Arizona Diamondbacks 3, San Francisco Giants 2: Work Week Over, Beercap Begins

Record: 86-62. Pace: 95-67. Change on 2016: +24.

SLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beer 1: Pizza Port Bottle Shop 10th Anniversary IPA

• Here I am, with my all too accommodating girlfriend, at Attic Ale House. The weather has finally improved, our beer is great and it’s almost October. Hell yeah!
• It’s almost, mostly, kinda safe to talk about playoff baseball. Just as I type that Ray allows two doubles in a row making it a 0-1 game. It’s never truly safe to speak of October....
• Praise be! He gets out of the inning just as my GF reminds me we have many more Outlander episodes to go. God I love that show.
• Goldy, praise be, his single gives me hope not just for tonight, but really for the future as a whole. Korea? No prob with Goldy around. Hurricanes? Goldy’s got this.
• On that note, DD (Goldy’s 2nd in command) drives him home with a triple. Thus breaking his nickname’s power......for now. 1-1 going in to the bottom of the 2nd

Beer 2: Fruitalica IPA by Stone Brewing

• My God, there’s so much going on with this beer. Every fruit imaginable plus a light kiss of habanero. Amazing, much like Robbie Ray who settles down in the 2nd and looks much more like his normal self. Must be the Fruitalica.
• 3rd inning and it just kinda feels like a pitchers duel. My GF is thrilled by this prospect, but we both know this will be a long night of drinking, so .....meh. Fun times.
• Now the 4th and Ray is doing Ray type things. Which is to say he’s embarrasing batters and continuing this game along at a clip that ensure I wont get too far along in the beer world.
• Pitchers duels against the Giants makes me nervous, but then again they’re the kind of team that would never roll over no matter how pathetic the season. Lucky for us it’s our turn to shine this season.

Beer 3: BooKoo IPA by Mother Earth++++++a burger

• Still no sign of offense, but our dinner has arrived, so that’s a thing.
• .....writing has become problematic, as there really is nothing to write on. Well, actually, my GF thinks (and I agree) that Samarjasjdsjhjasdhs haircut is an abomination.
• Well, my writing block has come to an end, as surprisingly Ray has proven himself to be very human. 1-2 Gigantes and Ray might be in for his last hurrah here.
• Top of the 7th and I’m beginning to think that either writing on Friday’s is bad luck or perhaps my GF is. She immediately gives me the darkest stink eye ever. I’m in so much trouble.....
• Nope, she’s good luck. This is proven by AJ getting a 2-run double, thus making it 3-2 D-backs. I am no longer in the dog house.
• Ray appears to also be out of the proverbial dog-house as he pitches a quiet 7th frame. The Shark, surprisingly also looks solid in the 8th. No the game I hoped for from him, but at least we’ve got the lead. 3-2 Dbacks going into the bottom of the frame.
• The beard is in and he’s in full force with his glorious beard. Such is the way of Bradley. Even some of his loyal acolytes have come to the game as well, as there are bearded ones in the crowd. 1-2-3 and down go the Giants on their knees in his presence.

Bells and whistles, by Jim

I take over, having gotten the “GF and I getting Uber” message from Turambar. Which works for me. I’d taken most of the night off for this one, having instead watched a rather interesting documentary about Brit music show Top of the Pops, in that iconic of years, 1977. The Sex Pistols, Elvis Presley’s death and Mull of Kintyre. Damn. Looking forward to more in the series, with years I might more than vaguely recall. Anyway, was able to tune in to this game, just in time to catch Fernando Rodney mow the Giants’ down in order. It’s the D-backs eighth consecutive road win, which I believe is one off the franchise high. Five ahead of Colorado, 14 to play.

Not much offense to speak of: only six hits for the D-backs, with Daniel Descalso getting a pair, and no walks. Good to see A.J. Pollock coming through with the big hit. This was also Robbie Ray’s fourth straight double-digit K outing, something only ever accomplished previously in team history by Randy Johnson... which he did on TEN separate occasions, including seven straight in 2001. Seven innings from him, then pass a lead over to Bradley and Rodney = you couldn’t have drawn it up any better.

A relatively light Gameday Thread tonight - I guess I wasn’t the only person who decided to find other things to amuse them - with just over 300 comments. Present were: Anachronistic1, AzDbackfanInDc, BenSharp, DORRITO, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, Oldenschoole, PaulGoldsmith, Xerostomia, asteroid, coldblueAZ, edbigghead, hotclaws, onedotfive, rustynails77 and smartplays. Comment of the night to asteroid:

Oo-er, missus! Same two teams tomorrow night, slightly earlier start time of 6:05pm. Should be a rather good pitching match-up, with Zack Greinke going up against Madison Bumgarner, as we seek to reduce our magic number (now sitting officially at 7) even further.