2011 NLDS: Brewers And Diamondbacks Prepare For Game 5 In Milwaukee

Even having a series go the full five-game length since this format was created has been a rare event -- just 14 of those 64 series from 1995-2010 did so, and just one between 2006 and 2010.

So we are in extremely rare territory this season. Three of the four series will have a deciding fifth game; that has happened just once before (in 2001). So what are the odds that the Diamondbacks will become the fifth team to complete the comeback from a 2-0 deficit?

That was in Milwaukee, and they lost both games.

In their next two games, the Diamondbacks scored 18 runs and pounded out nine hits in 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Be sure to check out our Arizona Diamondbacks blog AZ Snake Pit as well as the Milwaukee Brewers blog Brew Crew Ball.

Yovani Gallardo pitched a gem on Saturday night, giving up just one run in eight innings as the Milwaukee Brewers put away the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-1. The Diamondbacks were never able to mount a serious offensive charge as Gallardo dominated, powering Milwaukee to a 1-0 series advantage in its NLDS matchup.

Below are a few of the highlights from the live-blog, which you can read in its entirety here.

Still, three of the Brewers’ four runs scored immediately after moments when at least some observers would have recommended intentional walks that were not ordered by Gibson.

My friend David Schoenfield, writing at The Sweet Spot, summed the matter well:

That was the representative Yovani Gallardo sequence of the day. It’s not just that he throws 94-mph with a great breaking ball -- which he certainly does -- it’s that he was painting, painting, painting all afternoon long. It’s hard to separate an offense that’s failing to execute from a pitcher who is executing brilliantly. I’m pretty sure that the Diamondbacks’ hitters shouldn’t get too down on themselves after this one.

Does Gallardo have a good shot at finishing the whitewash?

He’s thrown 87 pitches in his seven innings, or roughly 12 per inning. If he’s able to maintain that pace, he’ll need around 112 pitches to finish, and Gallardo was allowed to throw at least 110 pitches in 10 of his 33 starts this season.

You know the old saying: “When Yuniesky Betancourt hits a triple, a Jonathan Lucroy RBI can’t be far behind.”

The Brewers and Diamondbacks are still locked in a pitchers’ duel, but the Brewers took a 2-0 advantage when Betancourt tripled with two outs and Lucroy singled him home with a bloop. There’s a lot of tomfoolery that can happen in a 1-0 game, and I feel safe in classifying a Betancourt triple as tomfoolery.

Ryan Braun started the bottom of the fourth inning off with a fantastic eight-pitch at-bat. He just made contact on a couple of foul tips before lining a ball into left field for a single.

Prince Fielder’s at-bat was more Wee Willie Keeler than Willie Stargell -- a cue shot just past the third baseman down the left-field line. Ian Kennedy hit Rickie Weeks with a pitch, and there the Brewers went! Bases loaded, no outs. They were off!

Through four innings, Yovani Gallardo is in complete control, shutting out the Diamondbacks. And control is an operative word for Gallardo:

Next year he becomes Cliff Lee and destroys the league, I suppose. Though, there’s the counter-intuitive ERA to go along with his improved command:

The Diamondbacks mounted a serious threat in the top of the first inning but Ryan Braun killed it, and the hitters haven’t done much since.

In the bottom of the first, Ian Kennedy zipped through the top of Milwaukee’s lineup. In the bottom of the second, Kennedy struck out Prince Fielder looking and walked Rickie Weeks -- both working their counts full -- before Jerry Hairston shot a grounder toward third base that Ryan Roberts couldn’t corral. Kennedy did recover, retiring Yuniesky Betancourt on a pop into short right field and Jonathan Lucroy on a liner to left.

“Awesome! The raccoon is in the garage again, chewing through things.”

“Say, hold off on going to the store, honey! This hotel minibar has everything we need, and they’re having a sale!”

Well, it’s not like he has a hose, really. It was an accurate throw, but it was a two-hopper.

Seconds after the world stopped making fun of Willie Bloomquist leading off in a playoff game, he singled. Then he stole second. In the span of two minutes, the Diamondbacks might have well had Rickey Henderson in his prime. And when Justin Upton hit a screaming line-drive single, it looked like Willie Bloomquist, leadoff hitter, was a genius move.

xFIP stands for Expected Fielding Independent Pitching, which is defined like this:

Some people don’t like xFIP as a measure of a pitcher’s performance, and some people don’t like xFIP as a measure of a pitcher’s future performance.

Well, Parker isn’t actually going to start a game, but it’s still a bit of a surprise that he’s on the roster at all. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic does a good job explaining why:

It’s not that I don’t think Parker is a better option – he probably is, based off the way he pitched in the second half of the minor league season, in the Double-A playoffs, in his big league debut Tuesday – it’s just that he’s in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, has already surpassed his targeted innings (by a long shot) and has never pitched in relief before.

Oh, wait, there they are.

No real surprises, as Corey Hart has been the leadoff hitter since Rickie Weeks went down to injury. Hart ended up having a pretty fantastic year with the bat, so Ron Roenicke left him where he was when Weeks returned. Nyjer Morgan has the traditional speed that a lot of managers are enamored of in a leadoff hitter, but Roenicke likes his #2 hitter to do #2-hitter things, and Morgan’s as good a candidate as any.

The answer, of course, depends entirely upon where you start the clock.

If you start the clock in early April, though? Leaving aside the Rays’ 0-6 start, they were generally expected to be competitive this season, and given just a few breaks might even find themselves in the hunt for the Wild Card down the stretch. Which is, after more twists and turns than an Escher poster, exactly what happened.

The Brewers won four of the seven regular season meetings between the two teams, with each squad scoring 28 runs.

Be sure to check out our Arizona Diamondbacks blog AZ Snake Pit as well as the Milwaukee Brewers blog Brew Crew Ball.

One thing that could make Roenicke pitch Grienke on three-days’ rest, though, is Marcum’s splits this season:

Maybe it’s a fluke, or maybe it isn’t, but Marcum hasn’t liked Miller Park this season. And it’s worth nothing that he hasn’t given up a single earned run at Chase Field this year. Well, he hasn’t pitched there either, but don’t be a lawyer about it.

“Trust me, I’ll think it all out when it’s time,” Gibson said. “I really will. There’s so many numbers to look at -- home and road, ground ball/fly ball, strikeout rates, what kind of lineups you’re up against, who holds runners better. There’s a lot of different things that I’ll think about it. We’ll talk it out and go.”