That backfire loomed over Thursday\u2019s disaster, as the Dodgers walloped the Diamondbacks 8-0 to clinch their 12th National League West crown in 13 years.<\/p>\n
The Diamondbacks (80-79) were knocked back to two games out (technically) from the third National League Wild Card spot with three games remaining.<\/p>\n
Arizona opted to push back Zac Gallen to Friday against the San Diego Padres, a move explained as matchups based and necessary to give Gallen an extra day of rest after he had been battling illness.<\/p>\n
So, the Diamondbacks went with an opener in Jalen Beeks, followed Nabil Crismatt as the planned bulk innings eater of a bullpen game.<\/p>\n
It did not work.<\/p>\n
Beeks recorded a 1-2-3 first inning but gave up a home run to Freddie Freeman to lead off the second. Crismatt entered and immediately allowed a home run to Andy Pages. Shohei Ohtani and Freeman both homered off Crismatt in the fourth inning, and this game grinded quickly off the rails.<\/p>\n
Manager Torey Lovullo mentioned pregame, \u201cIf it starts to wobble a little bit, we have no margin for error, zip. We gotta move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
In contrast, Crismatt \u2014 who had been a great story of the second half with a 2.61 ERA as a Diamondback since signing a minor league contract \u2014 was lit up for seven runs (five earned) in three innings of work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were four runs down and I just wanted to stretch things as far as I could so I didn\u2019t have to use up an entire bullpen,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cIt just didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, threw six scoreless innings, as Arizona scored one run off Dodgers starting pitching this series (18 innings). The Diamondbacks mounted four- and three-run comebacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, but 8-0 was another story.<\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s four-man rotation left the Diamondbacks needing one more Crismatt outing, but with every game being vital to making the postseason, having the bullpen game come now when it isn\u2019t certain Saturday or Sunday will be meaningful was a failed strategy. That is, unless Gallen really needed the day off. Lovullo said this was a team decision, not a player decision.<\/p>\n
Where it leaves the Diamondbacks is likely having to sweep the Padres this weekend for a prayer at the postseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe backed ourselves into a corner,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cWe know where we stand, and we gotta go out and we gotta fight our way out of that corner. The Padres are a good team, so I can sit here and tell you we gotta sweep them. We do. I think that\u2019s the mindset. We\u2019ve gotta win every game we can, and we\u2019ve got three left.\u201d<\/p>\n
What happened to the Diamondbacks in the Wild Card race?<\/p>\n
The Reds (81-78) defeated the Pirates 2-1 on Thursday to avoid getting swept. Reds right fielder Noelvi Marte robbed Bryan Reynolds of the game-tying home run in the ninth inning, a potential season-saving play.<\/p>\n
Cincinnati is one game ahead of Arizona in the standings, but its tiebreaker makes that a two-game lead. The Reds won four of six games against the D-backs this year.<\/p>\n
The Reds close the season on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have locked up the NL Central and will have a Wild Card Series bye.<\/p>\n
The Brewers need a win or a Phillies loss to ensure home-field advantage in the NLCS should they get there. Quinn Priester (3.25 ERA) will start Friday\u2019s game<\/a> for Milwaukee, and the Brewers are 19-0 in his last 19 starts. The Reds are going with Zack Littell (3.86). Milwaukee has not announced the rest of its rotation, and how it deploys its regulars factors into Arizona\u2019s playoff chances.<\/p>\n The Mets (81-77), meanwhile, wrap up their series with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday evening. With a win, the Mets would be back in the third NL Wild Card spot, one game ahead of the Reds and two up on Arizona. A loss would put them in between.<\/p>\n New York ends the season at the pesky Miami Marlins with Sandy Alcantara (2.70 ERA last seven starts), Eury Perez (4.20) and Edward Cabrera (3.66) lined up<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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