Comeback Complete: Arizona Diamondbacks Storm Back

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Finally getting to a dozen wins, the Arizona Diamondbacks topped the Milwaukee Brewers by a final of 7-5 on Tuesday night.

In every stretch of the imagination, the D-backs played a perfect game. 

Surely, they could have done without the five run first inning that was predicated on an infield error that brought in four additional runs, but Josh Collmenter responded surprisingly well.  Falling just an out short of the “quality” start, even though five runs crossed the plate under his watch, anyone who watched the game knows that Collmenter was solid.

Barring physical impairments to any of the men in the starting lineup on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks lineup should day in and day out resemble what it put forth.  There have been rumblings of fans not in the corner of Chris Owings, but while he is hot, batting him second makes total sense. 

After an overturned replay in the first, Paul Goldschmidt unloaded for his sixth home run of the season.  Finishing the night 3-for-5, Goldy raised his average up to .342.  The All-Star Game may be over two months away, but it is not difficult to see who will be in Minnesota representing the desert in the mid-Summer Classic.

Chipping away in the middle innings while the pitching was airtight, the D-backs trimmed the Brewer lead down to 5-4 after seven innings of play.  Although the Milwaukee bullpen has been impenetrable in the early portions of 2014, “regression to the mean” has to occur eventually.

I’m willing to bet if you asked Aaron Hill, he would agree with you.  Crushing a Brandon Kintzler offering, Hill’s only hit of the night was the rocket shot that sailed into the left centerfield bullpen, putting the D-backs up for good at 7-5.  The comeback was complete.

Seven runs from the offense.  An extremely solid start from the starter.  Just one thing was missing—the bullpen.

Unlike the narrative over the past month, there is no tragic story on the horizon.  In fact, Evan Marshall, making his Major League debut, got the win.  Featuring a 95 MPH power sinker, Marshall showed why he carved apart batters at triple-A Reno. 

In an ideal world, a 7-8-9 inning trio of Marshall, Brad Ziegler and Addison Reed should work wonders.  Now, just for the starters to get it there.

Sitting at 12-24, things are not pretty in Arizona.  In a division that features prominent powers such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, a run at the National League West crown is highly unlikely.  Even though the playoffs have expanded to include an extra team, there is still a largess sum of work to be done. 

Getting underway at 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks will be featured on the MLB Network, as Bronson Arroyo takes the mound in opposition of Wily Peralta.  Last time out, both men had their best outings of the season. 

With a chance to win a series on the road against the team with the best record in baseball, expect Kirk Gibson to pull out all the stops on Wednesday, especially considering the off day on Thursday.

It is a long journey back to the top, but it has to start somewhere.