Snake bites

• Double-A Mobile right-hander Eric Smith was suspended 50 games on Thursday for violating MLB substance abuse policy. Smith, drafted by the D-backs in the second round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, has a 7.11 ERA for Mobile in 38 innings this season.

• After the D-backs' series against the Padres this weekend, the club will have three days off in a span of 10 days. That, along with Brandon McCarthy nearing the end of his Minor League rehab stint, gives the D-backs a window to potentially skip Ian Kennedy the next couple turns in the rotation. The right-hander hasn't won since June 1 and his 5.22 ERA ranks second worst in the National League among qualified starters.

"I haven't had a conversation about it yet," Gibson said. "Nothing is in stone. There are a lot of things that aren't settled yet."