Know Thy Enemy - The Desert Snakes

[Frayed Knot]

I gotta admit, I don't know shit about this enemy.
I mean no other NL team has flown beneath my radar the way these guys have this year. They were a mildly interesting team back while they were winning the WS 4 years ago, or even while they were self-destructing into mess of debt, ownership purges, and big-name pitching trades to east-coast rivals and a 111 loss season. But only Luis Gonzalez & Craig Counsell (left and returned) remain from the WS team and hardly anyone even remains from last year's squad. This year they're just mediocre and boring (58-67) in a mediocre and boring division. They've lost 2 of 3 in each of their last 6 series (Hou, Col, Fla, Atl, StL & Cinn) which tends to put you in bad shape even if you're in the NL West.

We played them here just after Memorial Day and took 2 of 3.
Ex-Yank Brad (Admiral) Halsey skunked Benson & Koo 7-0 in game 1.
Zambrano pitched 8 shutout innings and survived a shaky 9th from Looper to win 2-1 in game 2
Pedro went 8 as the Mets won 6-1 in the rubber game.

This time it's 4 games at 'The BOB':
Mon - 9:40 PM EDT: Former ROY Brandon Webb (10-9, ERA = 3.89, WHiP = 1.32) vs. Glavine
Tues - 9:40: Claudio Vargas (7-6, 4.47, 1.31) vs. Zambrano
Wed - 10:05: Russ Ortiz (4-7, 6.44, 1.82) vs. Seo
(the altered start time probably means it's the espn game for you out-of-towners)
Thurs - 9:40: Javier Vazquez (10-12, 4.67, 1.26) vs Martinez

Injuries: Russ Ortiz and closer Brandon Lyon are fresh off the DL.

New Faces: Highly touted 1B/OF Conor Jackson was called up earlier this month.


ex-factor:
Tony Clark is having a great year (317/365/667 - 22 HRs in 246 ABs) and would have looked great as our part-time 1B-man. He just got himself a 2-year extension.
Kelly Stinnett - career backup backstop has been playing fairly regularly lately since he was reactivated from the DL.
Shawn Estes - 60-Day DL w/a foot injury

[Elster88]

I would guess we have the edge in the pitching matchups in the last three games of the series, and I'll go so far as to say that with Glavine's recent effort maybe we have a push in Game 1.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Hamulack is up? If so we may see him called on to retire Shawn Green in a tough spot. He's under 200 vs. LHP and the only scary LH hitter on the team if you don't count Tony Clark.

[Valadius]

Russ Ortiz got HAMMERED in his last start... I believe that was the game when Cincy scored 17 runs.

[seawolf17]

All Time DiaMetBacks Team:

1B Tony Clark
2B Roberto Alomar
3B Chris Donnels
SS Jay Bell
C Jorge Fabregas
OF Bernard Gilkey
OF Karim Garcia
OF Chris Jones
PH Lenny Harris
OF Mark Little
C Kelly Stinnett
C Mike DeFelice

SP Shawn Estes
SP Armando Reynoso
SP Willie Blair
SP Bill Pulsipher (was dealt to Arizona, but never pitched for them)
RP Jose Parra
RP Brent Mayne (hey, we already had three catchers and not enough pitchers)
CL Ricky Bottalico

[metirish]

Good job Frayed Knot, like you I know very little about this team, although I know a bit more from the KTE, I honestly am having trouble remembering who the D-Back manager is,do the Mets play good overall at the Bob?

[Valadius]

D-Backs manager is Bob Melvin. As you may remember, Wally Backman was named manager last winter, then was fired within the week when his legal problems surfaced.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I kind of like Garagiola Jr., but throwing a two-year extension to Tony Clark mid-season seems crazy.

It's like Bonifay crazy.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I think Joe G Jr. took a job in MLB's front office and the Clark thingy was the debut act of his replacement guy.

Don;t quote me on that, just my recollection.