C'mon, you didn't really think the 2011 Diamondbacks would leave the playoffs without making some sort of comeback, did you?  Not that I was expecting this, but coming back from an 0-2 series hole does fit in with the narrative that the Diamondbacks have written for themselves.  Now, of course, the only question is whether they can finish off their dramatic comeback in Milwaukee.  Given how this series started off, though, you can't really argue with a winner-take-all game with Ian Kennedy on the mound to end it.

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I've got to say, watching an elimination game is a weird experience.  As a fan, the understanding that this might be the last game of the season for your favorite team is always in the back of your mind.  It heightens the intensity, forcing you to live or die with every pitch, and when the team wins to stave off elimination, the feeling of surviving for another day is simply fantastic.  Certainly part of that comes from the Diamondbacks winning an important baseball game, which is always a nice feeling, but I think more of it comes from the simple continuation of the season. That feeling of "it's not over quite yet" is difficult to top.

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It feels like we've been referring to games and series as "must wins" since about May.  That's alright, it's natural for fans to get excited and put undue meaning on individual games.  But now, for the first time ever, the 2011 Diamondbacks really do have a "must win" game in front of them.  If they lose, they don't get to play any more until March 2012.  It's beautiful in its horrible simplicity. 

Kirk Gibson has not done a good job managing the first two games.  Unless you talk to his immediate family, I don't think you'll get a lot of argument on that particular point.  But the fact remains that Gibson could have done a picture perfect managing job in the first two games of the NLDS, and the Diamondbacks would likely still be down 0-2 to the Brewers, because they've been outplayed so far. 

So far, the Brewers' starters, bullpen, and hitting have all been better than the Diamondbacks', and that's difficult to overcome no matter what the manager does.  In the second game, the Diamondbacks didn't hit with runners in scoring position, which was only an improvement because they didn't hit at all in the first game.  This sort of thing can fluctuate wildly from game to game, but if it happens again, chances are the Diamondbacks lose this series no matter what Gibson does from his dugout.

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Everyone take a deep breath. 

A lot of things are possible in the playoffs, but the Diamondbacks going 11-0 through three rounds was never really one of them.  No, they were always going to lose games, and they are going to lose more before the end of the playoffs.  The Brewers are a good team, and their very good pitcher looked downright amazing for eight innings.  Additionally, the Brewers made the proper sacrifices to the ancient Sumerian God of Batted Ball Luck before game 1, while the Diamondbacks did not.  It happens, and the important thing is to have a better game on Sunday.

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So I've never done one of these fancy sponsored posts, and I don't quite know what I'm supposed to do.  Like, do they expect me to incorporate product placement into my piece?  I'm not sure, but I do know that Ryan Braun's swing is as smooth as the shave you'll get when shaving with the new Gillette Fusion ProGlide (Gillette's most advanced blade ever!), so there's that.

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