October 4th, 2011 @ 9:30 PM EST
Moneyline: MIL -115, ARI -105
Total: 9
SP: MIL- Shaun Marcum; ARI- Josh Collmenter
After game one, Diamondbacks fans and players had little reason for positive thoughts. They managed only 4 hits, with Willie Bloomquist accounting for half of them, and they left seven of their eight runners stranded, managing a mere run in the eighth inning to avoid the shutout. While Milwaukee wasn’t on fire either, they did manage 4 runs which proved to be more than enough run support for Yovani Gallardo, who gave up all four hits in eight innings, while striking out 9 hitters; his lone hit was a homer given up to Diamondbacks third baseman Ryan Roberts, who hit only .249 on the season.
Game two didn’t change things much for the underdog Diamondbacks. Game two ended their hitting wose, as they recorded 10 hits to their mere 4 from game one; but the problem in Game Two was that they gave up too many runs.
Ryan Braun hit a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning and Rickie Weeks drilled one deep center for another two runs. The Brewers had three players with multiple hit games (Morgan (2), Braun (3), Hairston Jr. (2)), and seven players with at least a hit, and unlike the Diamondbacks, who left 19 runners stranded, Milwaukee took care of business with their guys in scoring positon, which enabled them to reel off 9 runs, five of which came in a wild sixth inning. Cory Hart, Morgan, and Ryan Braun all came through with RBI singles in that inning and it put the Brewers ahead for the rest of the game.
Braun commented on the mindfullness of his teammates:
“We’ve done a really good job of staying in the moment, embracing the moment andtrying to accomplish as much as we can every day.”
While Brewers’ pitcher Zach Greinke had a fair outing, with seven strikeouts in five innings (though he did give up all four Diamondbacks’ runs and 8 of the 10 hits), but it was their relievers that sealed the game for them in game two. Saito picked up the win in the decision, while Hawkins, K-Rod, and Axford all threw a scoreless inning each themselves, though none of the four recorded a strikeout.
The Brewers know they are going to need more big offensive outings. Shaun Marcum is an excellent pitcher and won 65% of his decisions in the regular season, while also maintaining a 3.54 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He did, however, lose four of his last six decisions during the regular season. He had plenty of time against Saint Louis during the regular season, 19 innings to be exact, giving up 9 runs in the three games, while shutting the Diamondbacks out on August 30th. He isn’t a dominant strikeout pitcher, but he knows how to work pitch counts and mix it up so that his change up remains effective. His off speed pitches are solid and he forces a lot of ground balls. If he can keep the Diamondbacks under 5 earned runs, the Brewers will be in very good shape, given their run scoring abilities.
The Diamondbacks will trot out stud rookie Josh Collmenter, one of the best pitching prospects to have come through their system. His rookie year by all means could be dubbed a success, as he split 20 decisions and compiled a 3.38 ERA. His WHIP was nearly 1.00 (1.07 for good measure) and he struck out 100 batters in 151 IP. As the mystery with his release faded, teams began to get a better handle on how to handle his unorthodox release, and his stats fell…but he is still effective for sure, not like Dontrelle Willis, who came in with an even more awkward yet overpowering release which eventually became predictable and easy to exploit. Awkward releases often produce instant success, but it is having a arrangement of pitches that makes the difference.
Perhaps the difference with Collmenter is that he knows he can’t just rely on his fastball, which tops out in the high 90s. He said he as “(trying) to establish the fastball, work a changeup…[keep] them uncomfortable.” Collmenter has the stuff in his bag to keep the Brewers guessing at the plate, but if they get hot, he could get flustered – as a rookie on the big stage. We’ll get to see how well he adapts to post season pressure tonight.
Maybe it is Collmenter, but Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson remains steadfast in their belief that they can win the series, and doesn’t by any means feel the Diamondbacks are out of it, despite being down 2-0.
“We understand people are going to have opinions….It’s not over yet…We’re still competing…still in the series.”
Indeed, it isn’t over yet, but if Greinke take care of business and just keep the Diamondbacks under 5 runs, he and the Brewers should emerge victorious. The betting odds are nearly even on this one, and it is partly due to the fact that the Diamondbacks are at home where they won 51 of their 94 games, finishing with a .629 record at home.
