Arizona Diamondbacks 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 7: Beercap - The Reckoning

Record: 7-4. Pace: 103-59. Change on 2016: +3.

Hello again my little readers, welcome to the next installment in this great tome known as the 2017 MLB season. Tonight I’ll enjoy a few pints and hopefully enjoy a game against our most detested of foes: the Los Angeles Dodgers of LaLa Land.

Beer 1: Tangerine Soul Style IPA by Green Flash

• Got in a little late to catch the top of the 1st, but luckily not too late to get the Soul Style. Somehow still on tap after a week despite being one of the best IPAs available on the west coast.
• Greinke almost gave me a major heart attack with that long out he gave up to Gonzalez there. Besides that he looked pretty solid in the first, but I (along with many others I’m sure) still got a ton of question on our ace going forward. Though I guess that’s the story with our starting pitching as a whole....
• I don’t know if it’s the copious amounts of allergy meds or just being nervous for this game but I feel slightly on egde. I’ve heard beer helps.....
• Kershaw looks slightly human (slightly) with the contact our bats are getting, but....that’s mostly my optimism speaking and I’ve not had enough beer yet to let that optimism blossom in to full blown hope. 0-0 going into the bottom of the 2nd.
• Ahmed’s misplay in the 2nd is looking mighty costly now with men on 3rd and 2nd with 1out. Ahmed appears to be our defensive sub for the game, but at this moment I’m not feeling to good about that...
• Blessedly that same Ahmed redeems himself shortly after as he starts up a double play the end the inning. I got my eye on you Ahmed.............0-0 at the end of the 2nd.

Beer 2: Coffee Porter by THAT Brewing Co.

• Switching gears here with this beer. Love me some coffee, and love me some porter. About the only thing I don’t like about that beer is that name of THAT brewery, which leads to maddening conversations concerning this beer or THAT beer, and is THAT beer better, or that beer better. They picked their name well when they founded THAT brewery....dangit. They got me with THAT.... dangit.
• Kershaw on the other hand appear to be stuck in 6th gear as he powers through our lineup yet again in the 3rd. Thankfully my pizza has arrived to brighten my mood.
• Mood then darkens as Greinke continues to get hit around in the 3rd leading to Gonzalez driving in the first run of the game. 0-1 Dodgers better make that 0-2 as Greinke gives up another.
• There may not be enough beer here at Papago to help me forget how un-ace-like Greinke is looking at this moment. I’ll have to power through as best I can though. God help me...........
• Owings is in! Annnnnndddd he nearly did a bad thing to Kershaw with a comebacker that almost caves in his face. Scary moment, but I’ll take a base runner thank you very much.
• Though his head certainly didn’t get rattled Kershaw’s nerves appear to be shaky as he walks Goldy. leaving it up to Tomas to do a good thing here in the 4th with two on and one out or just strike out, follwed by Drury grounding out. More beer please.

Beer 3: Palate Wrecker Triple IPA by Green Flash

• After that frustrating inning I’ve decided to utilize the nuclear option and order a triple IPA. Pretty sure my palate wont recover (as the name implies), though my spirits may...artificially that is.
• Nope, not helping. Another 2runs are given up and even with it only being the 4th it’s time to pull our “ace”. 0-4 Dodgers end of the 4th.
• Kershaw then resumes the regularly scheduled program of “Cruise Control” and all signs of shakiness have disappeared. Must be nice having an ace.
• Greinke though remains a steady fan of “Train Wreck”; apparently on it’s second season. Allows the first two runners to reach, followed by a ground out and sac fly to bring in the Dodgers 5th run. 0-5 Dodgers and hope is fading just as I am.

Beer 4: IPA by Oskar Blues

• A plain name for a superlative IPA. Hopefully this is just a plain game for a better-than-2016 team. We’ll see, but it sure seems like those first two series were a fluke now.
• Should have started Wilhelmsen, might have saved me some bitterness. He cruises through the 6th and at the same times makes me wonder what could have been. Still 0-5 Dodgers.
• Really not sure what to write at this point. Can’t solver Kershaw (not too surprising for any team really), which in turn means this game might as well be decided, and we’re delving in to the bullpen far too early in a long 4game series. Good feelings do not abound at this time.
• Funny to see the bullpen put up zeros. Encouraging in the long-run I guess, but at this point it’s pretty meaningless. I guess I’ll take whatever silver lining I can get though.

Beer 5: Stella Artois

• Yeah, this is Jim taking over at this point, in case the shallow nature of the beer didn’t make that clear.
• There’s not much more to add. Randall Delgado got through the seventh, but allowed a two-run home in the eighth, and had to be bailed out by Andrew Chafin.
• The D-backs did achieve some success in the ninth. Chris Iannetta came off the bench with a single, scoring one out later on a Chris Owings double, that drove Kershaw from the game.
• Goldschmidt got his second walk of the game, but as earlier, Tomas fanned again and Drury grounded out, mercifully putting an end to this one.

Bells and whistles

Not a happy GDT, for understandable reasons. Thanks to those who stuck it out, which would be: AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, BIGredmc, Diamondhacks, Gilbertsportsfan, GuruB, Hazzard21, I suppose I'm a Pessimist, Imstillhungry95, Jackwriter, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, JoeyLewis, Keegan Thompson, Makakilo, MrMrrbi, Oscar Goldman, Sprankton, Xerostomia, aldma, asteroid, blue_bulldog, coldblueAZ, edbigghead, hotclaws, kamshing, megnetic, onedotfive, shoewizard, since_98, smartplays and soco. Comment of the thread to Guru, replying to AzDbackfanInDc’s proclamation: “I swear if one more person mentions star wars, I am leaving this site forever.”

#ObviousCommentIsObvious, but hey... We’ll hope for better performances and results tomorrow night, when Patrick Corbin faces Kenta Maeda. First pitch is an hour earlier.