The Diamondbacks picked up a huge 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Coupled with losses by both the Braves and the Mets, they are now alone at the second Wild Card spot with a three-game lead for a playoff spot, and their magic number to officially clinch is down to six with eight games left.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The offense picked up their ace, as Zac Gallen hit a speed bump in the fifth. Looking downright dominant for the first four innings, the Brewers jumped him for three home runs to tie the game. That could have been a heartbreaking moment for most teams, but most teams don’t have the resiliency of this Diamondbacks squad. They answered for three runs to regain the lead and give their ace his 13th win of the season.
“It was pretty deflating, I thought Zac had a really good day,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on DbacksTV. “He gives up four runs in the fifth inning and prior to that, he was dialed up with his fastball and the command. There were a lot of well-driven fastballs at the bottom of the zone. It’s just unfortunate he gave up those four runs but the boys picked him up. They went out there and had a big top of the sixth to help get him the win.”
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. snatched the momentum right back from Milwaukee, homering against DL Hall to open the sixth. It was a big night for the Diamondbacks’ left fielder, who was activated from the injured list earlier in the day, as he had two hits and a walk in four plate appearances. Lovullo said after the game that Gurriel gives them stability and consistency in the middle of their lineup, giving them a dependable at-bat in any situation.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. gives the #Dbacks the lead back. #PiñaPower ???? pic.twitter.com/7gXsHA5Jmm
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) September 21, 2024
Arizona built an early 4-0 lead on Colin Rea. Ketel Marte hit his 33rd home run, a new career-high, on a fly ball that barely eluded the grasp of a leaping Sal Frelick. With an exit velocity of 90.3 MPH, it marked the softest-hit home run of his career.
That home run left the bat at 90.3 MPH, marking the lowest exit velocity on a home run in Ketel Marte's career. Previous low was 91.7 MPH against Eric Lauer and the San Diego Padres on April 14, 2019. https://t.co/eub2tMBAUl
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcD8393) September 21, 2024
They continued to grind, with a bottom-of-the-order rally in the second. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Geraldo Perdomo, who jumped a first-pitch curveball for a single to make it 2-0. Corbin Carroll drove Garrett Mitchell back to the edge of the grass in center to make it 3-0. Marte added an RBI double when a hard-hit ground ball kicked off the side wall and away from Jackson Chourio in left.
While Arizona hitters were building a lead, Gallen was cruising through the Milwaukee lineup. He bounced back from a long first inning and got into a nice rhythm. Picking up where Brandon Pfaadt left off in the previous game, Gallen rode his fastball to early success. He was driving it down in the zone for called strikes, jumping ahead of Brewers hitters. After four innings, he was in complete control of the game.
The Brewers showed why they were deserving of their National League Central division title against Gallen in the fifth. Joey Ortiz ambushed a 2-0 fastball to get Milwaukee on the board. Gallen had a chance to get out of the inning with limited damage, as he had two outs and two strikes on William Contreras, but he grooved a slider and Contreras launched a long home run to center. Garrett Mitchell ambushed the next pitch to tie the game.
After the Diamondbacks regained the lead in the following inning, they got a big night from the back end of their bullpen. Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez, Ryan Thompson, and A.J. Puk each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the win.
“The bullpen came in and did a really nice job, they went scoreless,” said Lovullo. “We won this game for a lot of reasons. The matchups were favorable, they went out and executed, and they did their job.”
Next Game
The Diamondbacks will go for the series win over the Brewers, with right-hander Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.00 ERA) on the mound. Milwaukee will counter with right-hander Aaron Civale (7-8, 4.48 ERA). First pitch at American Family Field will be at 4:10 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
