Diamondbacks 7, Cubs 3: Brunchcap

Record: 31-69. Pace: 50-112. Change on 2004: 0.

Hola fellow Snakepitters! Today you shall be treated to a Brunchcap due to this early game.

So get your mimosa out and let’s part!

Drink 1: Fortified Coffee

Morning baseball…..and my cable provider is northern AZ has shot off the TV, so this game will be a radio “viewing”.

Escobar gets our first hit with a two-out double, but nothing else to report that frame.
Our de facto Ace Merrill Kelly throws a similarly boring frame as well. Funny to think of him as our ace, but that’s 2021 for you folks.

Off to the 2nd we go and once more the bats are quite but Kelly keeps doing what he does. Just like that we’re in the 3rd and we’ve only been at it for 30min.

Beer 1/Drink 2: Xerocole Desert IPA by Four Peaks

Varsho, Kelly and the not-so-great VanMeter go down in order in the 3rd and I’m beginning to have a feeling that Rachel and I will be able to go see that movie (Black Widow) much earlier than we had anticipated. 0-0 going in to the bottom of the 3rd.

Cubs pitcher Alec Mills gets his 1st hit of the year with a leadoff double in to the ivy. Uh Oh.

Ortega singles thereafter, putting Cubs on the corners with no outs. No bueno.

Uggghhh. Then Kelly walks Bryant to juice the bases with no outs…..with Bàez up next. FML

Thank God he grounds in to a double play, but does allow a run, could been much worse though. 0-1 Cubbies

Now we’re in the 4th and the Cubbies now got a lead to protect. Kole proceeds to pop out and Escobar gets hit by the throw to first, thus getting out since. Kinda another defining moment of this season; finding ways to fail. 0-1 Cubs going in to the bottom of the 4th.

Kelly starts things off in the 4th by allowing a lead HR to Contreras. Not quite what I’d hope for here from Kelly….

Luckily that’s all that Kelly allows, so we’re on to the 5th and now down 2runs. Runs please!!!!!!!!

Peralta gets things going for us with a leadoff walk, but Pavin and Ahmed pop up, leaving it up to Varsho to do something.

And something happens indeed!!!!! 2run blast by Varsho to dead center field and we got a game folks!!!! 2-2 tie.

Beer 2/Drink 3: Tower Station IPA by Mother Road

When in Flag, you gotta enjoy a pint of Flagstaff’s tap water. Good stuff.

Kelly follows after that tremendous blast with a double to give the Dbacks another chance to put up more runs this inning with 2outs. VanMeter walks and Kole grounds out to close the inning. Can’t complain too much though since we’re now back in it. 2-2 going in to the bottom of the 5th.

2 relatively easy outs to start the inning for Kelly, but Bryant gets a triple to keep things interesting. Thankfully Bàez does us a solid as he pops us to move us in to the 6th. Still a 2-2 tie.

No dice for us in the 6th and Kelly puts the Cubs down 1-2-3 and we zip off to the 7th in barely the blink of an eye.

Good Ole Chafin relieves Mills for the Cubs here in the 7th. Still kinda miss him as a Dback, or at least his mustache.

Chafin walks both Pavin and Ahmed to start the 7th. Varsho delivers with a RBI single to left and we got the lead folks! 3-2 Dbacks!!!

Cabrera (taking Kelly’s spot in the order) comes in and quickly adds on to the run circus with a double to make it 5-2 Dbacks

Beer 3/Drink 4: Cowgirl Crush IPA by Mother Road

Clippard steps in for Kelly in the bottom of the 7th and cruises through the Cubs. Followed by quiet bats for us in the 8th, which with a three-run lead isn’t too bad honestly, but with our bullpen more is always better.

Cabrera must have heard my prayers as he gets on to lead off the 9th a double and Andrew Young immediately drives him home with a two run blast. 7-2 Dbacks!!!!

Annnnnnndddddddd then the Thunder God stopped the game..

Finish-up, bells and whistles by Jim

I let the beercapper slide out at this point and go see Black Widow, since it would have been mean to make him sit and keep drinking through the rain delay! That’s especially so, as it turned out to be rather longer than initially expected, lasting a bit over an hour and a half before play resumed. Jake Faria had been warming up on the mound when the game was called. Brett de Geus took over, allowing a run on two hits, but the victory was in the books. After 100 games, Arizona’s record is the same 31-69 it was in 2004.

This game was also the one for our “Win a FOCO bobblehead” prediction contest. Up until Andrew Young’s homer, two people had correctly predicted the D-backs to have scored five runs, but in the end, nobody correctly guessed seven. The closest was Makakilo on six, and there was then a tie as next closest for the second bobblehead, FootstepsFalco16 and NikT77 both going with five runs. By the rules, we then went to runs conceded, where FootstepsFalco16 called for three, and NikT77 was on six. With the Cubs managing just two, FootstepsFalco16 becomes the second winner. I’ll be in touch with both to get their addresses, for sending on to FOCO. Expect your bobbles around the end of the season!

Present in the Gameday Thread were: Augdogs, AzDbackfanInDc, GuruB, Jack Sommers, Jim McLennan, Kram Isterpf, Makakilo, Michael McDermott, NikT77, Oldenschoole, Schilling2001, Snacks&Dbacks, Snake_Bitten, VW Beetle, gzimmerm, kilnborn and since_98. VW Beetle had the only Sedona Red candidate, and is a worthy Comment of the Thread:

Rubber game of the series tomorrow, with another 11:20 am first pitch. Caleb Smith goes for the Diamondbacks as they seek their first road series win since Atlanta in April.