There was a time when the Arizona Diamondbacks were so flush with prospects, they could afford to trade Brett Anderson and Carlos Gonzalez in the same deal. They were lighting cigars with prospects, forging a talented, young lineup that was ready to win immediately while solidifying the future at the same time. The season after they went to the NLCS, they traded a sackful of prospects for Dan Haren. They were going to be a powerhouse forever and ever and ever and ...
Marlins Vs. Diamondbacks: Arizona Explodes For Fourteen Runs, Wins Seventh Straight
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Not sure what happened, really, but it wasn’t pretty. After flirting with .500, the Diamondbacks had two years of 90+ losses, and they were rebuilding on the fly. The fabled prospects of yore were suddenly players entering their arbitration years, and the team would need to figure out which ones were going to be a part of the next good Arizona team.
Turns out, this is the next good Arizona team. By turning Max Scherzer into Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson, holding on to core players like Miguel Montero, Justin Upton, and Stephen Drew, and not having the worst bullpen to ever sit around spitting sunflower seeds, the Diamondbacks have arrived a year ahead of schedule. They whomped the Florida Marlins on Monday at Chase Field, winning their seventh straight game, 15-4.
Marlins starter Chris Volstad sailed through the first two innings, and the Marlins actually struck first. Gaby Sanchez hit an RBI single in the third inning, followed by a Mike Stanton RBI grounder to put the score at 2-0.
The Diamondbacks struck back quickly, though, putting up a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third. Gerardo Parra and Kelly Johnson homered, and Chris Young and Miguel Montero contributed RBI singles in the frame.
Each team tacked on a pair of runs before the bottom of the sixth, when the Diamondbacks went goofy. Johnson homered for the second time in the game, and Upton later scored on a stolen base when Marlins reliever Ryan Webb threw a pickoff attempt into left field. Upton was 5-for-5 on the night.
After Upton scampered around the bases, Chris Young walked, setting up a three-run Miguel Montero home run to give the D-backs an 11-4 lead.
Johnson tripled in the seventh for another RBI, his third of the night, and Upton continued his amazing night by hitting an absolute bomb into left field, capping the scoring at 15-4.
Joe Saunders pitched six innings, giving up four runs while striking out seven and walking two. Esmerling Vasquez, Micah Owings, and Zach Kroenke each pitched an inning of shutout relief, which is about three more shutout innings than the bullpen had in 2010 -- one of the reasons the 2011 Diamondbacks have a reason to be optimistic.
The series continues tomorrow with Anibal Sanchez going for the Marlins, and Ian Kennedy pitching for Arizona.
For more on the Marlins and Diamondbacks, please visit team blogs Fish Stripes and AZ Snakepit
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