Diamondback Journal

MILWAUKEE — The season that was not meant to be.

Arizona did what they have done all season long as they fought back from a 2-0 series deficit to send it back to Miller Park for a game five.  Arizona even fought back late in the game when they were down a run in the ninth to tie the pivotal game five, sending it to extras.  The only way this series was meant to conclude.

But Arizona’s magical season came to end in the tenth when Nyjer Morgan hit the game winning RBI-single up the middle into center field that scored Carlos Gomez and gave the Milwaukee Brewers their first playoff series win since 1982.

Arizona appeared ready for a date with St. Louis or Philadelphia when Justin Upton hit an opposite field solo home run to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead.  The pitching was fantastic in this game as were some of the defensive plays made that kept Arizona in this game till the very last out.

In the bottom of the sixth, Ryan Braun led the inning off with double as Prince Fielder was issued a walk to put the Brewers best power hitters on base with no outs.

Rickie Weeks attempted a sacrifice bunt, but it popped up and Arizona’s starter, Ian Kennedy, was able to run it down for the first out of the inning, looking Braun and Fielder back to their respective bases after the catch.

Then Chris Young continued his stellar play in center field as he has done all season.  Jerry Hairston smacked a line drive shot to deep center field that looked like would get over the head of Young and score both Braun and Fielder, but, Young ran it down, catching it as he hit the center field wall as both Braun and Fielder were forced to retreat back to their respective bases again.

As the ninth inning opened, the Brewers faithful were louder than ever as Milwaukee was just three outs away from a trip to the NLCS.

But, Gerardo Parra quickly silenced the crowd as he swung at the first pitch from John Azford for a leadoff double, his first hit of the series.  It could not have come at a better team for the D-backs.

Sean Burroughs hit a line drive single to Braun in left which advanced Parra to third as the D-backs now had the tying runner 90-feet from home with no-outs.

Manager Kirk Gibson then took a huge gamble with leadoff hitter, Willie Bloomquist.  He ordered Bloomquist to put a bunt down and the suicide squeeze play worked out beautifully as Parra came in to score the tying run as both Fielder and Axford collided near the bunted ball.

David Hernandez, the D-backs reliever, had a perfect one-two-three ninth that sent game five into extras.

But Axford had a similar performance in the tenth to quickly get the Brewers’ back on the offensive side of the game.

It did not take long as Carlos Gomez hit a one out single to left to put the series clinching run on base.  A pitch that got away from D-backs catcher Miguel Montero allowed Gomez to take second as the Brewers now had the winning run in scoring position with one-out.

Due up next was the loud and obnoxious Morgan who singled up the middle into center field as Gomez came streaking around the bases to score the Brewers winning run as the entire team celebrated on the field and fireworks concluded the hard fought series victory.

The end of the 2011 season may have a bitter taste to it now, but motivation will be a key factor for the D-backs next season.  They have a great rotation with Kennedy at the helm.  Paul Goldschmidt has proven he will be the everyday starting first baseman.  And Upton and Young make up the outfield.  The rest of the key positions seem to be filled and Gibson will find a way for these guys to stay motivated in 2012.  Do not overlook the D-backs as some did this season, including myself, as they will compete in the postseason again next year.  Signing off.

PHOENIX — Pack your bags because we are heading back to Miller Park for a game five.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have tied the best-of-five series two games all after dropping the first two in Milwaukee.  Nothing like playing in front of your home crowd.

Earlier in the evening, St. Louis defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to send their series to a fifth game, as just one series ended without the pivotal game five; the series between Texas and Tampa Bay which ended in four.

For the second straight game, Arizona’s bats were lighting up Chase Field as the D-backs hit a second consecutive grand slam.  That grand slam was one of four on the night for Arizona hitters.

Since coming home, Arizona is seeing the ball like it’s a beach ball.  In the first two games at Miller Park, the D-backs had a batting average of .212, but at home they are batting an impressive .342.  Kind of sucks they have to leave Chase Field.

Arizona is having all this success because they are jumping out in front of Milwaukee early, making them play catch-up from the first inning on.

In game three, Arizona grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first, in game four a grand slam by Ryan Roberts and a solo blast by Chris Young in the first put Arizona out in front 5-0.  All Arizona had to do the rest of the game was keep the foot on the accelerator as Milwaukee did make an effort at a comeback, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

In addition, Arizona won this game because they kept both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder in check, limiting them both to a combined 2-for-8 night.

However, this game could have been closer than most would believe if they did not watch the sixth-inning.  Trailing 7-3, the Brewers had the bases loaded with one out and Cory Hart at the plate.  Cory Hart swung at the first strike from relief pitcher, Bryan Shaw that appeared to be on its way out of the park for a game tying grand slam.  However, it just missed as Gerardo Parra caught it on the warning track for a sacrifice fly.  The Brewers failed to score another run that inning trailing 7-4 before Aaron Hill got that four run lead back on his solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.

After the stretch, Chris Young hit his second home run of the night, a deep blast to the fans in left field to give Arizona a 10-4 lead.

Milwaukee made things interesting as Carlos Gomez hit a two-run home run in the eighth to cut some of the deficit, but Arizona’s bullpen stopped any sort of rally the Brewers had in mind.

Despite J. J. Putz walk to Jerry Hairston to start the ninth, he retired the next three batters which included Braun, Fielder, and Rickie Weeks to end game four and send everyone back home to pack for the winner take all in game five.

Game five will be a rematch of game one with Ian Kennedy taking the mound Friday afternoon on plenty of rest.  Kennedy has been the D-backs go to guy in these kind of situations all season and they look to him again.  This time to pitch Arizona to the NLCS with a date against the Phillies or Cardinals.

PHOENIX — Home Sweet Home.

That is what most of the Arizona Diamondbacks players were thinking in their 8-1 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers in front of 48,312 at Chase Field.  Arizona avoided the best-of-five sweep and for the time being, extended their season for one more night.

Arizona had lost four of their last five before Tuesday’s victory.  In the first two games of the series, the D-backs scored five runs on fourteen hits.  They scored eight runs on eleven hits, getting to Brewers starter, Shaun Marcum, early and often as they captured the interest of the fans till the final out.

Josh Collmenter was unhittable in his postseason start.  He went seven innings, allowing just three hits, one that left the park on Cory Hart’s solo home run that would be the lone Milwaukee run.  The Brewers power hitters, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, were limited to a one-for-six combined plate appearance.  In games one and two, Braun and Fielder had gone a combined 9-for-16 or a .562 batting average.  If you can limit those two threats in the Brewers lineup, everyone else seems to break down and you can almost guarantee a victory.

With Arizona’s season now at a do or die situation, they send Joe Saunders to the mound, as the D-backs hope he can pitch them back to Milwaukee for a winner take all game five in Miller Park.  While Saunders is not the ideal man to go to, I would put in Ian Kennedy, he can deliver a win as Arizona would carry the momentum back to Milwaukee with their ace Kennedy on a weeks rest to pitch them to the NLCS.

The hero of the night though was the rookie, Paul Goldschmidt, who had a five-RBI performance.

In the first-inning, the D-backs jumped out to a 2-0 lead.  Willie Bloomquist singled to start the night off right for Arizona’s offense.  He later stole second during Aaron Hill’s at-bat putting himself in scoring position.  The D-backs were not going to be victims of runners left on base again as Miguel Montero demonstrated by doubling home Bloomquist for Arizona’s first lead in this NLDS.  Goldschmidt drove in the eventual game winning run with an RBI-single as Montero came around to score.

In the third, Arizona responded to the Hart home run as Montero hit an RBI-single to drive in Hill again, giving Arizona its two run lead back.

But even leading 3-1 in the fifth, no lead is safe against Milwaukee with the likes of Braun and Fielder in the lineup.  That is why what happened in the bottom of the fifth put the nail in the coffin, sending this series to a game four.

Collmenter started the rally by lofting a beautiful 0-2 pitch in front of the Brewers right fielder.  Bloomquist followed by singling to center, but the D-backs next two batters were retired as it seemed Arizona would let another key offensive inning slip away.

However, Marcum intentionally walked Montero to get to Goldschmidt who made him pay for that mistake.

Goldschmidt was down in the count, 1-2.  But, Marcum and his catcher, Jonathan Lucroy were having trouble with the signs as it seemed several minutes before Marcum delivered his next pitch.

While Marcum and Lucroy did not seem to know what pitch was going to be thrown, Goldschmidt did as he made them both pay for the delay by smacking an inside fastball as Marcum threw his glove in the air as the ball cleared the right field fence for an opposite field grand slam to give Arizona a 7-1 lead.

The inning was not over and a pitching change did not change the tides as Chris Young singled to Jerry Hairston at third who over threw the ball to Fielder, allowing Young to take second.  Young stole third with no play and Ryan Roberts drove him home with an RBI-single of his own as the D-backs scored five in the inning to take an 8-1 lead and victory over the NL Central champs.

Arizona lives on to tell another tale.  After their bumpy end to the regular season and bumpy start to the postseason, this might be the signature win the D-backs use to go on a tear of the postseason.  The last time Arizona dropped a significant number of games, they bounced back by winning nine straight to end the month of August.  Saunders will have a solid effort tonight, sending this one back to Milwaukee for the pivotal game five.

MILWAUKEE — Arizona has dug themselves into a big hole.

The West champs offense came alive in game two of the NLDS, but their pitching was awful for the second straight night.

After giving up a five spot in the sixth to the Brewers, Arizona left Miller Park down 2-0 in the best-of-five series.  The action will now shift to Phoenix where the Diamondbacks’ have played some of their best baseball as of late.

But, down two games to none, things are looking bleak for the D-backs.  To advance to the next round, Arizona must win the next three.

In order to win game three though, Arizona’s pitching, which got them to the post-season, needs to step up and shutdown the Brewers bats; namely Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.

Starter Daniel Hudson last just 5 1/3 innings as he allowed five runs on nine-hits.; this does not win playoff games.  His counterpart, Zach Greinke, did not fair much better lasting just five-innings.  Greinke surrendered eight hits and four runs to the D-backs.

Through five innings, this game was all about the home run.  Braun hit his first home run of the 2011 post-season, sending a two-run blast to center for an early 2-0 lead for the Brewers.  In the second though, Paul Goldschmidt cut the lead in half as he homered too.

Down by three, Chris Young sent another solo homerun to the outfield and in the fifth, Justin Upton tied things at four-a-piece on his two-run blast to left.

But that was the last time the D-backs would score the rest of the game as in the bottom of the sixth, Arizona surrendered five, allowing the Brewers to grab a 9-4 victory and a 2-0 lead in the NLDS.  One more win and Milwaukee will faceoff against the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals series.

The difference in the game was Jonathan Lucroy’s bunt single that scored Jerry Hairston and ended up being the game winner.

With the bases loaded, Milwaukee hit three straight singles to compile their final four-runs of Sunday’s game two.

It will be a huge benefit for the Diamondbacks to go back home for game three and hopefully send it to a game four.  But in order to do that, the pitching staff needs to be lights out against Braun and Fielder.

MILWAUKEE — Arizona did not open the post-season on a high note.

The NL West champs struggled mightily in game one on the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park in front of 44,122.

Arizona was limited to four-hits by Milwaukee’s, Yovani Gallardo, who pitched eight innings in which he allowed one home run to Ryan Roberts in the eighth; a lead off solo shot.

The poor offense is a key reason why Ian Kennedy is not taking more heat for his less than superior start.  The dominant ace of the D-backs lasted just 6 2/3 innings.  He surrendered all four of the Brewers hits, 8, and runs, 4.

All season long, both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have led Milwaukee’s offense; game one was no different.

In the fourth, Braun led-off with a single and Fielder followed with a double to advance Braun to third with no outs.  Jerry Hairston drove in the first run of the series with a sacrifice fly, allowing Braun to score.

The Brewers added another run in the sixth on Jonathan Lucroy’s RBI-single after Yuniesky Betancourt hit a two-out triple.

In the home half of the seventh, Braun and Fielder again torched the D-backs for more runs to double their current run total.  With two-outs, Braun doubled and with one mighty swing, Fielder crashed a two-run home run to give the Milwaukee faithful a 4-0 lead through seven.

Milwaukee has proven why they will be a tough best-of-five series matchup.  They can hit for power and their starting rotation is strong.  But, their bullpen is probably stronger, so any lead they possess will more than likely end up as a Brewers victory.