Turning Point?

"We've relied on them all year. They'vecome through for us all year, and we can't expect them not to give up a run from here on out for the rest of the year, so it's one of those games -- we'd like to say we're going to win the rest of them, but it happens."

--Eric Byrnes, on the D'Backs bullpen.

The Diamondbacks lost to the Nationals 7-6 today after leading 5-0. The bullpen blew it. Doug Slaten gave up his first homer to a left-handed hitter in the eighth inning. And Jose Valverde didn't have his good stuff. It was tough to see Micah Owings not get the victory after 6-1/3 innings and Tony Pena  getting him out of the jam he left in the sixth. On the other hand, it was only the fourth time in the last 21 games that the Snakes have lost. And they did win the series with the Nationals.

The turning point I am wondering about concerns Eric Byrnes. August has been a bummer at the plate for him. Until today, he had only 4 hits. He managed to score 6 runs, but his batting average slipped below .300.

His first time up, he hit a line shot third baseman Ryan Zimmerman caught inches off the ground. This is the kind of bad luck that crops up during a slump. But when Eric came up again in the third inning, his luck changed. With the count 3-0, Byrnesie took a pitch that looked high, but the umpire called it a strike. Then he fouled off the next pitch to run the count full. And then he dumped the next pitch into the left field seats (No. 139). Had that first strike been called the ball that it appeared to be, Eric would not have hit that homer.

After flying out to deep right in the fourth, Byrnes came up in the seventh and had more good luck. His sharp grounder to short took a funny hop and ate up the shortstop. By the time the center fielder got the ball back to second, Eric was sliding in safely, even after a stumble where he seemed to turn an ankle after he passed first. It could have been scored either way, but it was called a double (No. 140). And his batting average was back up to .300.

He had one more chance in the ninth. He came up with two out, the score 7-6 nationals, and their closer, Chad Cordero, on the mound. Cordero very carefully pitched around Byrnesie, getting pinch-hitter Chad Tracy for the third out of the inning and final out of the game. When the D'Backs met the Nats in D.C. in April, Eric hit a homer off Cordero. Evidently, the closer was not going to let that happen again. That token of respect is a good sign.

As the D'Backs take to the road, let's hope it's a turning point.

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