Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
Interleague play resumes for the D-backs this weekend, as they play host to the visiting Chicago White Sox at Chase Field.
It will be a series filled with familiar faces for D-backs right-hander Daniel Hudson. The pitcher is in the midst of his second season in Arizona after being traded from Chicago to Arizona last July.
“Obviously it’s going to be pretty cool to face those guys, guys that I played with and everything like that,” Hudson said. “Even more cool is that I’m facing the guy that I got traded for. So it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. I might be a little jacked up at the beginning, but in the end it’s just another game.”
Hudson will toe the rubber in Friday’s series opener against Edwin Jackson.
The D-backs shipped Jackson to the Windy City near last year’s July 31st trade deadline. In return, Chicago packaged Hudson and Minor League pitcher David Holmberg to the desert.
“It’s kind of cool how that worked out,” Hudson said. “I was supposed to face (John) Danks and then the rainout happened and it pushed everybody back. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or what, but it’s pretty neat.”
While the D-backs made a variety of roster transactions last summer, the Hudson trade continues to pay immediate dividends. Heading into Friday’s game, he boasts a 7-5 mark with a 3.82 ERA. In his start last week against Florida, he unleashed six innings of one-run baseball to earn the win. On the other hand, Jackson is 4-5 with a 4.39 ERA in 13 starts for the White Sox this season.
Hudson was a fifth-round pick by Chicago in the 2008 amateur draft out of Old Dominion University. He later signed on June 15 that year, and made his Major League debut on Sept. 4, 2009. The 2010 campaign saw him make three starts with the White Sox. He went 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA.
Since arriving in Arizona, Hudson has settled in nicely as a key piece of the D-backs’ starting rotation. Hudson has teamed with fellow starter Ian Kennedy to form a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. The duo has combined for 14 wins through June 16.
Last season, Hudson burst onto the National League scene by posting a 7-1 record in his 11 starts. He allowed two earned runs or less in all but one of his starts, when he surrendered just three earned runs.
He has experienced similar success on the mound once again in 2011. Hudson won three consecutive starts from May 17 to May 27.
Friday night’s start will be Hudson’s 15th of the season, and one he’s been looking forward to for a long time. This weekend’s Interleague series has been on Hudson’s radar since the 2011 regular-season schedule was released.
“As soon as it came out, I saw it,” Hudson said. “As the days started getting closer, I was trying to point out which game I might throw against them and noticed I was going to get the first game, barring a rainout. It’s pretty neat how it worked out.”
Upton blasts walk-off, Kennedy electric against Giants
Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
The D-backs and Giants have grown accustomed to competing in ultra-competitive, one run games.
Thursday night’s series finale was no different. After the D-backs jumped ahead 2-0 in the sixth, San Francisco battled back to knot the score at 2-2 in the ninth.
The D-backs headed to extra innings in dire need of a rally in order to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of their division rivals.
It was Justin Upton who provided the striking blow in the 11th.
The hard-hitting right-hander crushed a first-pitch home run off Giants pitcher Santiago Casilla to seal the 3-2 walk-off win. It was Upton’s first career walk-off homer, and the 3rd walk-off long ball in team history.
“It’s awesome,” Upton said. “The fact that we just dropped two games and being able to win in that fashion, it’s hopefully a little bit of a boost for the team.”
Although Thursday night’s walk-off homer was the first of his career, Upton has tallied three walk-off hits this season. The first two were short, bloop singles to right field.
“Yeah, it’s a little better than the blooper,” Upton said. “The blooper left some suspense, and that was a little better.”
Kennedy turns in dominant performance
After a pair of excruciating losses to the Giants to start the series, the D-backs turned to ace Ian Kennedy on Thursday night in hopes of salvaging the series finale.
Like he’s done all season long, Kennedy delivered with a stellar pitching performance.
The right-hander unleashed eight innings of one run baseball. He held the Giants lineup to just four hits, walked one, and retired the side in order five times. By notching 10 strikeouts, he tied a season high, which was set on April 25th against the Phillies.
“I threw a lot of fastballs for strikes,” Kennedy said. “My command was pretty good. I just felt like I was trying to pound the zone as much as possible. I knew that they’re a good team, a good record. They’ve proven that you got to stay ahead of them, put them on the defense as soon as possible.”
In his 15 starts this season, Kennedy has now tossed six innings or more in 12 of them, including back-to-back eight inning outings in his previous two starts.
It was clear that Kennedy was locked and loaded from the start. In the opening inning, he retired Aaron Rowand on a fly out before striking out both Manny Burriss and Pablo Sandoval. Kennedy then sat down the next five Giants batters before allowing a two out single in the third.
An unearned run in the fifth was all Kennedy would surrender against the reigning World Champions. He quickly rebounded by posting a two strikeout, 1-2-3 inning in the sixth.
The seventh frame saw San Francisco rally by placing two runners on base. Kennedy had other plans as he recorded a pair of fly outs and a ground out to escape the jam. He then posted yet another 1-2-3 inning in his eighth and final inning of work.
Kennedy now owns a 1.81 career ERA against the Giants along with 49 strikeouts.
Young launches yet another homer at Chase
In his six seasons, D-backs centerfielder Chris Young has launched plenty of home runs out of Chase Field.
Against the Giants, Young drilled a 1-2 pitch into the left field bullpen for a two run homer in the fourth inning. That long ball was Young’s 14th of the season.
With that home run, Young has now hit 62 home runs at Chase Field in his career. That total is the most home runs hit in the ballpark by any player since 2006.
Top pick Bauer visits Chase Field
Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
In last week’s 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the D-backs made a splash with the selection of highly touted UCLA pitcher Trevor Bauer.
The third overall pick got his first taste of life as a D-back on Tuesday, when he received the full Chase Field experience and attended the series-opening game against the rival Giants. Bauer was escorted on a tour of the ballpark and met D-backs skipper Kirk Gibson and the coaching staff, as well as several of the team’s current players.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the big leagues… never something that was an expectation or a reality until just recently,” Bauer said. “So getting to meet those guys and have a conversation is pretty spectacular.”
Bauer wasn’t alone during his D-backs journey. His father, Warren, was also in attendance throughout Tuesday’s events, while the entire Bauer clan made the trip to Phoenix this week.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Bauer said. “My family and I are really close. My mom and my sister are actually in town with me. They chose to go shopping right now, but they’ll be here for the game. They’ve been a huge part in my process, my development, and raising me obviously. It’s really good to share it with them.”
The 6-foot-2 Bauer is fresh off a dominating season as a member of the UCLA baseball team. In 16 starts, he posted a 13-2 record with a miniscule 1.25 ERA. Bauer’s 203 strikeouts led the entire NCAA. Of his 16 starts, 10 of them were complete games.
The right-hander’s success did not go unnoticed as he received plenty of national recognition. He claimed National Player of the Year honors from Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball. Bauer was also awarded as the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, and was a top-three semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
This week’s visit to the Valley of Sun wasn’t Bauer’s first trip to Arizona. Just three weeks ago, Bauer and his Bruins came to Tempe for a three-game series against Arizona State. Bauer dominated in his May 28th start, unleashing a complete-game shutout over the Sun Devils.
“That was a fun night,” Bauer said. “I beat ASU my freshman year, and they got me in a bad way last year. So I was happy to go out there and pitch well.”
Of course, all those accolades and performances came as a collegiate player. Bauer now faces the tall task of translating his talent to the professional level.
“When I’d miss spots in college at 93, 94 mph, guys still had trouble squaring it up,” Bauer said. “Even if they did get a good pass on it, maybe it was a fly out to the track. But you miss spots in professional baseball, it’s a double off the wall. It’s a home run. (I’m) probably just going to have to be finer with my control.”
Bauer’s professional debut has yet to be determined. He has not signed with the D-backs, and is unsure of when those negotiations will be hammered out. All that matters to him is that it’s sometime in the near future.
“I want to get back out there on the field,” Bauer said. “I’m starting to miss it already.”
Whenever Bauer does sign, he will embark on what he hopes to be a rapid ascension through the minor league ranks. Despite being just 20 years old, Bauer hopes to be on the Chase Field mound in the near future.
“I hope to be up by next year at some point,” Bauer said. “I’m fully confident in my abilities, and that I can compete and give my team a chance to win at the big league level. That being said, it’s not entirely my decision. It depends on how I do obviously in the minor leagues and as the season gets going and (things) like that.”
Whether or not Bauer reaches the Major Leagues next season remains to be seen. However, the talented right-hander holds high expectations for his future.
“I’m a winner,” Bauer said. “That’s my goal, to go out there and win.”
D-backs host Giants in battle for first place
- Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
The ongoing battle for first place in the National League West continues at Chase Field this week, as the D-backs play host to the Giants in a three-game series that kicks off tonight.
San Francisco comes to the desert with a slim half-game lead over Arizona in the division standings. The D-backs inched closer to the top after claiming a 12-9 win over Florida last night to cap a successful road trip.
“We’ve been playing well recently, and it’s always nice to come home obviously and finish up a road trip like we did last night,” infield/outfielder Xavier Nady said. “You come home and just try to continue playing good baseball no matter who it is.”
Rookie hurler Josh Collmenter (4-1, 1.12 ERA) will toe the rubber tonight for the D-backs in the series opener. He is opposed by Giants’ right-hander Matt Cain (5-4, 3.36).
In these two teams’ last meeting, the Giants handed Arizona three one-run losses in mid-May. The D-backs are aware that while it’s still only June, this series is crucial to the division race.
“The way we’ve been playing, we’re in a good mood right now,” catcher Henry Blanco said. “We know what we need to do out there to win these games. We know it’s a big series, but all we can do is do our best. If the pitching, the defense and the offense are there, we’ll come out on top.”
After tonight’s opener, Joe Saunders will take on Madison Bumgarner in a southpaw duel on Wednesday. In the Thursday’s series finale, ace Ian Kennedy will take the mound against the Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong.
The D-backs are keeping the same mindset they’ve used all season despite the increased hype surrounding the series.
“We want to keep the same approach,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “They’re a very good team. We know what their strengths are. We’re going to do what it takes to win. That’s our mentality. We’re going to grind it out. We’re going to try not to get frustrated, good or bad, (and) stay humble just like always.”
Fans who want to watch the fight for the top division spot can take advantage of the D-backs’ unique “BeatSF” series ticket package.
By using the “BeatSF” code, fans can receive 20-percent off tickets and receive 10 free D-bucks to spend on concessions or team merchandise. Baseline reserve seats are just $20 and include $10 in D-bucks. First and third base reserve tickets are now only $40 and also include $10 in D-bucks.
Roberts wins fan vote bobblehead contest
Photo by Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
Since the start of the 2011 season, Ryan Roberts has captivated fans with his red-hot bat and highlight-reel defensive plays.
Whether it’s diving over the railing to haul in a foul ball or igniting a rally with a leadoff hit, Roberts has been a driving force behind the D-backs’ surge to the top of the division standings.
D-backs fans showed their enthusiastic support for Roberts by selecting him in the Fan Vote Bobblehead contest. Roberts’ bobblehead will be given to the first 15,000 fans in attendance for the D-backs game against the Giants on Sept. 24. The bobblehead will look very similar to Roberts himself, including an action pose and his well-liked tattoos.
In the online voting on dbacks.com, Roberts received the highest number of write-in votes from fans.
For Roberts, it’s an honor to have been voted in by the D-backs’ faithful.
“I want to say thank you to the fans for voting me the winner,” Roberts said. “It definitely means a lot to me. In this game, it is comforting to know you actually have people who recognize you and cheer for you. Winning a bobblehead solidifies the fact you actually have a fan base. I would also like to thank my teammates and coaches for helping me along the way. This honor is another of many memorable experiences I have had and hope to have as a D-back. I am definitely very appreciative.”
Receiving a bobblehead is just another highlight for Roberts this season. He has enjoyed a career year at the plate and has emerged as a mainstay in manager Kirk Gibson’s starting lineup. Through 55 games, he has set career highs in home runs with 10, stolen bases with nine and RBI with 27.
In addition to those impressive numbers, he is batting .257 with 48 hits, nine doubles and 35 runs.
Changes at D-blog
By Greg Salvatore
As of today, you may notice a different byline here on the D-blog, on Twitter (@Insider_Writer) and in D-backs Insider magazine.
After eight-plus years working on team publications for the D-backs, I moved on and took advantage of an opportunity elsewhere. In my place will be Josh Greene, who has been writing excellently about the Phoenix Suns for years. I’m confident you’ll enjoy his work.
I had a chance to meet a lot of D-backs fans over the years, and became friends with many. I appreciate your support and hope the D-backs stay right in the thick of the division all year. You deserve it.
Q&A with D-backs infielder Willie Bloomquist
Photography: Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
In last Wednesday’s thrilling comeback win over the Marlins, Willie Bloomquist led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. He later hustled from first to third on a ground ball that never left the infield. Bloomquist then scored the winning run on Justin Upton’s walk-off single. In his first season in Arizona, Bloomquist has served as a sparkplug at the plate and on the base paths for the D-backs.
D-backs Insider sat down with Bloomquist to talk Wednesday’s victory, executing the little things, and even some ASU baseball.
DI: Another huge win last night, and obviously you were a big part of that in the ninth. Were you going to third from the beginning once you saw the ball hit?
WB: Well I was running on the pitch, and it was kind of one of those instinct plays to where you know it’s going to be two long throws across the diamond. I timed him pretty well when he was releasing the ball at third. Looking back on it, it probably wasn’t the smartest play in the world. If I would’ve gotten thrown out it would have been the third out at third base, but I’ve done that play a few times to where I think I had it timed pretty well to where I was going to be safe. I wouldn’t have taken the risk if I didn’t think I was going to be safe.
DI: Gibby mentioned that one of the benefits of you going on that play is forcing them to make a long throw. Is that something that you thought about?
WB: Absolutely, it’s two long throws. One positive of me playing a variety of positions is I know on the flipside of that is that that’s a long throw for the first baseman, especially when you haven’t been throwing a lot. Usually you’re just flipping ground balls over there. So to come up and catch a ball and get rid of it back across the diamond, it’s going to take an absolute perfect throw to even have a chance of getting me. You force the other team to make plays. So if they make them maybe you tip your hat, maybe you don’t, but you got to make them first so you force the other team and put pressure on them. Usually good things happen when you’re the aggressor.
DI: This team seems to do the little things well. Is that a driving force behind the recent success?
WB: Well it’s certainly been a key point coming into this season. I think a more emphasis on instead of hitting a three-run home run, doing some little things properly. For example, you take the at-bat Justin had in the seventh (on June 1) when Kelly just hit a triple with one out. Him not getting big right there and trying to tie it up, him just taking a nice swing within himself and hitting a ground ball to second base and scoring the run to make it a 4-3 game. A lot of times guys will try and get big and pop that ball up to short or hit a shallow fly that doesn’t score the run, but that’s a big run to make it 4-3 instead of 4-2. That’s a little thing that he just did right. So those sort of things are starting to come together, and when we do those things we can be a pretty decent team.
DI: So as I’m sure you know, ASU baseball is back in the postseason this month. Are you going to follow your alma mater?
WB: I’m pulling for the kids. I hope they do well. For the kids’ sake I hope they do well. Obviously I still have ties and that’s my alma mater so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pulling for them in some way shape or form. I wish the kids well. I hope they do really well there.
Q&A with D-backs Infielder Kelly Johnson
Photography: Jordan Megenhardt
By Greg Dillard
Last season, Kelly Johnson made quite a first impression on Arizona. In his first season in the desert, he posted a .284 batting average while achieving career-highs in home runs (26) and RBI (71).
Johnson saw much different results throughout the first month and a half of the 2011 season, though. He hit below .200 and struck out at a rapid rate.
Those struggles appear to be coming to an end after Johnson caught fire at the end of May. In his last 21 games, Johnson is batting .291 with six home runs, seven doubles, and 16 RBI.
D-backs Insider sat down with Johnson to discuss his red-hot bat and his team’s ascension into first place in the NL West.
DI: So after a slow start to the season, is it encouraging to you to return to your old form at the plate?
KJ: Yeah it is. It feels like a long time coming just to get going and help this team do some things. It’s coming at the right time though because we’ve been playing great and we’ve been winning a lot of games.
DI: Not only have you been swinging it well, but also guys like Justin Upton have been swinging well. Do you think a strength of this team is having a lineup that can pick each other up?
KJ: Yeah, and all the way down to the last guy on the bench, anybody that’s got to pinch hit on a given night. We got a team that’s got a lot of guys that just step right in and not miss a beat and are great players. It’s good that we have such a deep roster and a good team. It’s never just going to be one guy, and I think that’s a very big strength of this team.
DI: What else do you think could help you guys continue May’s success into June?
KJ: I mean you’re not going to go on streaks like this all the time. What’s going to help you be consistent and win a lot of games is just continuing to have the pitching we’ve had. The bullpens pitched great, and just having some timely hits and scoring some runs. We’ve been in a lot of games all the way through to the end, and we found a lot of ways to win them more recently.
DI: Some people aren’t buying into the D-backs just yet, but is flying under the radar a thing that you think this team is comfortable in doing?
KJ: Yeah, you got to earn having the expectations and having people believe you. So if we’re playing like this and it’s all the way in September and we’re going to the playoffs that’s good enough for us, then years after we can be expected to win and then go from there. So right now we’re in a position to be in and we’re leading the division and starting a new month. We just want to have the same success in June that we had in May.
The D-blog 