Showing posts with label Diamondbacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diamondbacks. Show all posts

Phils, Figueroa, Hoping to Rebound

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

dbacksThe Philadelphia Phillies (10-6) face the Arizona Diamondbacks (7-9). Nelson Figueroa (1-1, 4.25) starts vs. Ian Kennedy (0-1, 5.65).

Due to last night's poor outing from Cole Hamels, the Phillies dropped the series opener to the Diamondbacks. The Phillies lost the first game of the Atlanta series, but faught back to take the series, 2-1. The Phillies are hoping for a similar outcome in Arizona.

With J.A Happ on the disabled list, Nelson Figueroa will make a spot start in his hometown. Instead of calling up a minor league pitcher, the Phillies opted to pitch Figueroa, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets this April. Figueroa has pitched well out of the bullpen this season, but his career numbers against Arizona are ugly. (Figueroa is 0-2 with an 8.68 ERA against the Diamondbacks. Mark Reynolds is 2-for-2 against him; both are home runs).

Figueroa will be opposed by Ian Kennedy, who was acquired in a three-way trade with the Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Tigers. Kennedy was a highly touted prospect in the Yankees organization, but has yet to live up to expectations. Due to high pitch counts, Kennedy has yet to make it through five innings, although he didn't allow a run in his last start against the Padres.

It's always unsure what the Diamondbacks will get out of Kennedy. He could pitch to his potential, or get rocked. The Phillies will have work to be patient and work the count. The Phillies offense hasn't been scoring as many runs as they were in the first two weeks of the season, and they could use a lift. Excluding Thursday's win, the Phillies have scored a total of ten runs in five games -- which is low for the numbers they're used to putting up.

Tigers, D'Backs, Yankees Make Blockbuster Deal

It's day two of the Winter Meetings, and we have a blockbuster deal. The New York Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson; the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy; the Detroit Tigers acquired Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, and two other young prospects.

Granderson has a healthy mix of speed and power. He batted just .249 last year, but hit 30 home runs. He has a career .828 OPS. For Granderson, the Yankees surrender Ian Kennedy, one of their top prospects. However, Kennedy has yet to live up to his expectations. A change of scenary may help him; there won't be as much pressure to succeed in Detroit than in New York.

The biggest loss in the trade goes to the Diamondbacks. They get 25-year old Edwin Jackson, who had a 3.62 ERA in 214 innings last year. However, they lose 24-year old Max Scherzer and other young prospects. It's surprising that Scherzer was even in the deal; he's young and has a load of potential, equal or greater than Jackson's. Jackson is a good pickup, but losing Scherzer was a negative.

Dodgers Acquire Thome, Garland

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a couple late night moves prior to the waiver deadline. They acquired Jim Thome from the Chicago White Sox and Jon Garland from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The White Sox will receive Justin Fuller. The Diamondbacks will likely receive Tony Abreu.

The Dodgers fell to the D'backs last night in 10 innings. Garland did not need any travel arrangements. All Garland had to do was walk across the hallway to get to the other side of the clubhouse. Adding Garland was a good addition for the Dodgers. He'll fill in as a fifth starter. He was 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA.

The Thome trade is a little strange. With James Loney manning first base, Thome will serve nothing more than a bat off the bench. Thome is batting .252 with 22 home runs and 74 RBI this season as a designated hitter. The Dodgers are not going to take out one of the best defensive first baseman for Thome, who hasn't played first base since his days as a Phillie.

Power Display Leads to Sweep

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Is it September yet? Ryan Howard must think it is because he is tearing it up. Howard’s blast was the icing on the cake in the Phillies 12-3 blowout. With the victory, the Phillies swept the Arizona Diamondbacks and improved to 20 games over .500.

The Phillies put up a three spot in the first inning against Doug Davis (5 IP, 6 R). Shane Victorino tripled, and Howard brought him home with a double. Ben Francisco’s two-run single gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead.

The Diamondbacks tied the game in the fourth inning on Miguel Montero and Chad Tracy’s runs batted in. That was all Joe Blanton gave up in eight innings of work.

Blanton (2-for-4) singled to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Then, the offense jumped into the Cadillac and took off. Jayson Werth homered for the fourth time in this series. Carlos Ruiz hit his seventh home run of the season, a new career high. After Chase Utley’s RBI single, the Phillies led 8-3, but the big blow came from Howard.

Howard has hit some long home runs in his career, reaching the third deck and homering “over the backdrop.” He found a new area tonight with a 455-foot moonshot that bounced off the back of the Diamondback’s bullpen. From the sound of it, everybody knew it was gone; the only question was where it would land.

Twelve runs was plenty of support. After surrendering three runs through four, Blanton settled down. He allowed ten hits, but struck out four and did not walk a batter. In fact, none of the Phillies pitchers walked a single batter during the entire series. Also, the pitchers tallied a total of six hits.

Players are heating up at the right time, especially Werth and Howard. The starting pitching is going deep into games, resting the bullpen. At the moment, everything is clicking for the Phillies.

Phillies Look To Sweep Dbacks

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Arizona Diamondbacks (54-67) at Philadelphia Phillies (68-49)
Doug Davis (7-10, 3.59 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (7-6, 3.88 ERA)

The Phillies are 19 games over .500, a season high. After salvaging the first two games of the series, the Phillies seek to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies were in a similar situation when they were in Arizona, but dropped the series finale.

Joe Blanton gets the start against Doug Davis. Blanton gets better as the season moves on, but hasn't been lucky in the win column. When Blanton was traded to Philadelphia, he was dubbed as a work horse. He has certainly been an inning eater; he hasn't pitched less than six innings since June 30.

Davis has had a great season with the Diamondbacks. He's able to keep the ball on the ground. However, he gets into jams when he walks batters. His WHIP is 1.45, and allows 4.6 BB/9. The Phillies haven't had any trouble getting runners on base. Bringing them around to score causes problems. Davis has been a specialist at stranding men on base.

Call of the Day: Milt Thompson makes a spectacular catch against the Braves.

"Swing and a well hit ball to left field. Thompson back, leaps up and
makes a great catch! Reaches into the fence and it might have saved
the game! What a catch by Milt Thomposon!"

Brother-Lee Love

As seen on Phillies Nation.

On Brad Lidge Bobble Head Night, it wasn't Lidge who finished the game. All 45,356 rose to their feet anticipating the final out of Cliff Lee's complete game. With the Phillies 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Lee has won seven consecutive games.

With Lee and Dan Haren on the mound, the game was expected to be a pitchers' duel. Lee did his part, but the Phillies rocked Haren. Normally, the Diamondbacks play shaky defense, but all six runs that Haren allowed were earned.

After a couple missed opportunities in the first two innings, the Phillies got on the board in the third on Chase Utley's two-run home run. With the homer, the Phillies now have four players with at least 25 home runs: Howard (31), Werth (27), Ibanez (27), and Utley (25).

In the fourth inning, the Diamondbacks manufactured a run without a hit. Ryan Roberts grounded to Pedro Feliz, but the ball went under his glove for a two-base error. Roberts moved to third on a grounder to the right side of the infield, and Stephen Drew's sacrifice fly put the D-backs on the board. The perfect game and shutout ended, but Lee still had the no-hitter working.

For the second time in four starts, Lee took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Chad Tracy broke up the no-hit bid on a line drive up the middle.

The Indians did not provide Lee with much run support, but he received plenty tonight. Ryan Howard's opposite field, three-run homer gave the Phillies a 5-1 lead. Before the Liberty Bell could stop ringing and the fans could sit down, Jayson Werth took the first pitch deep off the ivy in center field. Werth homered again in the seventh inning.

As he stepped into the batter's box in the eighth, fans knew that Lee would be attempting the complete game. After a big hack on the first pitch, Lee dribbled a hit down the third base line. Mark Reynolds hoped it would roll foul, but Lee hustled out the single. It was his second hit of the night; the same amount of hits he allowed.

Lee struck out 11 batters, tying a career high. He improved to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.82 with the Phillies. His complete game is his second with the Phillies, and fifth of the season. The only run he allowed was unearned, and he did not walk a batter. Lee has gone at least seven innings in each and every of his starts with the Phillies. A tremendous addition to the Phillies, Lee is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and deservedly so.

Game 2 Has the Making of a Pitchers' Duel

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Arizona Diamondbacks (54-66) at Philadelphia Phillies (67-49).
Dan Haren (12-7, 2.50 ERA) starts vs. Cliff Lee (10-9, 2.86 ERA).

In game two of the series, two of the top pitchers in the game will go head to head: Daniel John Haren and Clifton PhiferLee. Even though the humidity carries the ball at Citizen's Bank Park, expect a pitchers' duel.

Since joining the Phillies, Lee is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.13 earned run average and 0.92 WHIP. Against the Phillies this season, Haren pitched five innings and gave up three runs (two earned). The Diamonbacks' defense was unable to back Haren. If the defense continues to be sloppy, the Phillies have a great shot to win their third consecutive game.

Lee will pitch in front of a sold out crowd on Brad Lidge Bobble Head Night. After being a perfect 48-for-48 in save opportunities in 2008 (including the postseason), Lidge has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball this season. He has blown eight saves and his ERA is 7.21. As long as he doesn't blow a save tonight, everybody will go home happy. With the way Lee has been pitching, the Phillies may not even need to use the bullpen.

Tonight's lineup: Rollins (SS)/ Victorino (CF)/ Utley (2B)/ Howard (1B)/ Werth (RF)/ Ibanez (LF)/ Feliz (3B)/ Bako (C)/Lee (P).

Call of the Day: Mike Lieberthal's homer wins it for the Phils at the Vet.

"Long drive! Could it be? It is a game winning pinch hit home run,
Mike Lieberthal! Can you believe it? The Phillies have come back to
win, 8 to 7! What a stunning defeat for Pittsburgh! What an
accelerating win for the Phightin' Phils, who have come back to score seven runs
in the ninth inning and win 8-7 on a pinch hit home run by Mike
Lieberthal! I can not believe it!"

Out of Bullpen, Moyer Dominates

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Jamie Moyer was clearly upset about the team's decision to move him from the starting rotation to the bullpen after the addition of tonight's starter, Pedro Martinez. Moyer isn't a left handed specialist. He is there to serve as a long man. Tonight, Moyer pitched in relief, but had the line of a starter.

The Phillies had a chance for a big inning in the bottom of the first with the bases loaded and nobody out. The problem for the Phillies hasn't changed; they continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. Ryan Howard struck out, Jayson Werth popped out, and Raul Ibanez grounded out to end the inning. The Phillies were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 men on base.

Stephen Drew greeted Pedro with a lead off home run, but he settled down. He pitched three innings, allowing one run. He gave up two hits and struck out three until the rain came down in buckets. A one hour and six minute rain delay halted play, but when it resumed, the Phillies quickly got on the board.

As shown during the series in Arizona, the Diamondbacks' defense is horrible. Tonight, the Phils were able to capitalize on Ryan Roberts' mistakes. He misplayed Jason Werth's double which scored Chase Utley, tying the game at one. Roberts made a throwing error on Pedro Feliz's RBI single. It gave the Phillies a lead, and moved the runners up. Carlos Ruiz's single gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the third.

Because of the thunderstorm, Pedro was forced to stop after three innings, however Jamie Moyer filled in nicely. He made his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2004 and officially became the oldest non-knuckleballer to pitch in relief since 1945. Moyer already had success against the Diamondbacks earlier this year, shutting them out in 6.2 innings.

It took only 69 pitches for Moyer to pitch six shutout innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. At the plate, Moyer had two hits-- the same amount of hits he allowed. It was Moyer's first multi-hit game since May, 2008.

There was talk about Moyer and Martinez sharing the fifth rotation spot, and it worked like that tonight."You never know what you get when you put two old goats out there. It's a scary combination," said Martinez. Since Martinez did not pitch at least five innings, Moyer was credited with the win. His 257th career win was his sixth win in relief, and first since 1996.

Werth homered in the 5th inning, and Carlos Ruiz homered in the sixth. Werth's 25th homer of the year set a new career high for the 30 year old.

Moyer came out of the bullpen with a vengeance, and dominated in the Phillies 5-1 win. Against the Diamondbacks this year, Moyer has shut them out in 12.2 innings. Although he relieved, he pitched like a starter tonight.

Sluggers Heat Up In Time for Dbacks/Phils Series

For full gameday, please visit Phillies Nation.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (54-65) play at the Philadelphia Phillies (66-49).

Jon Garland (6-10, 4.28 ERA) starts vs. Pedro Martinez (1-0, 5.40 ERA).

After a six game road trip, the Phillies return home for a quick stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies took two out of three against the D-backs at the end of July. It isn't as hot as it is Arizona, but with the warm weather, the ball will be flying out of Citizens Bank Park.

Pedro Martinez will make his home debut in his second start of the season. He pitched well against the Cubs, allowing three runs in five innings. Garland was backed by horrible defense when he faced the Phillies earlier this year. He gave up six runs (three earned) in six innings.

As it gets closer to September, Ryan Howard is starting to heat up. He has four home runs in the last four games. He is batting .381 will 11 RBI over the last seven days. Howard has Garland in his book, homering off him in July. The Diamondbacks have a big bopper as well. Mark Reynolds has homered in three straight games. He is batting .285 with 38 homers and a .981 OPS on the season. With the humidity, expect a power (or strike out) display, especially from these two sluggers.

Phils Shutout by D'backs

Also seen on Phillies Nation.

The day wasn't completely perfect. The Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians, but dropped their series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing 4-0.

Dan Haren is supposed to be the one throwing shutouts for the D'backs. Instead, it was Cy Young-- err, Yusmeiro Petit. Petit entered the game with an earned run average over seven, but limited the Phillies to four hits and one walk in six shutout innings. He struck out eight batters.

J.A Happ was tacked with his second straight loss, but it was due to a lack of run support. Happ made one mistake; it was to Justin Upton and it landed in the left field bleachers. Happ pitched six innings giving up two runs on three hits and two walks.

Scott Eyre and Tyler Walker each gave up a run out of the bullpen, but it did not matter since the Phillies' bats were sound asleep. The Phillies left nine men on base, and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Wednesday marked the third time the Phillies have been shutout this season, and the first time since May 6.

Shane Victorino made a fantastic diving catch, but appeared to suffer some sort of injury on the play. He later left the game with a knee contusion.

On a positive note, the Phillies won the series, two games to one. And Cliff Lee's jersey will be hanging in the Phillies clubhouse.

Phils Look To Sweep D'Backs

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Philadelphia Phillies (58-40) at Arizona Diamondbacks (43-58)
J.A Happ (7-1, 2.97) vs. Yusmeiro Petit (0-5, 7.68 ERA)

It's been a busy day for the Phillies and they haven't even played a game yet. They'll attempt to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight.

J.A Happ survived the trade rumors--for now. He is coming off his first loss of the season after allowing five earned runs against the Cardinals. Happ has had a solid season and looks to build a new win streak tonight against a Diamondbacks' lineup that has scored only one run off a Phillies starter.

The Phillies have a good chance to score runs off Yusmeiro Petit, who has very bad numbers. In addition, if the Diamondbacks defense continues to play poorly, the Phillies could be looking at double-digits in the runs column.

Hamels Outpitches Haren

Also seen on Phillies Nation.

It's amazing Dan Haren has allowed only four unearned runs during the entire season with the defense he is backed with. The Diamondbacks continue to make poor defensive plays and the Phillies took full advantage.

In the first inning, Cole Hamels allowed a solo home run to the second batter of the game, Ryan Roberts. It looked to be a long night for the Phillies, who trailed 1-0 against arguably the best pitcher in baseball this season.

In the third inning, Shane Victorino said aloha to Haren's fastball up in the zone. The homer tied the game at one, and Victorino was far from finished.

With one out in the fifth, Hamels doubled to start a rally. Jimmy Rollins reached base on Stephen Drew's error, and Hamels headed to third. The Phillies were in perfect position to take a lead. They did so on Victorino's ground-rule double.

Jimmy Rollins scored on a fielder's choice and a throwing error. Chase Utley grounded to first, and Rollins was a dead duck at the plate. However, Utley made a terrific move, running in the throwing lane, but without interference. It worked, because Chad Tracy airmailed the throw, and the Phillies took a 3-1 lead.

It was thought that the Phillies would have trouble against Haren, but the Phillies were able to knock out Haren after five innings.

Hamels looked like one of the league's finest tonight, returning to 2008 postseason form. He wiggled out of a couple jams, but overall was brilliant. He pitched eight innings, allowing one run on four hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out nine. It's been a while since Hamels has been able to tally up the strikeouts, but he did today against the Diamondbacks.

Jayson Werth's RBI grounded out in the seventh gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead, and they needed every bit of it with Brad Lidge coming in for the save. Lidge gave up a two-run home run to Mark Reynolds, but sweat through the save.

The 4-3 win give the Phillies four wins in a row, and the series against the Diamondbacks. Tomorrow, they'll go for their fourth sweep in July.

Haren on Hill for Dbacks

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Philadelphia Phillies (57-40) at Arizona Diamondbacks (43-57)
Cole Hamels (6-5, 4.66 ERA) vs. Dan Haren (10-5, 2.14 ERA)

The Phillies have yet to face anything close to what they're about to see tonight. Dan Haren is on his way to winning the National League Cy Young award, and is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball for the 2009 season.

Haren is 10-5 with a 2.14 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and opponents are batting .194 against him. He has 141 strikeouts in 143 innings (8.87 K/9). However, he has allowed 13 home runs and he gave up four earned runs in his last start, which was against the Pirates. Only twice has he allowed more than three home runs in a game this year.

It is not going to be a fun night for the Phillies bats, but if they can manage two or three runs, the Phillies have a chance to win if Cole Hamels can pitch the way he is capable of. He has a 2.13 ERA in two career starts against Arizona. After the All Star break, Hamels is 17-9 with a 3.05 ERA.

Moyer Magic

Originally Posted on Phillies Nation.

"Two hands!" Jamie Moyer yelled on a soft pop-up to Ryan Howard. That was the story for Moyer, who was the ultimate magician in Monday's 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the second inning, Moyer loaded the bases with nobody out. He escaped the jam by striking out Jon Garland and getting Stephen Drew to ground into a 4-6-3 twin killing. In addition, Moyer managed to get through the first and third innings scot-free after allowing two runners both innings. He allowed, but stranded, seven runners through the first three innings.

The Phillies were unable to manage a hit off Garland through the first 3.1 innings. Garland effectively got hitters to ground out until Chase Utley broke up the no-hit bid with a single. Ryan Howard followed with a long drive to one of the deepest parts of the ballpark, left center field. Garland located the pitch in Howard's wheelhouse: down and in. It resulted in an opposite field moonshot that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the fourth.

The Phillies kept tacking on runs and were helped by horrendous Diamondback defense. Jimmy Rollins kept his hot streak going with a RBI double in the fifth. In the sixth, excellent base-running by Chase Utley led to a big inning. Utley managed to go first-to-third on a fielding error by second baseman Ryan Roberts. It opened the gates as the Phillies scored three runs in the inning, jumping to a 6-0 lead.

Moyer settled down, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings. He allowed six hits and walked four, but he struck out five. The offense backed Moyer to give him his 10th win of the year. It is the 15th time in his career he has had at least 10 wins in a season.

Phils/Dbacks Open Series

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Philadelphia Phillies (56-40) play at Arizona Diamondbacks (43-56).

Jamie Moyer (9-7, 5.65 ERA) starts vs. Jon Garland (5-9, 4.41 ERA).


In the scorching Arizona weather, the Phillies will send Jamie Moyer to the mound against the fourth place Diamondbacks, managed by the one-time Phillie, A.J Hinch.

Moyer's season has been a roller coaster, and it's very unpredictable as to what kind of outing he'll have. Moyer tends to have success against the young, free-swinging clubs, like the D'backs. In his last three games against Arizona, Moyer is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA. Also, Moyer has had more success on the road. He is 5-2 with a 4.38 away from The Bank this season.

In July, Garland has thrown five consecutive quality starts, posting a 2.73 earned run average in the month. The problem is that he lacks run support. The Phillies have been a hot team winning 13 of 15, but they are also facing a hot pitcher.

Baseball Notes

Brad Lidge threw a scoreless inning in Class A Clearwater. He did not allow a hit and walked one batter. Of the twelve pitches he threw, seven were strikes.

MLB Notebook provides an article on how Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been struggling with stress issues.

Joel Pineiro pitches a shutout against the New York Mets. He also chipped in with two hits of his own. The Mets have struggled with injuries, and last night Jose Reyes and an athletic trainer were an an automobile accident. Reyes and the trainer were okay after being rear-ended by a firetruck.

The last place Arizona Diamondbacks are unsure whether ace and former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will return to pitch this season. Webb has missed time due to a right shoulder injury.

In other news on the injury front, Josh Hamilton will likely miss the All Star game. Hamilton is second among outfielders. For the Cleveland Indians, Grady Sizemore was activated from the disabled list. The Toronto Blue Jays expect Roy Halladay to return on Monday.

LSU and Texas are tied 1-1 in the College World Series. The tournament is best out of three.

Diamondbacks Sign Flash

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed former Phillie, Tom "Flash" Gordon to a one year deal worth $500,000 with incentives. Gordon, 41, missed most of last season recovering from ulnar nerve decompression surgery.

After making the All Star team in 2006, in 34 appearances last season, Flash posted an ERA of 5.16 and WHIP of 1.62. In 2007, Gordon made 44 appearance with a 4.73 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

Gordon's numbers have declined the past few seasons and a lot may have to do with injuries. Either way, its a low risk deal for the Diamondbacks.

The Florida Marlins are interested in not only Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, but Chris Coste as well. The Phillies want to evaluate Ronnie Paulino before they decide to move Coste. Another catching option for the Phillies could include Lou Marson.

Manuel Wants Manny


No, the other Manuel. Jerry Manuel, the New York Mets manager, welcomed the idea of unsigned free agent, Manny Ramirez.

"It's rare that you get that type of talent. I mean, boom! Right in the
middle of the lineup type of guy, and right-handed for us, that would be a big
bonus."

"Would you like to have that? Yeah. Would you like to add something
else? Yeah. But hey, we have to deal with what we have, and what we have , we
feel like we have enough tools to make it into the playoffs."- Manuel

In other news, the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to terms with free agent pitcher, Jon Garland. The one year deal will be worth between $6-8 million. With the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, Garland was 14-8 with a 4.90 ERA.

The Diamondbacks also made an offer to former Phillie, Randy Wolf, but have no come to an agreement.

The Cubs, who have also been rumored to Wolf, acquired former Met, Aaron Hielman. The Cubs acquired Aaron Hielman from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson.

This is the second time this offseason Hielman was traded. The Mets traded him in a package deal for reliever J.J Putz. Hielman had a 5.21 ERA in 2008.

QUOTE SOURCE: Philly.com

Dunn to D-Backs

The Cincinnati Reds' Adam Dunn was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two players to be named later. Dunn was claimed off waivers, and a trade was worked out. Adam Dunn will be a free agent after this season.

The Diamondbacks were in desperate need of a bat. Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson are both done for the season. The are also without right fielder Justin Upton for the time being.

Dunn is hitting just .233 this year. However, he is tied for the Major League lead in homeruns with 32. He also has 74 RBI. He also has an OBP of .373 and a SLG of .528, giving him a .901 OPS.

Buck, coming off Tommy John surgery is 1-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 9 games this season in Single A.