Diamondbacks Fittingly End First Half of Season by Getting Shutout
By Scott Allen
Well that was appropriate. The Arizona Diamondbacks ended the first half of the season by getting shutout by the Florida Marlins 2-0 on Sunday at Chase Field. Clearly these Dbacks were ready for their four-day vacation and they played like it today, pretty much like every other day since the beginning of April.
The Dbacks head into the All-Star break 34-55, a break that couldn’t come soon enough. Unfortunately the break probably won’t change much of the fortunes of this team. The managerial change 10 days ago hasn’t done one thing to change the fortunes. Future player moves may not change fortunes this year, but could be of help for the future beyond 2010.
Best game of the 1st half:
Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter on June 25th against the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite eight walks, Jackson threw 149 pitches. He was close to being taken out in the third inning after walking the bases loaded and no one out. He got out of it and rolled from there in the 1-0 win.
Worst game of the 1st half:
Whew, take your pick. However the one that has to stand out is the 14-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 3rd. They committed six errors, a franchise record, and looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but there from the opening pitch. New interim manager placed Chris Snyder in the cleanup spot in the lineup, probably the most ill-conceived lineup choice of the entire season.
1st half MVP:
Kelly Johnson looked to be the guy after the first month, however he fell back a bit. Mark Reynolds also started off hot, but he strikes out more often now than Mark Grace complains about broken bats and is now hitting .214. The MVP is Chris Young. Not only has he made a complete turnaround from last season, he made the All-Star Team and will be part of the Home Run Derby. He even weathered a hitting slump that took him back to the .250’s. He’s at .266 at the break.
Worst player:
Arizona bullpen. Take your choice. Collectively on pace to be the worst bullpen in the modern era. Juan Gutierrez, Chad Qualls, Esmerling Vasquez have been the biggest headaches. Gutierrez has pitched strong the last few outings, but everything Qualls touches turns to crap and that is putting it nicely.
Let’s enjoy a few days without a loss. Who’s with me?