the day I have been waiting for, the first of a three-game series between the Diamondbacks and the Giants in San Francisco! I’m more than a little nervous.  I want to finally say that I am certain the Diamondbacks will win the division, but I cannot forget that they have lost five of six in "Ballpark by the Bay" this year.  I’ll feel better if they take two of three, but would you believe it, the Giants are suddenly playing decently.  They just took two of three from the Dodgers.

It’s Livan Hernandez versus Tim Lincecum today. Hernandez is always scary and not always in a positive way.  When he’s on is untouchable when he’s off, watch the hit and walk parade.  It seems like it’s quality start or disaster, nothing in the middle.  Tim Lincecum is 5′ 9" and looks like he’s 15 years old.  But he can pitch.  He is 7-4 with a 4.05 ERA with a lousy team.  And the Diamondbacks have been using their bullpen a lot lately.  I don’t expect to see José Valverde in the first game and maybe not in the second, given that he saved four straight games.  Set up man Brandon Lyon has pitched a lot lately, too.

So it really better be "Anybody Anytime" with the Diamondbacks probably going without their two best relievers in without their All-Star second baseman Orlando Hudson, who is out for the year.  Yesterday, it was Justin Upton, who tied the game with a homer, and Tony Clark, who provided the game-winning RBI double, who were the "Anybody Anytime" players.  Things got a little scary for Valverde who loaded the bases in the ninth.  I think he was put through unnecessary stress (and Diamondbacks fans with him) by Bob Melvin decision to pitch around Albert Pujols.  Maybe you pitch around him when he has the chance to put his team ahead.  Maybe you pitch around him if the night before, he got a hit off Valverde. But the night before, Valverde had faced Pujols, challenged him and won.  I think pitching around Pujols this time threw off Valverde’s rhythm.  At the time he came up, the worst Albert could have done was to tie the game with a homer.  Putting him on brought the go-ahead run to the plate.  And Valverde put him on to load the bases before getting the final out. Too much drama for me.

Now Eric Byrnes comes into San Francisco with a bunch of new personal bests.  As of right now, he has career bests in games started, base hits, RBI, run scored, walks, and stolen bases.  He has tied his career best in total bases, so the next hit creates a new mark.  I remember when last year I was keeping track of every time he surpassed a total set in Abysmal, Aberrant 2005.  This is a lot more fun!  Now if he’ll just crank up the RBI machine over the next three days.  As I said before, he’s never driven in a run when I’m at the stadium even going back to his time with the A’s.  High time to end that streak!  I know Eric is a football fan, so he’s familiar with the concept of "two a days".  He just has to translate that concept into RBIs.  Of course, even more than two will be welcome.  Earl Weaver had a point about the value of three-run homers.  But in keeping with my pledge not to root for homers, I will say that three-run doubles are just as good.

Go, Byrnesie!
Go, Snakes!

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The Anybody – Anytime award for the night goes to utility infielder Augie Ojeda. Subbing for an injured Orlando Hudson, Ojeda played a fine second base. He even started the double play that ended the game. (Hudson has a torn ligament in his left thumb. A decision on whether he will undergo season-ending surgery is expected Sunday).

Quality start (6 innings, 2 runs, 5Ks) for Brandon Webb who picked up his 15th win. Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon got holds, the latter stranding Albert Pujols at third. Jose Valverde got his major league-leading 43rd save.

Tony Clark hit a solo shot late in the game for the insurance run.

The big news, for me at least, was Eric Byrnes. (Surprised?) EB went 2-4, a single, an RBI double, and he scored a run.

The double was hit no. 162, a new personal best! He’s batting .360 in September. Tonight’s performance raised his average to .295. The run scored was No. 90. He needs only two more for a new personal best. The double was also XBH No. 56. He needs 11 more XHB of any type for a new personal best in that category. If he keeps hitting well this month, he should get it. And if the team is going to lose Hudson, who was batting .294, they will need Byrnesie to step up the pace.

The Giants just beat the Dodgers for the first time in SF this year. And the Rockies beat the Padres in Denver. So it was a good day all around. It was even not a total disaster for the Cardinals. The Cubs & the Brewers lost too. So no bird tears, please. Just Byrnesie doing his part to beat the team managed by the guy who left him off the All-Star team. <heh-heh-heh>

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The Diamondbacks have taken two of three from the San Diego Padres by beating Jake Peavy tonight 9-6. It was Peavy’s first road loss this season. Both teams started hitting early and often and even when the Diamondbacks had an 8-5 lead, it didn’t feel like enough. Power ball was important; Conor Jackson hit a homer; Miguel Montero hit two homers; Orlando Hudson had an RBI triple and Chris Young came up with the bases loaded and cleared them with a double.

Eric Byrnes had a single, which was hit number 160, and a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored.

Livan Hernandez got the win. And the Diamondbacks are again into sole possession of first place in the NL West.

After a day off on Thursday as Snakes play the Cardinals over the weekend and then head to San Francisco, where I’ll be waiting for them.

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Hit no. 159 was a 3-run homer.

(Photo by Paul Connors/AP)

"It just goes to show you that we’re able to file away a bad loss
and move on and respond to the next game. We don’t hang our heads and get uptight. We
keep playing."

–Centerfielder Chris Young, on answering a rout with a rout.

The Diamondbacks managed to put it all together last night: good starting pitching, good relief pitching, solid defense and powerful offense to pay the Padres back for the beat down they had gotten the day before.  The 9-1 victory put the Snakes back into a virtual tie for first place in the NL West with the Friars.  Tony Clark had the game-winning hit in the first inning: a two run homer.  Doug Davis got the win.

It was a roller coaster kind of day for Eric Byrnes.  He started by hitting into a double play with two men on in the first inning.  Some people think he beat out the throw to first; I was at work and didn’t get a good enough look at the play to render an opinion.  But the man whose opinion is the only one that counts, the first-base umpire, thought he was out and I didn’t see much of in the way of argument.  Tony Clark than did his thing so was it all’s well that ends well kind of thing.

Byrnes also struck out  on a checked swing during his fifth and last plate appearance.  It looked to me like he held up, but on appeal, he was punched out.  He walked his third time up and reached on an error his fourth time up, but was stranded on base both times.

Ah, but that second time up with special!  Byrnesie hit a three-run homer that brought him up to 80 RBI.  That’s a new personal best.  That’s also his second homer in as many days and number 21 for the year.  Twenty-six, which he needs to reach 100 for his career, feels much more reachable now.  The homer was the 159th hit of the season, meaning he now only needs three hits for a new personal best.  And to get a new personal best in extra-base hits he now needs 12 instead of 13.  "My Friend, the Yankees Fan" has Eric on her fantasy league team, said she was glad to hear about the homer because every hit home run and stolen base means something to her as she attempts to finish what she called a respectable third in her league.

While she not only got the homer, but she got the stolen base.  Eric got his 40th bag on the back end of a double steal with Orlando Hudson as the lead runner.  The Diamondbacks were doing a lot of running last night.  Hudson stole two bases; Stephen Drew and Chris Young swiped one apiece.

And about that walk I mentioned earlier, it was intentional.  The Padres decided to take their chances with Tony Clark batting right-handed — he had hit his homer and left-handed and is not that big a power hitter from the right side — rather than face Eric Byrnes, who had homered his previous time up.  The strategy worked as Clark struck out.  But it was great to see Byrnesie getting the intentional walk.  In April, the guys ahead of Byrnes were intentionally walked on two occasions to bring him up with the bases loaded.  Both times he delivered RBI singles.  Now in September, the opposition is intentionally walking Byrnes to deal with someone else.  I love it!

Today it’s Jake Peavy versus Livan Hernandez in the rubber match.  I think it’s time Jake Peavy had an off day, and in fact, he’s working on short rest, so I’m hoping he’ll hang something belt high to Byrnes, preferably with two or three men on base.  I like it when Eric’s RBI come in bunches.  He now has 87 runs scored, so he needs some bunched up RBI to have that total match the runs.

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for the pitching staff to go bust!

But go bust they did, as Micah Owings gave up four home runs and the game ended up Padres 10 – Diamondbacks 2.

Welcome back from the DL, Carlos Quentin.  He celebrated by hitting a double.

The big news was Eric Byrnes’ second multi-hit game in three days.  That’s the Byrnesie we got used to earlier in the year; I hope he’s back for the rest of the month! Byrnesie hit homer number 20 today, which means he’s still on pace for the 26 he had last year and if he stays hot, even 30 is not totally far-fetched.  Of course, 26 is important this year because it will be his 100th homer, which pairs nicely with the 104 stolen bases he has so far.  He also hit a triple, his eighth of the year. 

What was great about these hits was that they were solidly struck; Byrnes really looked in the groove on these.  And he does well against Greg Maddux, which is more than I can say for the rest of the team (and a lot of other major-league hitters).

I’m now in countdown mode until he gets San Francisco next Monday. He needs 4 base hits, 6 runs, 3 RBI, 2 triples, 2 outfield assists — he made a great one today, nailing a runner at home — and seven home runs for new personal bests in all those categories. He already has a new personal best in stolen bases with 39, but I hope he comes to "Ballpark by the Bay" with at least 40 just because… I hope he notches some of the new personal bests before he gets here.  I think he can get the base hits, runs, RBI, and with luck maybe even the triples and assists this week.  (And he can help his own cause by not somersaulting when he throws).  The homers will probably take longer as will the new personal best for total extra-base hits.  Byrnesie has 54 extra-base hits right now; he needs 13 more to set a new mark.

HMMM… I like the thought of Eric Byrnes getting 13 extra-base hits between now and the end of the year.  That will signal the improved offense the Diamondbacks will need if they are to have a chance at the playoffs.

Assuming, of course, the pitching staff doesn’t go bust the rest of the way.

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