Mistakes From Coaching Staff Costly in Game One Loss to Milwaukee Brewers

Published: 1st Oct 11 5:56 pm
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Kevin Bonneville
Kevin Bonneville

Looking across the game of baseball, it is hard to find a coaching staff more important to a team’s success than that of the Diamondbacks this season. You could even argue that Kirk Gibson and company were one of the biggest reasons for Arizona shocking the baseball world and making the playoffs this season.

That same coaching staff probably cost the Diamondbacks a chance at a win in Saturday’s Game One of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The poor decision making by the coaching staff started in the first inning.

With Willie Bloomquist at second and only one out, Justin Upton hit a lined shot in the outfield to Brewers MVP candidate Ryan Braun. It looked as though Bloomquist didn’t get good job on the ball, but third base coach Matt Williams sent him home anyways. Williams decision resulted in Bloomquist being out by a mile.

If Williams hadn’t sent the former ASU product, you are business in the inning with runners on first and third and only one out with your cleanup hitter in Miguel Montero coming up to the plate. Sure Miggy could have grounded into a double play and Williams decision wouldn’t have mattered, but you have to at least put Montero in that situation to begin with. He could have hit a three-run homer for all we know.

The bad choices didn’t end there.

For whatever reason, Gibson didn’t ask Ian Kennedy to walk Jonathan Lucroy with an open base with two outs and a runner on third with the pitcher on-deck. Kennedy ended up pitching to Lucroy and the Brewers catcher dumped a looper in between Gerardo Parra and Bloomquist to give his team a two-run lead with only three innings left.

Yovani Gallardo is a pretty good hitting pitcher, but you should always walk the eight-hole hitter in that situation to bring up the pitcher to the plate. Baseball is a game of odds and Gibby didn’t pay the odds in that spot.

Gibson didn’t pay the odds once again an inning later. With two outs and a runner on, the D’Backs skipper decided to stick with his ace to pitch to Prince Fielder. On the second pitch of the at-bat, IPK hung a breaking ball that Fielder hit into the right field stands for a two-run homer.

If Gibson wanted to pitch to Fielder, he should have went to Joe Paterson out of the bullpen. Kennedy was spent at the moment with having thrown over 100 pitches and Paterson has pitched well all season long against two lefties. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Arizona will have to put Game One behind them quickly as Game Two is in less than 24 hours. A pair of 16 game winners will face off with one another. Daniel Hudson will be on the mound for Arizona. Zach Greinke, who is going on three days rest, will be the starter for Milwaukee.

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