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

These plays may have cost the Brewers the Wild Card Series.

By Joey Peterson |
Wild Card Series - Arizona Diamondbacks v Milwaukee Brewers - Game Two
Wild Card Series - Arizona Diamondbacks v Milwaukee Brewers - Game Two / John Fisher/GettyImages
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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.

Play #2: Zac Gallen Snatches a Sal Frelick Liner, Ending the Brewers' Scoring Threat

The Brewers got to Zac Gallen early in Game Two. They put up two runs in the first inning, and they made Gallen walk the tight rope from the get-go.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Brewers had a chance to inflate Gallen's pitch count and build upon their 2-0 lead. After a leadoff groundout from William Contreras, a couple of singles from Carlos Santana and Mark Canha put runners on first and second with just one man out. Sal Frelick came to the plate, hoping to deal a fatal blow and burst the game wide open.

On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Frelick hit a scorcher back up the middle on a low and away 95-mph fastball. The ball left his bat at 102.3 mph, and the batted ball had an expected batting average of .590. At the crack of the bat, it felt like Milwaukee was going to drive in another run, amplifying their scoring threat with Willy Adames on deck.

Instead, Zac Gallen flashed his quick reflexes, and he was able to get his glove on the ball as it crossed the mound. The ball took the glove right off of Gallen's hand, and he was able to recover in time to fire a throw to Geraldo Perdomo at second base to initiate an inning-ending double play.

Frelick made strong contact with the pitch, but Gallen made a great play and extinguished an essential scoring threat by Milwaukee's offense.

Play #3: Geraldo Perdomo Flashes His Leather at Shortstop, Making a Leaping Stop in a Pivotal Moment

It was Milwaukee's last chance to mount a comeback to keep their 2023 season alive. The crowd was on pins and needles, and the Brewers needed to string together some hits in order to force a Game Three.

Josh Donaldson started off the bottom of the ninth inning by getting hit by a 91-mph four-seam fastball, giving the fans at American Family Field one last glimmer of hope that their season still has life.

Some fans thought this would be a prime opportunity to turn towards the bench and call upon a pinch runner for Donaldson at first base. The Brewers were facing elimination, there were strong runners available on Milwaukee's bench, and the 37-year-old Donaldson doesn't quite move as briskly as he once did.

Nonetheless, Counsell elected to keep Donaldson on the base paths. An Andrew Monasterio strikeout followed Donaldson's at-bat, bringing Tyrone Taylor to the plate with Donaldson at first base and one man out.

Tyrone quickly fell behind in the count against Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald. Taylor got a 92-mph fastball at the letters in an 0-2 count, and he gave it a drive back up the middle, causing an erruption of cheers from the crowd at American Family Field.

Taylor put a good piece of wood on the ball, generating an expected batting average of .770 on the hit. Yet, it failed to sneak past shortstop Geraldo Perdomo by the slimmest of margins.

The ball was hit 87.4 mph in the direction of Perdomo. Due to this, Donaldson had to pause at first base ever-so-slightly. Perdomo made a leaping attempt at the ball, and he was able to get his glove on the hit to knock it down before it reached the outfield.

Perdomo quickly fired the ball to Marte covering second base, and the Brewers were down to their last out of the game. Instead of having runners at first and second base with one out, the Brewers had just one man on and two outs, and their realistic hopes of completing the comeback was essentially gone.

Donaldson was in a difficult position, no doubt. If he took off immediately, there was a chance he could have been doubled up at first base had Perdomo held onto the catch. His slight hesitation provided Perdomo enough time to recover on the play and force the out at second base.

Perhaps if Counsell elected to pinch run for Donaldson, a different outcome would have ensued. Potentially a more agile runner such as Joey Wiemer or Blake Perkins could have reached second base in time to keep Milwaukee's threat alive.

It would have been a difficult play. However, considering the moment and circumstances, it's fair to question if Donaldson should have remained on the base paths in that situation.

The Brewers came up short in their best-of-three series versus the Diamondbacks. There were countless missed scoring opportunities combined with poor pitching at times from the Brewers. And yet, just a handful of plays where the ball bounced in Arizona's favor completely altered the course of this series.

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