Have yourself a day, Pavin
Recaps
[Burn City Sports] Pavin Smith’s big night helps Diamondbacks salvage series finale against the Astros – The Diamondbacks were all over Justin Verlander, knocking out the future Hall of Famer after just three innings. Arizona tagged Verlander for eight runs on nine hits, a walk, and no strikeouts. Pavin Smith played a huge role in that, crushing home runs in back-to-back innings to make it an 8-0 game. He became the first player to hit a grand slam off Verlander since April 11, 2010. “Justin’s one of the best pitchers of all time and getting in the box against him is a treat,” said Smith in his appearance on Sports Center following the game. “Just looking across 60 feet and seeing one of the best to ever do it is pretty cool.”
[Dbacks.com] Smith stuns Astros with 3 homers, 8 RBIs … in first 3 at-bats – It was Smith’s first career multihomer game. He became the second Arizona player to hit three homers in a game this season, joining Suárez, who did it against Washington on July 30. “It’s one of those nights where you’re kind of in a zone,” Smith said. “… Once I was able to put a good swing on the first at-bat, it gave me confidence for the rest of the game.” Smith said he was trying to hit a fourth, but he struck out and walked in his last two plate appearances. “It’s something that not many people have done,” Smith said. “And I figured if you had a chance, you might as well go for it.”
[AP] Pavin Smith homers in first 3 at-bats as Diamondbacks win – “It was a great day for Pavin,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Pavin can hit. We always feel comfortable with his at-bats, his ability to come in the lineup after not playing for a couple of days and be able to barrel up the baseball.” Smith fell an RBI shy of the Arizona record set by Erubiel Durazo in 2002. Chris Iannetta also had eight RBIs for the D-backs in a 2017 game. Smith’s previous high was six. Arizona — which scored at least 10 runs for a majors-best 18th time — pulled within a half-game of San Diego for the National League’s first wild card and increased its lead over New York and Atlanta to 1½ games.
Team news
[SI] Comparing D-backs Preseason Projections to Current Results – The position players have outperformed projections while the pitching has underperformed. But by how much and how can we best measure it is answered here… WAR has done an accurate job of measuring team and individual performance. What we can also see in the table below is the spread between the batting and pitching tracks with the top line runs scored and runs allowed numbers presented at the beginning of the article. Instead of a 60/40 split in value, that has become a yawning gap of 77/23.
[Sports Business Journal] A problem years in the making, the Diamondbacks are struggling to find workable Chase Field solutions – Time is running short; their lease at Chase Field expires at the end of 2027, making the club one of nearly two dozen pro sports teams whose venue leases expire within the next six years. A few of those teams, including the Diamondbacks, have less than four years remaining and no option to extend. “I’ve been quoted for years saying we have to have a decision by the end of the calendar year, and each year we don’t,” said Hall. “That’s nobody’s fault, and we’re trying and still hopeful. I just feel like there hasn’t been a lot of urgency. But I’m trying to create that urgency.”
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks’ top prospect Jordan Lawlar returns from injury – The 22-year-old has played in just 14 games between Triple-A Reno, the Arizona Complex League and Double-A Amarillo this season due to thumb and hamstring injuries. This season, the shortstop is hitting .315 with a .897 OPS. His latest injury came when he re-injured his left hamstring running from first to third base in a rehab game in the Arizona Complex League on July 8. The sixth-overall pick in 2021 also tore a ligament in his thumb at the end of spring training this year and spent more than two months on the injured list.
And, elsewhere…
[TechCrunch] The coolest startup in the Bay Area is a baseball team called the Oakland Ballers – When Pioneer League games end in a tie, they don’t move on to extra innings. Instead, there’s an impromptu Home Run Derby to decide the winner. “It’s really cool, it’s super fan-friendly, and it’s electric when it happens,” Freedman said. “People even start rooting for ties at the end of the game to see the Home Run Derby. That kind of experimentation can ultimately lead to a better experience.” The Ballers recently took a big swing and partnered with Fan Controlled Sports, an app that allows fans to make real-time decisions about the game like they’re the manager. It’s a move that would wreak havoc in an MLB game, but works in a Pioneer League setting.
[USA Today] Billie Jean King wants to help carve ‘pathway’ for MLB’s first female player – “Any time you can be ‘the first’ is a major accomplishment, you just never want to be the last,” King said in an e-mail to USA TODAY Sports. “If we can create a role for one woman, we can create a place for more women. It’s so important we provide an opportunity and a pathway for every young girl to have the dream they can be a professional baseball player, or have a professional career in Major League Baseball… “Baseball was my first true love,” said King, “but I never got the chance to play because I was a girl. It is my hope that “See Her Be Her’’ will encourage girls and women to pursue their dreams no matter what others say is possible, and that one day soon women once again have a league of their own.”
[Reddit] After Today’s DFA of Scott Barlow, 5 Out of the Guardians 8 Highest-Paid Players Are Not on the 26-Man Roster – Guardians Payroll this year:
- Jose Ramirez, 17m
- Shane Bieber, 13.1m (IL)
- Jean Segura, 8.5m (DFA)
- Scott Barlow, 6.7m (DFA)
- Josh Naylor, 6.5m
- Andres Gimenez, 5.5m
- Ramon Laureano, 5.1m (DFA)
- Myles Straw, 4.9m (AAA)
Blood Beach (1980)
Rating: D+
Dir: Jeffrey Bloom
Star: David Huffman, Marianna Hill, Burt Young, John Saxon
This is gifted with one of the finest taglines in genre history: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water – you can’t get to it.” Sadly, that is probably the best thing about this. It manages to be both a descendant of Jaws and a predecessor of Tremors, without occupying the same solar-system as either film in terms of quality. Filmed on Venice and Santa Monica beaches in California, it begins with an elderly woman, out walking her dog early one morning, being pulled beneath the sand by something beneath the surface. Naturally, as far as the authorities has concerned, it is just a missing person case – until the attacks continue, becoming more brazen and witnessed.