Diamondbacks 9, Brewers 3: Arizona sets fans all aquiver

Record: 45-66. Pace: 66-96. Change on 2015: -10.

You’ll understand if my attention wasn’t entirely focused on the Diamondbacks game this afternoon. I was sorta watching it, but I was also surfing the various Olympic channels hopping from action to action. The women’s team archery was an interesting event, though I feel it would be improved if was more like The Hunger Games. Actually, MOST sports would be improved by that. But, rather than simply shooting at targets, they could add a blindfold round, or give the opposing team an airhorn which they can use a limited number of times per contest. Then it might get covered more than one afternoon every four years. Call me, IOC: let’s do lunch.

This afternoon’s recap is thus brought to you in association with @desertopus, who was actually at the game, and probably slightly less distracted.

Archie Bradley’s afternoon looked predestined to be a short one from the first batter faced, who took 14 pitches against the Brewers’ lead-off man, Jonathan Villar, before giving up a walk. This was the second-longest base on balls ever by a Diamondbacks’ pitcher: Wade Miley battled the Reds’ Scott Rolen for 15 pitches on August 28, 2012. And it came back to bite him, as Villar stole second, advanced on a ground-out and then scored on a wild pitch. The other two times Bradley faced Villar went little better: he homered in third, then walked in the fifth and came around to score on that occasion as well.

The RBI single which did so also ended Bradley’s day after an outing which was occasionally dominant, but also extraordinarily inefficient. He recorded the first out in the third with his 63rd pitch of the afternoon, and was eventually lifted after 4.2 innings, having thrown 116 pitches. Only one D-backs starter has had a longer outing this year. Zack Greinke took 119 pitches to get through seven innings against the Dodgers on June 13. Here, Bradley ended up being charged with three runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out eight, including a spell of five in a row before facing Villar for the third time, Villar crossing home-plate for the third time.

The Diamondbacks came back in a very strange fourth inning. What’s odd is, they scored three and had two men in scoring position, on one real hit. And that was a lead-off single! Yasmany Tomas got it, to be followed by Rickie Weeks Jr and Chris Owings both wearing pitches, loading the bases with no outs. Then Tuffy Gosewisch got a sacrifice pop fly to the third-baseman - he toppled over the rail into the seats making the catch, so everyone advanced a base. Bradley then put down a suicide squeeze and the throw home was high and wide, putting men back on second and third. Jean Segura grounded back to the mound, but that throw to first was equally wild. Another run scored, men on second and third once again.

However, due to the above, there was no further scoring, though the D-backs had taken the lead 3-2. As, noted, the Brewers then tied things up and disposed of Bradley - a Gosewisch throwing error helped. But Arizona scored five more in the fifth, these runs coming more by their own efforts, than reliant on the incompetence of others. Paul Goldschmidt walked, and Jake Lamb knocked his 24th home-run of the year to left-center, for a two-run bomb, recapturing the lead. But, wait! There’s more! Weeks doubled, Chris Owings got an RBI triple to the wall and Phil Gosselin added another two-run homer, his second shot of the year. 8-3 D-backs. Fortunately, the archery was over.

Why are Korea so damn good at archery? That’s all I have to say. Anyway, this was the effective end of the game as a competitive event, the D-backs bullpen tossing 4.1 scoreless frames. Daniel Hudson got the win for recording his single out. Steve Hathaway put two on with one out in the sixth before getting a key double-play and looked decent in his two scoreless frames. Enrique Burgos tossed a scoreless eighth and Jake Barrett finished things off, albeit not having loaded the bases, before getting a called strike three to end the game.

It was an equally good day for the offense. Jake Lamb had his first three-hit game in quite a while, and there were two hits apiece for Segura, Yasmany Tomas, Weeks and Chris Owings. Goldschmidt picked up a pair of walks. It was the Diamondbacks’ first win by more than two runs, since June 19, when they beat the Phillies 5-1, and their largest margin of victory since a 10-2 win over the same team in Philadelphia, two days earlier.

Those who managed, more or less, to resist the siren-call of the five rings this afternoon were: AzDbackfanInDc, GuruB, Jackwriter, Jean Genie, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, MichaelMcD831993, MrMrrbi, Oldenschoole, Re Tired, Xerostomia, coldblueAZ, globaldistrust, hventure, ol Pete, onedotfive and preston.salisbury. Comment of the game to Michael:

Dbacks have the Mets up next

Plenty of time to make up ground

Pats Pulpit and AZ Snakepit Writer

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelMcD80393

by MichaelMcD831993 on Aug 7, 2016 | 3:34 PM up reply rec (1) flag actions

#NotSureIFSerious. Anyway, after the game, as you might have seen elsewhere on the ‘Pit, it was announced that Evan Marshall will be sent down to make room for Zack Greinke’s return against the Mets on Tuesday. Zack Godley will stay on the roster, but moves to the bullpen. There’s an off-day tomorrow, and that series will then begin, with Greinke facing Steven Matz in the opening contest.