Two Diamondbacks extremes

I spent the day at the ballpark today.

You know there’s something special going on when every player loves talking about the guy who’s carrying them.

Paul Goldschmidt gets completely harassed by his teammates. In a good way. They had T-shirts made up that said “America’s first baseman.” Barry Bonds would never get that kind of treatment. If teammates think you’re self-absorbed, they’re not giving you more attention. For those T-shirts to be printed, your teammates must think you’re great and humble.

I also had quite a few on-the-record and off-the-record conversations regarding Ian Kennedy. To a man, everyone I talked to said Kennedy’s work ethic is not in question. His desire is not in question. That makes it easier to root for him but his situation is also worrisome. If the problem isn’t heart, focus, mental or physical pain, the only thing left is he’s not that good. A first-place team can’t wait for him to fix it.

Full disclosure, I’ve pushed the panic button. You’re not going to find anyone in this town (minus family) who is a bigger fan of his than me. When you’re in this job, you root for good people that work hard. He’s a hard-working player and he’s a great guy. There’s no other way to say it though, he stinks right now. The big question becomes is this just a tough stretch for him or is he just not a good pitcher?

I’m still holding on to tough stretch but I don’t have much to hold onto. What was once considered a pitching-rich organization is suddenly thinning. McCarthy’s hurt, Hudson is out and Skaggs is already with the big league club. Your choices are ride out the storm, send Kennedy to the bullpen and promote Archie Bradley or trade Kennedy. The best choice is to ride out the storm for the rest of the month.

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