Brewers: 3 Times the Ball Didn't Bounce the Crew's Way in the NLWCS

It felt as if this Brewers team had a different type of destiny than previous squads as they entered the playoffs, but they suffered the same fate as their previous seasons: an early postseason exit.

This time, it came at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Milwaukee made mistakes in this series, and those mistakes ultimately allowed the D-Backs to come into American Family Field and complete the sweep of the Brewers.

However, there were times throughout the two games where the Brewers fell victim to some bad batted ball luck. There were some critical plays that happened at the most inopportune times, and the bad luck impeded Milwaukee's ability to build up any sort of momentum, thus completely altering the course of the series.

In the end, every play matters in the postseason, and the Brewers were on the wrong side of too many bad breaks in this series. Here were three times where the ball didn't bounce the Brewers' way that cost them the Wild Card Series.

Play #1: Evan Longoria Turns Back the Clock With a Sensational Catch

When thinking about bad breaks in this series, it's hard not to immediately turn to this play.

It was the bottom of the fifth inning in Game One, and the Brewers were building momentum to mount a comeback from their 4-3 deficit. The first three batters reached on singles for the Brewers, loading the bases with nobody out. After a Brice Turang strikeout, Tyrone Taylor came to the plate with the bases loaded, one man out, and the game hanging in the balance.

After quickly falling behind 0-2 on two sinkers from Diamondbacks reliever Ryan Thompson, Taylor worked the count full. On the sixth pitch of the at bat, Taylor turned on a 90-mph sinker, and ripped it to the left side of the diamond.

The crowd erupted on the crack of the bat, as it appeared Taylor's 94-mph line drive was going to give the lead back to the Brewers. Instead, 37-year-old third baseman Evan Longoria made a leaping grab to his left. Longoria saved the game, and likely the series, for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The play froze Willy Adames on the base paths, and Longoria was able to recover in time to double up Adames at second base, bringing an end to the fifth inning along with any momentum the Brewers were building.

It was the most impactful play in the series bar none. The hit had an expected batting average of .770, and it appeared as if Tyrone tied the game up or gave Milwaukee the lead when the ball was struck. Instead, the ball found the glove of Evan Longoria, and it's a play Brewers fans will infamously remember for quite some time.