Diamondbacks 5, Nationals 4: Beercap with the Brute Squad

Friday is here at last, and blessedly a little early. As I begin to write I also find myself multitasking a bit more by also launching a podcast with the other members of the Brute Squad: EddBiggHead and AZKodiak. Well...that didn’t happen at the start of the game as hoped, we’ll do it at the end.

Beer 1: Colitas IPA by Beer Research Institute

• Love this brewery and the name of the brewery. Brings to mind lab coat wearing scientists deep in thought as they ponder the mysteries of beer in some vast underground facility. Machines of unknown purpose drone in the background and vats of pure ale bubble just off scene. You seeing this too? Good.
• While I let my mind wander in my dreamscape the D-backs quickly and quietly get put away in the 1st by Strasburg. I keep forgetting he can ratchet his fastball up to 97mph. Hard to catch up to that kind of heat....
• Godley’s 1st though is not proceeding at nearly the lightning pace of the last half of the frame as Kendrick doubles off a poorly played ball hit to 3rd and Harper’s immaculate hair walks to first.
• Yet even Perfect-Hair-Forever-Harper cannot will his Nats to dent Godley’s resolve, as we escape unscathed. 0-0 going in to the 2nd.
• Remember those 97mph heaters I wrote of earlier? Guess you can catch up to one of them, and AJ sure as hell does, taking one to dead center field. 1-0 Dbacks.
• Guess Strasburg is more human than I feared as Ahmed brings home Descalso making it 2-0. Solid hitting with men on base like that just makes me wonder how much better this team might be with Lamb and Souza back.
• Godley looking a tinge more godly in the 2nd, as I struggle with the internet here. King’s is godlike in its beer selection, but pedestrian at best with regards to its internet. Thus I continue on my beer adventure typing this on my cell phone using my Verizon data. yay me.

Beer 2: Haze Addiction by Epic

• And back to the haze we got. My style of the year thus far, though I promise at some point I’ll mix it up..... maybe.
• Godley though does decide to mix it up, serving up a meatball to Howie who crushes a two run bomb deep into the night. 2-2
• The short pitching duel I had hoped for appears to be giving way to a drawn out slugfest. My beer tab grows longer. May Goldy watch over me.
• 2-3 after we can’t quite close out a very close double play. Good play to review for sure and tough luck for us. My previous fears of a long game begin to take greater purchase upon my soul.
• Descalso, he finds a way. Always. Somehow. Ties it up on a double and once again I wonder how he comes up with key hits while batting under .200. 3-3 as the world wonders.
• Strasburg long single, Turner hit and Howie blooper make for a bottom of the 4th with the bases juiced for Lord Hair Harper.
• Godley, despite falling off the mound in hilarious fashion, K’s Harper and somehow gets out of that mess. Godley being godly. 3-3 going in to the 5th.

Beer 3: Tropical DNA by Green Flash

• Funny seeing this juicy goodness on tap or at all. I say that because as of a couple weeks ago Green Flash ceased to exist as its loans were defaulted on and assets seized. A sad day as theyve been one of my faves over the years, but at least some aspect of it lingers while the bank sorts out its business.
• Bottom of the 5th with no outs and the bases loaded and Godley appears to have met his Waterloo. Had to happen someday, and it just so happens to be happening now. Beer makes it endurable.
• AJ makes a truly amazing catching saving at least 2 runs, thouh still allowing the runner to tag and score. 3-4 Nats
• Pollack is apparently on his A game today as he gets a triple giving us the lead yet again. So now it’s 5-4 and Strasburg is finally gone.
• Bullpen keeps on doing what it does best, getting through the 6th and 7th without too much trouble. Honestly, I’m so pleasantly surprised with how this bullpen has shaped up thus far. Who knew?

Beer 4: Nubilous NE IPA by Beer Research Institute

• Too bad there’s no Nobel Peace Prize for Beer, because they’d be winning....a lot.
• Bradley, his beard, so powerful. He enforces my previous statement to the hilt as he cruises through the 8th. Seriously, he’s quickly becoming the face of the team in ways only Goldy knew....wait.....is that blasphemy?
• Can’t get any more insurance runs across in the top of the 9th, so it fall once again to the bullpen to put up another zero.
• Boxberger heads the call and delivers! Another Dbacks win leading to another chance in the next two days for yet another series win. These are rare times we live in.....
• Time now for a podcast, which was much delayed due to initial internet connection, with the great and glorious Brute Squad! Hopefully Jim will post this too?

Bells and whistles, by Jim

☆☆☆: A.J. Pollock, +35.9%
☆☆: Brad Boxberger, +20.9%
☆: Daniel Descalso, +14.6%
0 stars: Zack Godley, -21.5%

674 comments in the GDT, from: AZDovs11, AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, BenSharp, CumulusChoir, DORRITO, DeadManG, Diamondbacker, GoldyHitAnotherOne, GuruB, Hannibal4467, Jackwriter, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, Renin, SongBird, SonomaComa1999, Wesley Baier, asteroid, bbtng, coldblueAZ, freighttrainfan, haikus4hits, hotclaws, megnetic, onedotfive, shoewizard and smartplays. Tempted though I am to give CotN to the amusingly wrong prediction of a certain pessimistic someone: “Can tell this is gonna be a long night for the offense. Godley gonna need to be godly” - swing and a miss! - let’s go with bbtng

If ever there was a night were the starter didn’t deserve the W, and the bullpen did, this would be it. But it’s Godley who gets the win. More importantly, the D-backs do. And as has been saied, it’s the mark of a good team that can win, even when not playing at their best. This one guarantees at least a .500 road-trip, with two chances to clinch both a winning one, and our ninth series win of the year. Tomorrow, it’s a 1:05pm start, please note, with Patrick Corbin going for Arizona.