Not much went right for the Brewers after the first two innings in their Game 1 loss
The weather was gorgeous – 80 degrees and clear – and the roof open at American Family Field.
Team principal owner Mark Attanasio delivered a positive update regarding the ballpark funding discussion.
And “Mr. Baseball” Bob Uecker delivered a ceremonial first-pitch strike.
Indeed, spirits were high for the Milwaukee Brewers at the outset of their first home playoff game in nearly two years and the juju turning in a positive direction a day after the stunning news Brandon Woodruff might be done for the season.
Things looked even better two innings in, with Corbin Burnes holding a three-run lead.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it all turned.
In the span of two pitches the Arizona Diamondbacks tied the game on consecutive home runs and another homer later put the Brewers behind to stay in an eventual 6-3 Game 1 loss in the teams' National League wild-card series matchup Tuesday night.
Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for Milwaukee in this game did.
Starter Corbin Burnes needed 92 pitches to get through four innings, the offense couldn't convert multiple opportunities after the early innings, the Diamondbacks got break after break (not to mention several tremendous defensive plays from Evan Longoria at third base) and Devin Williams had no feel for his "Airbender" changeup as Arizona put the game out of reach against him in the ninth.
And now, Zac Gallen awaits Wednesday in Game 2 with Merrill Kelly lined up for Game 3 if Milwaukee can somehow make it to Thursday.
"You've still got to go out there and compete," Burnes said. "It doesn't matter who it is on any given day – you can go out there and lace your pitches up and hit a couple of homers and change the game pretty quickly. That's what happened tonight.
"Gallen has had a great year. Kelly had a great year. But you still have to go out there and pitch and get outs. Doesn't really matter what you've done up to this point.
"You have to go out and perform."
Here are three takeaways from the defeat.
Arizona had Corbin Burnes's number again, beginning in the third inning
The right-hander talked Monday spoke of his affinity for the cat-and-mouse game between a pitcher and an opposing offense.
Burnes won that battle in his first start against the Diamondbacks this season, tossing eight shutout innings against them April 11 at Chase Field.
Arizona turned the tables on him on June 19 by scoring six times in the first inning, and the seven runs he allowed over five innings in that loss were a season high for him in 32 starts.
He opened this one in a promising manner, retiring seven of the first eight batters he faced after being staked to a 3-0 lead while allowing only a Christian Walker single in the second.
The tenor changed quickly in the third.
After opening by fanning Evan Longoria, Burnes surrendered a single to No. 9 hitter Geraldo Perdomo to turn the Arizona lineup over.
That brought the dangerous Corbin Carroll to the plate, and three pitches into his at-bat he unloaded on a changeup down but out over the plate and sent it 444 feet out to the second deck in right-center.
The switch-hitting Ketel Marte, up next, got a first-pitch cutter slightly in but again over the plate and he deposited it 377 feet out to right to make it 3-3 and completely change the complexion of the game.
Burnes made his third and most costly mistake to open the fourth against Gabriel Moreno.
In a 2-2 count it was this time a slider that was up but – you guessed it – in the strike zone and the rookie backstop homered 425 feet out to center.
No one knew it at the time, but it would end up as the decisive blow of the game.
Burnes went on to retire the side but it took 28 pitches in all, and after he opened the fifth by walking Perdomo and Carroll his night was finished.
"First time through, we did well," he said. "We attacked the zone, got ahead, got weak contact when we needed to. Second time through, we just made too many mistakes up in the zone. The ball Carroll hit wasn't a bad changeup, but a hitter like that does well against in the changeups in the zone. We have to be better there.
"The one that Marte hit was an elevated cutter, and the next inning, it was an elevated slider to Moreno. It was just lack of executing pitches. And in a postseason game, giving up homers like that, it's a difference maker."
The four innings tied a season low – he also threw four in his last regular-season outing on Sept. 28 by design – and the three homers allowed were one shy of a season high.
Overall, it was far from what was expected from the team’s ace and exactly what the Brewers couldn’t afford to have happen with Woodruff on the shelf.
"The offense did a great job of coming out and swinging the bats and scoring runs early. I just did a poor job after that of executing pitches," Burnes said. "That's really all it comes down to. When I was executing pitches the first couple of innings, we got quick outs, and a lot of ground balls, some strikeouts.
"Then when I stopped executing pitches, they didn't miss."
Now, the pressure is on Freddy Peralta to help the Brewers survive to play a Game 3.
As for Burnes, there's a chance that was his final start in a Milwaukee uniform if he is indeed traded in the offseason as many believe he will be.
More: From Rollie Fingers to Brandon Woodruff, a Brewers curse of pre-playoff injuries continues
Yet more frustration for the offense as the Brewers leave 11 men on base
With rookie Brandon Pfaadt starting for the Diamondbacks, there was never a better opportunity for the Brewers offense to do some early damage.
And that it did, scoring once in the first on a Carlos Santana single and twice more in the second on a Tyrone Taylor homer.
Despite that quick 3-0 lead the potential runs Milwaukee left on the board in the first foreshadowed what would happen the remainder of the game.
Christian Yelich walked and then William Contreras and Santana singled only to have Mark Canha, Sal Frelick and Willy Adames all strike out in succession after that.
Then, a one-out single by Frelick followed by a broken-bat bloop Adames double to left put runners on second and third. Josh Donaldson flew out, Brice Turang walked and Taylor grounded out.
The height of frustration came in the fifth as Frelick, Adames and Donaldson all singled to load the bases.
After Turang struck out, Taylor lined a shot that appeared destined for the left-field corner and likely to clear the bases. Instead, Longoria made a leaping grab at third base and then fired over to second to double up Adames.
Inning over. Ballpark deflated.
The bad luck continued in the sixth when, after a leadoff walk by Yelich, Contreras hit a dribbler that Longoria fielded on the run only to lose his grip on the baseball.
He quickly regained control of it and then alertly fired back to second, where Yelich had overrun the base. His throw was on the money and Marte laid the tag on Yelich. He was initially ruled safe but Alan Porter's call was overturned.
A strikeout and groundout later and the Brewers were scoreless after yet another frustrating inning.
Arizona's bullpen clamped down the rest of the way, and even though Milwaukee won in overall hits, 12-9, it finished 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position
"It was kind of a wild game offensively," said Canha, 0 for 4 on the night. "We had a ton of hits and a lot of opportunities and it just felt like we needed that one more big hit and just couldn't get it.
"That happens sometimes."
Maximizing whatever opportunities they manage to get against Gallen on Tuesday will be paramount.
A frustrating ninth inning for Devin Williams
The Brewers closer was well-rested after a quiet last couple weeks for him and trotted in from the bullpen in the ninth focused on maintaining what was a one-run deficit at 4-3.
It didn't work out that way, as he walked the first two batters he faced and three in all before surrendering a two-out, two-run double to Christian Walker that put the final nails in Milwaukee's coffin.
"I felt good. Got a bit of rest here. I couldn’t land the changeup today," Williams said. "I just kind of lost it. I was living with my fastball there."
If there was any good news with regard to the bullpen, it's that five other relievers – including rookies Abner Uribe and Elvis Peguero – pitched well and spread the workload evenly.
"We'll be fine in the bullpen tomorrow," said manager Craig Counsell. "No concerns there."
But Williams threw 31 pitches in all, a relatively high workload for one night. He was asked if he felt like he'd be able to pitch in Game 2 if needed.
"If you’re asking me right now, I’d say I would be in there," he said. "But that’s Counsell’s decision."
With everything riding on Game 3, expect all the stops to be pulled out.
"In a three-game series, you lose Game 1, your back is up against the wall, you're facing adversity, and we have to respond to it," said Counsell. "It's as simple as that."
More: Jesse Winker comes all the way back to surprisingly make the Brewers' wild-card series roster
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers faltered after two innings in Game 1 loss to Diamondbacks
