Chris Burke
Showing Results 1 - 4 of 4
Page 1 of 1
Diamondbacks Notes: August 16, 2008
* ARI @ HOU, GAME 1 -- The Diamondbacks crossed the plate early and often, cruising to a 12-2 win over Houston in Friday's series opener. Astros' lefty starter Wandy Rodriguez issued five walks and Arizona batted around in the top of the first inning. But the visitors scored only three runs in that frame, as Chris Burke and Brandon Webb both took called third strikes with the bases loaded. Webb would need no more support, his Cy Young form evidenced by a line of 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 6 K on 82 pitches. His teammates took no chances and scored in all but two innings. Every starting position player notched a hit and reached home safely at least once on the night. In short, this was a laugher.
* ARI @ HOU, GAME 2 -- By a score only a litte less one-sided than Friday's final, Arizona gave Houston a case of déjà vu and defeated the hosts 11-5 on Saturday. The winning formula was eerily familiar -- a crooked number in the top of the first, a dominant pitching peformance, and...
Continue reading to see the post in its entirety.
Diamondbacks Notes: August 14, 2008 (Late Edition)
* WASHED OUT -- Batting third and playing RF for the Sidewinders on Thursday evening, Justin Upton went 1-for-2 with a two-run, two-out single. Tucson had jumped to a 5-3 lead through three innings, but Mother Nature intervened and the game was suspended due to rain. The game will be made up on August 27, by which point Upton should be back with Diamondbacks. Officially, Upton is 5-for-12 with a double, an RBI and two strikeouts on his rehab assignment, although we at DBN will always wonder what might have been but for the stormy skies in Colorado Springs. Upton may have scuffled in May and June with the parent club, but AAA pitching has so far been no match for his powers. Weather permitting, the Sidewinders and Sky Sox will start fresh on Friday before our farmhands head back to the Old Pueblo.
* NICE SOUVENIR -- If anyone is curious, JUp is sporting No. 24 on his Sidewinders jersey. Since Justin will not be long for the minors and the AAA franchise plans to leave Tucson...
Continue reading to see the post in its entirety.
Diamondbacks Notes: August 14, 2008
* ARI @ COL, GAME 2 -- Arizona fell behind early Wednesday night before mounting a pair of rallies, first to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh inning, then again to draw to within a run in the ninth following Brad Hawpe's two-run HR off Jon Rauch in the bottom of the eighth. Despite the Diamondbacks' resilience, Colorado evened the series as Brian Fuentes struck out Adam Dunn with the bases loaded to seal a 6-5 Rockies win.
* WEB GEMS -- With runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of last night's game, Augie Ojeda combined with Stephen Drew to turn a pretty double-play. Drew fielded an Ian Stewart grounder, then checked Brad Hawpe at 3B before throwing to Ojeda to force Troy Tulowitzki out at 2B. Ojeda, who started at 2B for the third straight game following Orlando Hudson's season-ending wrist injury, smartly saved a run by again looking Hawpe back to the bag before firing to 1B to finish the 6-4-3 twin-killing.
* TRACY GETS HOT -- The Dunn...
Continue reading to see the post in its entirety.
Lost Dog: Hudson Gone for Season, Maybe for Good
With the news that Orlando Hudson underwent surgery late Saturday night on his dislocated wrist, the Diamondbacks again find themselves missing their star 2B for the stretch run of the season. His is a critical loss during what Arizona hopes will be a second straight NL West championship campaign.
The club will still benefit from his leadership in the clubhouse, but the ODog's presence on the field cannot be easily replaced. He is an absolute witch with the leather, invaluable for a team whose leading pitcher is a groundball specialist. And while his modest power makes him an unlikely No. 3 hitter, Hudson played that role for the Diamondbacks. That a guy who has never surpassed 15 HR or 67 RBI in a season batted third in the order 97 times says a lot about Arizona's 2008 offense.
The Diamondbacks will be hard pressed to replace Hudson's glove or his .305 / .367 / .450 line. As they have no choice but to try, let's consider some of the options on the table.
Reports...
Continue reading to see the post in its entirety.
1