INSIDE PITCH
Outfielder Eric Byrnes said he is willing to give the Diamondbacks a
home-team discount -- "within reason" -- if management is sincere in
its recent dialogue with him about possibly offering a multi-year
contract.
Discussions between the two sides have been minimal to this point,
but they represent a first in that it is the first time the issue of
possibly bringing back Byrnes beyond this season has been publicly
mentioned. How it plays out remains to be seen, as the Diamondbacks are still
assessing just how close outfield prospects Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez are to playing in the big leagues.
But Byrnes has filled in neatly for Luis Gonzalez as the face of the
Diamondbacks' franchise. He had a career year last season and has been
one of the club's most reliable players again this season. He wants a
chance to remain with the Diamondbacks, but the deal has to be right.
"I'm all for giving the Diamondbacks a discount," he said. "I want
to stay here but I can't be stupid. I will give them a discount within
reason. We'll see. Hopefully we can get something done. There's a
possibility we could get something done relatively quick."
Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, no relation, acknowledged
that discussions have taken place, but wouldn't go very far into
specifics.
"We always want to keep our options open, and he has without
question played at a very high level since he's been here," he said. "It's a
matter always of the best use of our dollars and how our personnel sets
up in the future."
Whatever happens, Eric Byrnes said the contract talks won't drag out
through the duration of the season.
"But even if I play the year out, I'm not going to shut the door to
the Diamondbacks," he said. "We haven't set a deadline... Either it'll
get done or I'll play the year out and we can hopefully come up with
something in the off-season."
DIAMONDBACKS 8, PADRES 3: Arizona snapped a five-game losing streak
and opened the second half of the season with a convincing victory over
the National League West-leading Padres in a game highlighted by a
dramatic home run-robbing catch in right field by Jeff Salazar.
Salazar raced back to the wall in the fifth inning and scaled it to
pull back a sure home run by Brian Giles that would have brought the
Padres to within a run. Salazar added three hits, and he is now 8-for-14
since being promoted from Class AAA Tucson when struggling right
fielder Carlos Quentin was sent there to try and improve his offense.
The Diamondbacks had 15 hits, including three by Eric Byrnes and two
apiece by Orlando Hudson and Chad Tracy to help support Doug Davis and
earn the left-hander his sixth win.
NOTES, QUOTES
--LHP Randy Johnson threw for the second consecutive day on Friday,
but he made it clear he's not close to returning to the Diamondbacks'
rotation.
"I just don't want to rush it," said Johnson, who is on the disabled
list with back and leg pain related to a herniated disk. "I know you
guys need to write stuff, a Randy update and all that, but for right
now, it's just playing catch and doing more working out."
--3B/1B Chad Tracy was hitting .263 with just six home runs and 28
RBIs in 186 at-bats.
"He's a middle of the order guy and we need more production,"
manager Bob Melvin said. "We have a lot of guys who are in the same boat, in
that 25-30 RBI range."
--RHP Livan Hernandez will pitch Saturday against the visiting
Padres, against whom he is 1-1 with a 7.50 ERA this season. Hernandez
pitches better at home (3-1, 3.83) than on the road (2.4, 5.16).
--Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin on the firing Wednesday of his
hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer, and the fact his club is hitting just .248
as a group: "That's the unfortunate part of this business as a whole
sometimes. Unfortunately, to try to do something different you have to
make a move like that. He worked his butt off. But it's time right now for
a different message."
--Kevin Seitzer, after being fired as hitting coach by the
Diamondbacks 90 games into the season:
"It wasn't all the players that were the ones complaining about me.
Maybe one or two, but there wasn't the majority. Players aren't stupid.
They have the option of working with me and not working with me, and I
had a logjam down there in that batting cage."
--Rick Schu was promoted from minor-league hitting coordinator, a
position he has held for the past three seasons after being the
Diamondbacks' hitting coach in 2004.
"Rick Schu has a lot of history with these guys," general manager
Josh Byrnes said. "Hopefully, he can get them back to the things that
made them successful in the first place."
--RHP Dallas Buck, one of the Diamondbacks' top pitching prospects,
will undergo "Tommy John" surgery in the coming days after leaving his
last start early with elbow pain. Team doctor Don Sheridan recommended
the surgery after examining Buck. After the Diamondbacks drafted Buck a
year ago, it was learned the pitcher had a 40 percent tear in his
ulnar collateral ligament, but Buck and the Diamondbacks opted for rehab
over surgery at the time.
--RHP Greg Smith, who went 5-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 12 starts with
Double-Mobile, was promoted to Class AAA Tucson.
BY THE NUMBERS: 28 -- Combined home runs by the 7-8-9 hitters in the
Diamondbacks' lineup, second in the National League.
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