Arizona Diamondbacks 2, San Diego Padres 3: Last of the 2018 Beercaps

I’ll be up front with you jabroni’s reading this now; this last beercap of the season is only gonna kinda follow the D-backs vs. Padres game tonight. You all know why. This weekend is about watching the Doyers hopefully missing the playoffs and the Rocks taking the division title from them. For after a bleak and miserable September we’ve played ourselves out of any hope, so now we’re left with dark thoughts but blessedly we can turn lemons in to lemonade if the Doyers find themselves on the outside looking in by Sunday evening.

That’s the kind of season outcome I can live with.

Beer 1: Space Ways by Modern Times

God I love this beer and this brewery. Keepers of the haze they are and high lords of the hops. So good, and just the thing to help one forget how meaningless this game truly is.

Just checked my phone and PRAISE BE the Rockies are doing their job and beating the Nats 4-2. Now MadBum just has to do his job and all will be well in the world.

Our forever early, but never late offense, gets things going with two back to back singles in the 1st, but then our consistent September slump continues to rear it’s ugly head. In this way I learn once more how two lead off runners can turn in to some very stranded basepeople.

Seeing Corbin pitch tonight reminds me this might be the last time I see him pitch as a Dback. In fact this weekend might be the last time I see a lot of Dbacks in the Sedona Red. I hope and pray the changes to come will mean glory further down the track, but I can’t help but thing what could have been if this team just played up to their potential in September. Sigh..........

We’re in the bottom of the 2nd now, my stomach has been filled with steak, and my mood much improved after a rough week at work. That same good mood takes a dive into frustration as AJ doesnt bother to see that Corbin’s pop-up bunt ended up being dropped, thus leading to AJ getting easily thrown out as he struggles to make up for his laziness. September really can’t end fast enough.

Let’s check in on the games that matter tonight shall we? Colorado is up 5-2 going in to the 8th. This is a very good thing. Doyers and Gigantes still scoreless in the 2nd. Not a great thing but not a bad thing either. No matter how many beers I have tonight I’m gonna keep a real close eye on those games.

Speaking of beers and lots of them. A little EdBiggHead shaped bird told me several of you readers were quite besides yourself in grief for the lack of an article after last Saturday’s BruteSnakeFest. I assure you, it’s for the better that that article did not get written. Why? Well thanks to pregaming FAR too early that same day I had entered time travel mode right around the 2nd inning. So........yea......article just wasn't gonna be a thing. At all.

Now we’re in the 3rd and our bats continue to show by not showing. Honestly, pretty sure anyone involved in coaching hitting is gonna be given a pink slip. With that in mind I’m sure people in the comments field will continue the argument on just what went wrong in September, but to me it’s clear. Expecting a team to play at defensive and relief peaks ALL YEAR long is a bit of a stretch. Somethings gotta give and it ended up being both those factors as they just couldn't keep that edge night in and night out with 1run leads almost every night. Gotta give your bullpen and defenders a little break every now and again with a good ole fashion blowout.

Beer 2: #Allocated IPA by 12 West & Kings Liquor

Strawberry Pineapple Milkshake IPA. Yes, that’s right. It’s a good thing my hipster beard is powerful enough to unlock this mighty ale.

Still nada-nada in the 4th and Corbin keeps doing Corbin things: cruising through the opposing team’s lineup with minimal bumps or mistakes.

That further uneventfulness leads me to once again check the scores: Rockies won and the Doyers were breifly down 0-1 and now have tied things up again. Stay tuned viewers, still hope the Doyers will lose.

Fun fact, apparently this last weekend is FREE for MLB All Access. So I can now ignore this snoozer of a game and focus my hopes and dreams on a Doyerless playoffs all through the comfort of my MLB app. HELL YEA!

Should anyone be bother by the abrupt change in baseball scenery please inform my Editor in Chief Jim. I’m sure he’ll write me a strongly worded email and then I’ll buy him a Boddingtons to make up for it.

BTW, I love the Giants for holding off on MadBum’s original start to ensure he faced the Dodgers. It’s just soothes the heart to see the NL West come together in unity over a shared enemy. The enemy of my enemy is, after all, my friend.

Going in to the bottom of the 4th (in San Fran) and we’re tied 1-1, but the bigger news of this game is that a Dodger loss doesn't put them out just yet. We have the Cards to thank for that as they lose their 4th game in a row. Sure would be nice to see them win the next two though.

Bases juiced! I mean that this time, since there’s quite a lot of Orange on the paths now and only 1 out....double play. Good feelings lessen. Sigh. 1-1 going in to the 5th.

That bearded ginger looking bastard Turner just hit a 2run bomb. 3-1 Dodgers and suddenly I feel the urge to finish this beer. So be it.

Beer 3: Celebrator Doppelbock by Ayinger

Bold beer for a final beercap. Winning.

Bum finally gets out of the 5th, now down 3-1. Wonder how those Giant’s fans feel? Do they suffer as we suffer? Or do they know their well guided franchise will again rise again? On that note who truly knows what the NL West will look like next year. I can seriously see the Padres making a run.....or just stock piling more picks.

Well out Dbacks went from bring up 1-0 in the 7th to being tied 1-1. So we’re all not missing too much there.

Giants on the other hand are trying to keep things interesting here in the 7th. Bum’s out but Doyers can’t capitalize and we’re going in to the bottom of the 7th. Let’s see if the Dodger flawed bullpen chooses to mirror our own.

Crawford gets on and the Doyers know they got problems, so Baez enters in to the fray.

Baez struggles right off the bat (lawl) and we now have men on 2nd and 1st with no outs. I like me this kind of party.

Beer 4: Pink Vapor Stew Sour Ale by Ska Brewing Co

Been a while since I’ve done a recap with a sour and I got to say I wish I had done this more often. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always be a hop head, but sours can be a good palate cleanser at times.

The Dodgers bullpen cleanses hopes in the 7th as they power through a tough situation. So things aren’t looking to good for our heroes and as I check in our Dbacks things don’t look too much better as we’re still tied in the 9th.

Gigantes, please give us revenge. Please give us hope of revenge. Or just give us a win, that’d be cool. Nope. Another double play in the 8th kills that hope.

D-backs still tied so still missing nothing there.

Puig puig puig puig puig. Grounds out to end the top of the 9th and I’m happy I wont have to write about him again until March.

Ughhhh. Doyers win on a double play. D-backs still tied in the 11th and I’m pretty sure I’m done here.

See you all next season. Stay strong and stay cool

The Late Show, with Jim

I got the text message from Turambar, and took over, and was expecting a quick finish to this one, as the D-backs took the lead in the top of the 12th inning. Ketel Marte doubled to lead things off, and one out later, with Marte on third, Nick Ahmed popped out to shallow right, apparently too shallow. But an aggressive Marte charged home and by the time the right-fielder had figured that out, it was too late, and Ketel slid home with the go-ahead run. Archie Bradley came in for the save, got the first two outs.. then a first-pitch meatball was deposited into the bleachers by Hunter Renfroe. So much for a fast getaway.

Further innings followed, enlivened largely only by Marte making an illegal slide into second, triggering a double-play. Finally, in the 15th, Matt Andriese mercifully ended it. In his second inning of work, he walked an .071 hitter to lead off the inning, then the next batter doubled the runner home from first. The overwhelming sense of futility present here can be summed up in the fact that the sides combined for an epic 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position.

The Fangraph bailed at the end of the 14th inning, so this is an artist’s impression.

275 comments, which is a very end of season count for a game that ran over five hours! Still, hard to blame anyone... Present were: AZDovs11, AzRattler, DBacksEurope, DORRITO, GuruB, Jack Sommers, Jim McLennan, Johnneu, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, MikeMono, MrMrrbi, Rockkstarr12, SongBird, edbigghead and onedotfive. Nothing got more than two recs, which sums up the enthusiasm to be found here. We’re back at Petco tomorrow, for a t:40pm first pitch, with Zack Godley starting for the D-backs.