Diamondbacks 4, Tigers 3: Byrnes' Night

Record: 27-15. Pace: 104-58. Change on last season: +5

I'm truly sorry Man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle,
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!
   -- Robert Burns

Okay, Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, was writing about a mouse rather than the formerly-slumping outfielder who (almost) shares his name, but it seems a somewhat appropriate way to start off the recap. It is, at least, slightly more intellectual and cerebral than the alternate title I briefly considered: "Byrnes, Motherf_____ - Byrnes!" For our much-maligned Face of the Franchise [I listened to Doug + Wolf on KTAR the past couple of mornings: brutal, simply brutal] finally had a good night. His first home-run since April 21; his first multi-hit game since April 26; the first time in sixteen consecutive games his batting average went up. more...