Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 3
PHOENIX, Apr. 12 — Josh Rojas and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had three hits each, combining for three doubles, a home run, four RBI, and four runs scored to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7–3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday afternoon.
Specifically, Rojas went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Gurriel went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, three RBI, and two runs scored. Three Diamondbacks added two hits apiece — left fielder Corbin Carroll, center fielder Alek Thomas, and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. One of Carroll’s hits was his third homer of the season, while both of Thomas’ hits were doubles.
Diamondbacks Build Big Lead over Brewers, Lovullo Ejected
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the bottom of the first off Brewers right-hander Janson Junk. It all began with Rojas, who led off and played third base. He reached on catcher’s interference after appearing to ground out. Two batters later, Gurriel — the designated hitter — ripped a double to left, advancing Rojas to third. A groundout to second by first baseman Christian Walker plated Rojas. Carroll struck out looking, ending the inning with the Diamondbacks leading, 1–0.
In the top of the third, with rookie Drey Jameson on the mound, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo took issue with plate umpire Gabe Morales’ strike zone. “Gabe is a good man and a good umpire,” Lovullo explained. “But I had had enough of certain calls that were made.” Lovullo knew once he left the dugout that he would be ejected, but, he added, “I felt like I needed to make a statement.” From lip-reading, Lovullo appeared to tell Morales that he had missed seven pitches out of the slightly more than fifty Jameson had made at that point.
Gurriel Goes Yard, Contreras Makes Unusual Error
The lead grew to 4–0 in the bottom of the third. It began with Rojas again, as he singled to right. Second baseman Ketel Marte walked, bringing up Gurriel. He brought everyone in with a three-run home run to left, his first as a Diamondback. After Walker popped foul to the catcher, Carroll singled to center. Right fielder Jake McCarthy followed with a grounder up the middle. Brewers shortstop Willy Adames scooped it up and stepped on second in time to force Carroll, but his throw to first was too late to double up McCarthy. Up came Thomas, who roped a double down the right-field line and into the corner. McCarthy tried to score, but great throws by right fielder Joey Wiemer and the relay man, second baseman Brice Turang, reached catcher William Contreras in time to retire the sliding McCarthy by a narrow margin.
It became a 5–0 game in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff walk by Perdomo. As catcher Jose Herrera batted, Perdomo bluffed a steal attempt. Contreras, not seeing it was a bluff, fired to second. With no one covering, the ball went straight into shallow center, rolling all the way to Garrett Mitchell. Perdomo advanced to second on the error, Contreras’ second of the game after the interference in the first inning. Herrera ultimately grounded to first unassisted, advancing Perdomo to third. Rojas brought Perdomo home with the first of his two doubles, this one off the wall in left-center. A Marte groundout to second advanced Rojas to third, but a fly to left by Gurriel left Rojas stranded.
Brewers Make It a Close Game
Jameson lasted four innings, tossing 54 pitches — 36 for strikes — against 14 hitters. With him having started the season as a long reliever, Jameson had a low pitch limit from the medical staff. Righty Kevin Ginkel and lefty Kyle Nelson combined for a scoreless fifth and sixth. Recent call-up Luis Frias pitched the seventh, facing four hitters without recording an out. First baseman Luke Voit led off with an infield single to second. A single to right by Turang and walk by Wiemer loaded the bases for third baseman Mike Brosseau, whose single to center scored Voit.
Acting manager Jeff Banister brought in Andrew Chafin for a lefty-lefty matchup with Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich. Yelich won this battle, belting a single to left that scored both Turang and Wiemer. Adames followed with a bouncer to the right side. Walker cleanly fielded it, pivoted, and whipped it to second. Perdomo caught it and quickly relayed to first. Chafin, covering, reached well to his right to snag the wide throw. He made the catch on the right-field side, falling to the ground while barely keeping his foot on the bag. The Brewers challenged, but the call stood after replay review. Right-handed-hitting Brian Anderson, pinch-hitting for Tellez, lined the ensuing pitch back up the middle. Chafin reached to his right and gloved it in the style of an NHL goalie, retiring the side and holding the Brewers to three runs.
Diamondbacks Respond, Finish Brewers Off
The Diamondbacks responded in the bottom half. Gurriel led off with a single to left. Two batters later and with one now out, Carroll launched a drive to the left-center-field seats for a two-run homer, making the score 7–3.
Diamondbacks reliever Miguel Castro and Brewers reliever Javy Guerra combined to pitch a scoreless eighth. Scott McGough, who missed Tuesday’s game to attend the birth of his second child, pitched a scoreless ninth to finalize the 7–3 score.
Postgame Reflections
Lovullo opened his postgame conference with, “I never want to get thrown out of a baseball game. It’s never my first thought, second thought, or tenth thought. Gabe is a good man and a good umpire. But I felt like I had enough of certain calls that were made. I knew once I left the dugout that I was gonna be ejected. It was a conscious decision, subconscious decision I made — I don’t know. I just felt like I needed to make a statement and tell him how I felt.”
Lovullo went on to mention that he had a chance to watch the game “through a different lens,” adding, “I was proud of the way we fought. We scored an early run, Gurriel has a big three-run home run. Corbin, when they closed the gap a little bit, had a great approach and drove the ball over the left-center-field wall. When you’re hitting the ball that hard the opposite way, you’re loaded up and in a really good hitting position. That’s not an accidental swing.”
In Lovullo’s eyes, the key play was Chafin pitching out of the bases loaded, no out jam in the seventh while only allowing the three inherited runners to score. “What I said to the team at the beginning of the year is to be able to execute at a critical moment…. We did it several times today, and that one play highlighted it for me.”
Looking Ahead
Kyle Nelson (2–0) notched the win in relief, while Junk (0–1) took the loss. The Diamondbacks (8–5, first in NL West) head east for a six-game road trip. That will open Friday night with a three-gamer against the Miami Marlins. Madison Bumgarner (0–1, 7.27 ERA) will take the hill for the Diamondbacks against Trevor Rogers (0–2, 6.00 ERA) of the Marlins in a battle of lefties. First pitch will be at 3:40 pm Arizona time.
The Brewers (8–4, first in NL Central) will continue their road trip with a four-game series against the San Diego Padres from Thursday to Sunday. Nick Martinez (0–1, 6.17 ERA) will start for the Padres, while the Brewers have yet to announce a starter. First pitch will be 8:40 pm Central Time/6:40 pm Pacific.
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