It's a safe bet that the closest the execrable Arizona Diamondbacks squad will get to this year's postseason will be tuning into Joe Buck and Tim McCarver's play-by-play on FOX. But that's not to say our lovable losers won't have a say in who'll be in the MLB playoffs come October.
Since it's unlikely the D-Backs will become contenders during the remaining 10 weeks of the season (barring an unheard-of Bad News Bears-like turnaround), then perhaps they can become spoilers for teams with a legit shot at the World Series, much like the cockblocking they dealt to the Colorado Rockies last night with a 6-5 comeback victory at Coors Field.
The Mile High sluggers were undoubtedly looking to pad their lead over the slumping San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card standings, and were well on their way to doing so by mounting a 3-0 lead on the Snakes in the second. Max Scherzer (5-6, 3.86 ERA) fizzled out quickly, draining his tank by tossing a staggering amount of heaters in the early innings (to the tune of 95 pitches in total, averaging around 10 per batter faced). After handily retiring the side in the first, Mad Max got rocked by the Rockies in the next frame, including a homer from Troy Tulowitzki to start off the second. Control also was a major factor, as a wild pitch by Scherzer provided an opening for Ian Stewart to cruise into the dish after he'd already donked a triple to left field.
Unlike Monday night's debacle, the Snakes managed to rebound from the deficit, hacking away at the lead slowly but surely with leadoff men making it aboard in nearly every inning. It started out with the combined heroics of Stephen Drew and Justin Upton in the fourth, when the shortstop plunked a single and later reached third before J-Up's sacrifice single provided the opportunity to score. Their run-generating tag team also came up big in the sixth with a line drive by Drew (who went 4-for-4 on the evening) followed by a titanic triple by Upton to cut the score to 4-3.
Miguel Montero was equally stellar near the end of the night, as Colorado reliever Juan Rincon provided a pitch that the Arizona catcher transformed into a two-run downtown shot in the eighth inning that put the Snakes up for good. Speaking of ace efforts, the bullpen produced a more than competent effort to secure the win, with closer Chad Qualls nabbing a four-out save.
The D-Backs will attempt derail the Rockies' playoff hopes even further and win the series during this afternoon's rubber game as Jon Garland (5-9, 4.45) tries to secure his first career victory at Coors Field against Ubaldo Jimenez (7-9, 3.82). First pitch is at 12:10 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. Radio: KTAR-AM 620. For more info, visit www.dbacks.com.
