In the great Cold War of 1998 Expansion Teams -- where brother can disown brother over an ill-timed Quinton McCracken joke -- things are taken very, very seriously. So when Tampa Bay brought up their #1 pitching prospect to come along with their playoff ride, there was a phenom gap. That sort of thing could not stand, and Arizona decided to put Jarrod Parker on their postseason roster.
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers: Milwaukee Inches Closer, Aaron Hill Pushes Them Away
It could have worked out better.
But it certainly could have worked out worse, too. Ty Betancourt led off the inning with a single, and Carlos Gomez was barely out at first on an attempt to bunt for a hit. George Kottaras walked, and Casey McGehee warmed America’s heart by getting his first hit since 2010.
The bases were loaded with one out. Thus endeth Jarrod Parker’s postseason debut. The difference between Parker and Matt Moore? Moore threw strikes in the minors this year. Parker didn’t.
So Bryan Shaw came in with ample playoff experience from his time with the Lakers, trying to shut the door. He allowed a 405-foot sacrifice fly to Corey Hart, and then got Jerry Hairston to ground out. It took a lot of work, a lot of tough at-bats, and some honest-to-goodness perseverance to get that single run. The Brewers were right to be proud.
Then about five minutes later, Aaron Hill got the run back with one swing, hitting a solo home run to left to put the Diamondbacks up 8-4.
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