Arizona Diamondbacks Rocked in Opener Against Milwaukee

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Done in by the bullpen once again, the Arizona Diamondbacks dropped the opener of the series to the Milwaukee Brewers by a final of 8-3.

Maybe the writing was on the wall when the first pitch of the game from Mike Bolsinger was taken right back out the front door from Carlos Gomez, a resounding solo shot that influenced the game in ways more than just that one singular run.  Gomez would go to have a perfect night at the plate, going 2-for-2 with three walks and three runs driven in. 

Bolsinger, on the other hand, seemingly pitched “just well enough.”  He did not get his doors kicked in, but he was also unable to completely slow the rabid Brewers offense.  Over his five innings of work, he allowed four runs, ballooning his ERA up over six.

The only occasion in which the D-backs held the lead was the first inning, when Aaron Hill drove home a run with an RBI single.  For the day, Hill was perfect as well, going 4-for-4 with two runs driven in. 

Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks offense could not sustain.  Striking out as many times as they got a hit on Monday night (10 each), the club could not bring in runners once they reached base.  They finished the night with 12 runners left on base.

Then, there was the bullpen. 

Randall Delgado’s horned-rim glasses impression of Rick Vaughn was not fooling anyone; in fact, he was even worse than normal.  Nearly back in enough good graces to potentially rejoin the starting rotation sooner rather later, Delgado retired the first batter he faced.  From there–walk, walk, wild pitch, two-RBI single, booming home run.  Four runs crossed the plate in the blink of an eye, and the D-backs chances at a victory vanished with them.

This bullpen conundrum is an ever-evolving, complex issue.  Both Randall Delgado and Trevor Cahill have been stuck in middling bullpen purgatory for the better half of three weeks.  Not only are they still not getting people out, they are ruining potentially close games and shoving a tube of dynamite into them.  It may sound bizarre, but it is time to throw them both back into the starting rotation.  A “sink or swim” strategy is the only option Kirk Gibson has left before the biggest goal the team will have left all season is battling the Cubs for the worst record in the league. 

Even though the Brewers possess the league’s best record, they are not an impenetrable force.  The D-backs look to counter on Tuesday night when they send Josh Collmenter to the hill against Marco Estrada.  The contest will get underway at 5:10 p.m. with Collmenter looking to continue his recent dominance over the Brewers.