Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1: A detour, on the slow march to the season's end and inebriation

Record: 39-53. Pace: 69-93. Change on 2015: -4

Beer 1:  Premium Verum Pilsner by Warsteiner

• Don't hate.  I rode my bike over, which in turn made me thirsty.  Germans pils are a fine solution to the thirsties.
• Really not sure why I keep suffering through these articles, perhaps it's for honor, perhaps I'm a closet alcoholic, perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment.  Only Buddha knows.
• Two trips in a row after this article:  Denver and then Portland.  I'll be reaching new vistas of beer enlightenment the next two weeks.  I'll even get paid for one of those trips.  Winning.
• Reiner of Papago sits next to me, and with a raspy voice born of gurgling Jack Daniels, he speaks to me of the British motorcycle he's building.  I can always count on Reiner to talk my ear off about scorpions, heavy metal, or British racing bikes.
• Annnnnddddd we're off.  Archie is up and at it trying to redeem the Dbacks after last night's pathetic loss. 
  
• Pathetic can also be used to describe this blue's initial strike zone.  Gonna be a tough one for either pitcher out there with the zone small enough that even a proton torpedo might have a rough go of squeezing in.
• Still, a 1-2-3ish first half of the frame is awarded us despite a slightly goofy strike zone, lets see if that holds up with McCarthy on the mound.
• The baseball Gods have heard me as the ump in question gets plunked by a pitch to the face.

Beer 2:  Solis IPA by Mike Hess

• Now it's back to your regularly scheduled hop program.  I wont stick with this style all day, but I'll probably stick with it most of today.
• New umpire as the old one was deemed unfit for service after taking a ball off the face.  Lucky us?  Unknown for now.
• Well, he's calling strikes, but as of yet the Dbacks aren't hitting them.  0-0 going in to the 2nd.
• 29 pitches, and no outs, I'm not worried about Nintendo's stock after Pokemon Go, but I fear for Bradley in this game.
• Lamb promotes good feelings with an opposite field double, which I ALMOST called as a HR.  Still, no outs and Lamb in scoring position.  I'll take it.
• ......three outs later and the good feelings evaporate. Completely.  0-0 going in to the 3rd.
• Dodgers then get on the board thanks to Turner's single.  0-1 Dodgers as we go to the bottom of the frame.
  

Beer 3:   Hop Slice Session IPA by Deschutes

• Bringing it down a notch with the session, but keeping the hop levels roughly the same.  Need a lighter beer since my rage may be increasing exponentially, especially since Ahmed (after a rare hit) gets caught in a terrible pickle.  Ughhhhh.....
• Bradley keeps dodging bad inning bullets and somehow we're going in to the bottom of the 4th still 0-1.  He's not long for this game though......
  
• A group of 30 just walked in dressed completely in 'Murica related gear.  This bar just got hyper patriotic.  Whispers of Trump
  
• "How's our middle relief?" A local patron asks of me.  I stare at him with a gaze that holds no hope and a little bit of fear.  Bradley once again gets in trouble in the 5th and I'm contemplating yet another beer to calm my nerves.

Beer 4:  Pinner Session IPA by Oskar Blues

• Yes, I am boring today.  Keeping the hop flavor flowing in full force why my beloved Dbacks raise my anger level over 9,000.
• Still can't solve McCarthy, and I'm still wondering why.  Seriously, do all ex-Dbacks own us like this!?!??!
• Bradley powers through the 6th....still wondering just how, but I'm thrilled by it.  Also thrilled that Grand Admiral Thrawn will be in the animated series Star Wars Rebels now.  Seriously, best villain ever.
  
• Pretty sure the Gordian Knot was a little easier to deal with than McCarthy.  Seriously.  Just saying.  Maybe we should bring up a player with the first name Alexander to face him?  Still 0-1 going in to the 7th
  

Beer 5:  10 Barrel Apocalypse IPA

• Yup, this will be the last.   Hope seems to exist this game, but hope (like the cake) is a lie. 
  
• Trump and Hillary conversations abound.  This bar might see a brawl soon.  Luckily I just don't care enough.  That's why I enjoy the goofy God Emperor Trump page on FB.  Fun times and much humor.
  
• Beer 5.5 (sharing with a friend):  Share This Coffee Imperial Story by The Bruery.  Anything this brewery makes is made of awesome.  Unending waves of glory and power cascade out of every bottle.  Such is it's power.
  
• The Dbacks power on the other hand seems to be relegated only to keeping the Dodgers at 1 runs.  Whereas our runs still lack quite a bit.........yay
• Puig.  At least he can put a smile on my face as he tries to steal 2nd base in the 8th.  He gets thrown out by a country mile, and that putting it mildly. 
  
• Nope.  Done caring.  Game over man.  Jim, please finish this madness.

Beer 6: Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, by Jim

• I like this beer a lot. It's fruity, lightly sweet without being cloying. It reminds me of Lindeman's Framboise, but you get a six-pack for about the same price as one bottle of Framboise. So, less of a need to sip it.
• I got the text from Patrick requesting bullpen recap action, but was in the middle of watching an ep of Stranger Things on Netflix. However, fortunately, that ended just in time to turn back and see the D-backs threaten to break the shutout and tie the game in the ninth, with Michael Bourn on base and God-Emperor Goldschmidt at the plate.
• God-Emperor Goldschmidt proved more mortal this time, albeit almost getting a vertical home-run.
• But, down to their final out - indeed, their final strike - who else but Jake Lamb comes through, rifling a pitch into the left-center gap to score Bourn. New ball game, people!
• The Diamondbacks bullpen. Six shutout innings = good. But those innings involved their share of heart-stopping moments. At least having the current 10-man relief crew gives Chip Hale flexibility in his relief arms. Five walks = not so good, and if the Dodgers had been even remotely clutch, this one would have been over long before the 12th. Fortunately, they went 1-for-15 with RISP and stranded 15.
• After Randall Delgado had bailed Enrique Burgos out with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th - suck it, Puig! - that man Lamb smacked the ball through the shift and down the line in left-field for a lead-off triple. The Dodgers intentionally walked the bases loaded, and played a five-man infield two, but Brandon Drury was unfazed, and swatted the ball through for our first win since the Neolithic Era. Or thereabouts.
  

[Click for details, at fangraphs.com]
House of Cards: Jake Lamb, +78.3%
Orange Sedona Red is the New Black: Bradley, +19.6%, Clippard, +17.8%; Delgado, +17.3%; Burgos, +10.6%
Fuller House: Yasmany Tomas, -24.5%
Marco Polo: Goldschmidt, 21.6%; Segura, -20.2%; Castillo, -10.5%

If that WPA for Lamb is sustained, that will be the biggest Win Probability by a D-back since Paul Goldschmidt got a +79.8% on August 13, 2013. Over 700 comments in the thread, with both Jackwriter and AzDbackfanInDc cracking three digits, while newcomer idnt-h8urteam had a strong third. Also present: AzRattler, Gilbertsportsfan, GuruB, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, MrMrrbi, MyTop5, Oldenschoole, Re Tired, asteroid, coldblueAZ, hotclaws, idnt-h8urteam, makattack71, noblevillain, ofinn28, onedotfive and repre. hotclaws gets comment of the thread, with an alcohol-tinged one, particularly appropriate for a beercap!

I generally self medicate with whisky

no idea if it works but after a few I don’t care.

Ideally, the umpire should combine the integrity of a Supreme Court judge, the physical agility of an acrobat, the endurance of Job and the imperturbability of Buddha. ~"The Villains in Blue," Time magazine, 25 August 1961

by hotclaws on Jul 16, 2016 | 5:18 PM up reply rec (4) flag actions

Good to see the team pull out a win at Chase, in front of a big crowd - attracted either by the sombrero giveaway, or the free concert afterwards, I suspect. So, it's the rubber game tomorrow, with Robbie Ray starting for the D-backs, and a first pitch just after 1pm.