Venom Strikes » Zack Greinke

Will D-backs Keep Pace With West Rivals

Nicholas Valenzuela — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 05:30:26 +0000

With news that the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for three-time All-Star and former batting champion Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins, the rest of the N.L. West clubs were put on notice that the Dodgers were serious about making a run at the N.L. West title this season.

My question is, will Arizona make a similar statement?

Granted, trading for a player the caliber of Ramirez does not happen every season, and he is truly a unique combination of pure talent and interesting character. But there is plenty of talent out there for the picking if the D-backs were looking to add depth for a run at the West title.

July 24, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (13) pitches during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

In terms of the team’s depth chart, the team is relatively depth throughout the lineup for position players. Our offense has been stable enough to put up close to five runs a game, with a good combination of speed and power mixed throughout the lineup. From what I can see, pitching has been a thorn in the team’s side all season long.

In the search for starting pitching, the Dodgers have been linked to Chicago Cubs starters Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. The Rays have been rumored to have made starting pitcher James Shields available, and with the Brewers fading from contention, Zack Greinke has been one of the most sought after starters this trade season.

Although Arizona has prime pitching prospects at the cusp of breaking it into the bigs (Bauer, Skaggs, Corbin), there is a glaring need for depth in the rotation this season. Aside from rookie starter Wade Miley, the rest of the rotation has been anything but consistent this season.

If the team is serious about making a push for a playoff spot, picking up some depth at the trade deadline would make sense.

D-Backs vs Brewers: Series Preview with Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew

Tyler Roberts — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:15:07 +0000

To preview the Arizona Diamondbacks next series starting today against the Milwaukee Brewers I exchanged five questions with Benjamin Orr, a staff writer at Fansided’s Brewers site, Reviewing the Brew to get an inside perspective of what the Brewers have been through this season. Here are Orr’s answers to the five questions I asked him.

Roberts: First off, how has the Brewer offense coped without one of it’s main catalysts in Prince Fielder helping Ryan Braun shoulder the load ?

Orr: Well, it’s been sluggish all season. While Fielder did add a lot, I don’t think even having him this year would make that huge of a difference considering how the rest of the line-up is doing. I wrote a few articles back on how Ryan Braun was really a one man team offensively. Aramis Ramirez has been turning a corner and has been batting around .314 for the month of June. Norichika Aoki started off great, that is when Ron Roenicke decided to finally start him, but his production has somewhat been at a standstill lately. Corey Hart has been hot then cold so the inconsistency hurts. As for the rest of the team, it’s been really abysmal. Rickie Weeks pretty much forgot how to hit and with the Brewers going through a plethora of first basemen and shortstops, it’s been hard to keep up constant production. Lately though, the bats seem to be waking up, but Braun is definitely still the driving point behind it. Hopefully whenever it is Jonathan Lucroy comes back, he can pick up where he left off.

Milwaukee Brewer outfielder, Ryan Braun, follows through on a hit against the Chicago White Sox during interleague play. Braun and the Brewers will play host to the Diamondbacks for a three-game series. (Image: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE)

Roberts: Offensively Braun has been having a good year, but who are the Brewers who aren’t household names anywhere other than Milwaukee that we should know about?

Orr: Well, it’s hard to say, but I’d have to say Norichika Aoki. This is Aoki’s first year in America and he’s done pretty well. As I mentioned before, he’s hit somewhat of a slump now, but the home runs he has been hitting has been surprising. Aoki is also really fast not only around the bases (as he did hit an inside the park home run this season), but in the outfield as well which makes him great because Roenicke can put him anywhere out there without worry. Pitching wise, I’d have to say Michael Fiers. Fiers made his debut in September last year and was called up to fill the pitching void when we lost Chris Narveson and then Marco Estrada (who is back and filling in for the injured Shaun Marcum). In his five starts this season, Fiers is 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA and has accumulated 31 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.

Roberts: What has happened to Yovani Gallardo this season, he seems to be struggling mightily despite normally being the staff ace. Why is that?

Orr: It’s not really that Gallardo has struggled, it’s just more or less his ERA ballooned after pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals twice so far this season. While Gallardo has struggled in division games, outside of those, his outings have been pretty fair, giving up three runs or less. He still goes long into games so it helps the team overall. He’s also been the victim of some tough luck losses, in which he only gave up two runs. I really have no concerns about Gallardo for the rest of the season because he’s been pretty decent outside of NL Central games and if he can continue to pitch well, we’re fortunate to have him alongside Zack Greinke.

Roberts: Zack Greinke has been pitching phenomenally all season, yet is being mentioned in just about every trade rumor regarding the Brew crew? Are the Brewers really going to be sellers this early in the season?

Orr: I doubt it. Greinke likes Milwaukee and we like him. While the downside would be losing Greinke, we would get quite a bit in return for him, but I doubt that he’s going anywhere before the trade deadline. If Greinke does go anywhere, it’ll be after the season when he’s a free agent. The Brewers’ front office has a mission of trying to resign both Greinke and Marcum after the season. In all honesty, they’re both good, but we’d rather try to keep Greinke if push comes to shove. If the Brewers are sellers on anyone, I’d actually say it’d be the back-up catcher George Kottaras. With Martin Maldonado doing well and Lucroy coming back sometime in mid-July, there’s no reason to have three MLB capable catchers on an NL roster so Kottaras will more than likely be the odd man out.

Roberts: The Brewers are leading the league in one of the strangest statistics in baseball: hit by pitches. Why do you think they are getting plunked so much?

Orr: I really couldn’t tell you, but the one player in particular that gets hit a lot is Rickie Weeks. I think maybe they’re leaning into pitches to get on base because the offense has been so sub par this season. Okay, that was a joke. Honestly, it’s very strange and it’s just bad, or good luck, however you want to put it. It helps the OBP rise for players and really, as long as it doesn’t cause a season ending injury, the Brewers need more baserunners.

I want to thank Benjamin Orr for taking the time to answer my questions and all the Brewer fans which have read this article. We wish you luck in the three-game series and hope it will be a good one. The series begins tonight at 5:10 p.m. MST with Arizona’s Ian Kennedy taking the mound against Milwaukee’s Randy Wolf.

For all things Venom Strikes like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @venomstrikes, you can also follow me on Twitter @roberts_843.

To read my answers to Orr’s questions make sure you check out Reviewing the Brew at Noon EST on June 28.

Which Diamondback Players Are the Best for Fantasy Baseball?

Thomas Lynch — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:55:48 +0000

Mar. 19, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton throws his bat after striking out in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics during a spring training game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The calendar is steaming toward April which means that it is time for many fans across America to draft their fantasy baseball teams. I know there are a good number of folks who are baseball fans and do not participate in fantasy sports. Although fantasy owners are considered “nerds” or “geeks” by some people, it is hard to ignore an industry that is worth a billion dollars. For the record, I am in a “keeper” league which means that you get to keep 10 players from your previous year’s squad. So which Arizona Diamondback players are good for us Fantasy guys?

The D-Back player that will probably be drafted highest in most leagues is Justin Upton. He is probably a second round pick at the moment but is poised to have a season that would catapult him into the first round in 2013. Miguel Montero is a Top Five Catcher and with free agency on the horizon, owners would be wise to grab him as their starter behind the plate. On the pitching side, Ian Kennedy is sure to attract interest as a late second or early third round selection off his brilliant 2011 campaign. Although J.J. Putz saved 45 games last season, he may be taken later than his stats suggest. Owners will be worried about his injury history. Plus, there is not a huge emphasis on relievers as you can pick a good one late or off the waiver wire.

One D-Back player I will be watching is Daniel Hudson. Our league allows you three Starting Pitchers per week and I am set with Tim Lincecum, CJ Wilson and Zack Greinke. However, I love the upside for Hudson and hopefully he will be there for my second pick. Chris Young is not bad for the Outfield but his low batting average hurts as does his penchant for strikeouts which negatively affect owners in some leagues. If he can re-discover his 2009 and 2010 stroke, Aaron Hill would be a great pickup at Second Base. Ryan Roberts is pretty good for Third Base but you will have to find more pop in your lineup if he is your starter. If you are in keeper league like me, Paul Goldschmidt would be a nice late pick. If he blossoms into a star, you won’t have to worry about First Base for a long time.

I know some drafts have already taken place. Maybe all of the players I mentioned in this post have already been taken. For those of us that have not drafted yet, I hope this provides us with a little cheat sheet in our Draft War Rooms.

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