MILWAUKEE — The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday at American Family Field and will advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Diamondbacks swept the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series against the Brewers, making Wednesday's win the first time in 16 years the team secured a postseason series victory.
The Diamondbacks will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five NL Division Series. The first game will be on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Original story:
Who would've thought the Arizona Diamondbacks would be in this position? One victory away from sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card series, yet the challenge to do so is monumental.
"Anytime you have a close-out game, you better bring your A game and not take anything for granted," D-backs Manager Torey Lovullo, said. "We have to go out and play our finest game and that is my expectation."
If the Diamondbacks bullpen can replicate the performance they had in Game 1, this team will be hard to beat. Reliever Kevin Ginkel stepped up in one of the biggest spots of the game and the result? Six up, six down to go along with four strikeouts.
"I am super happy with the work the boys did last night," catcher Gabby Moreno, said. "At the end of the day, it was that group that helped us get the Game 1 win, really phenomenal work."
The Arizona bullpen combined for 6.1 innings of work, seven strikeouts, five hits, and no earned runs. It was a franchise record for innings pitched in a postseason win.
A tremendous outing from a group that back in mid-August had an ERA of 4.67, near the bottom of the league. Yet the execution has dramatically improved, as the D-backs rep a much better number ranked fourth in the league with an ERA of 3.09.
But the focus moves on to Game 2 and leaning on ace Zac Gallen in his postseason debut to help advance this team to the NL Division Series.
"He's very focused," Lovullo said. "There is a lot of studying and game-planning and he's very structured. He’s got a purpose today and he really is the same today as he normally is but he does come to the ballpark a little differently on his start days."
Let's hope the intense focus from Gallen and company will push the D-backs into a place most thought they'd never be, the second round of the postseason facing their rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As for the mindset ahead of a series-clinching matchup? A man of few words from the team's skipper.
"I won't say anything to the team," Lovullo said to the media. "I don’t need to. They are motivated, they are very prepped and ready to go."
The first pitch for Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series between the Diamondbacks and Brewers is set for 4:08 p.m.
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