D-backs suffer 'frustrating' loss after Moreno's early departure
MILWAUKEE -- When the top of the third inning ended Sunday, the D-backs could not have asked for a better position to be in. They led the Brewers by eight runs and seemed to be heading toward a sweep of the four-game series and clinching a postseason berth.
Instead, it turned out to be a miserable day for them, as the D-backs suffered a heartbreaking 10-9 loss at American Family Field and watched their starting catcher, Gabriel Moreno, limp off the field with an injury.
After the Mets defeated the Phillies on Sunday night, they were tied with the D-backs for the second NL Wild Card spot. New York holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series, but both teams have a two-game edge on the Braves with six to play.
So, in that regard, they are in good shape, but when it comes to Moreno, they are hopeful, but less sure of where things stand.
Moreno was forced to leave in the fourth inning with what the team said was left adductor tightness.
It was the same leg that caused Moreno to be on the injured list from Aug. 6-Sept. 15, as he had a left adductor strain. This time, Moreno went to block a pitch in the dirt with Sal Frelick at the plate, and after retrieving the ball, he motioned to the Arizona dugout.
After being examined by athletic trainer Max Esposito and doing some stretching, Moreno limped off the field.
Moreno will undergo an MRI on Monday in Phoenix, but manager Torey Lovullo sounded confident that it was not as serious an injury as it was the last time.
“We feel strongly it's in the same area,” Lovullo said. “It's probably just little scar tissue that was broken up. That's how it was explained to me. We have a really good baseline on it and where it's at, but we feel strongly that he is going to be OK.”
Moreno said he was extra cautious in coming out of the game due to his previous injury.
“I felt something, and I pretty much felt like I overreacted,” he said via translator Rolando Valles. “It wasn't as bad as I thought initially. It was just memories from the previous situation.”
Jose Herrera, who split playing time with Adrian Del Castillo during Moreno’s absence, replaced him in the game. Del Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Reno when Moreno was activated and he likely will be on call should Moreno have to miss any time.
While the D-backs may get good news on Moreno, there is no way to sugarcoat how disappointing Sunday’s loss was given the 8-0 lead and a chance to really put a stranglehold on a postseason spot.
“Frustrating,” Lovullo said of the loss. “It's nothing you can predict. I thought we were in total control of that game. It just goes to show you that things can change quickly. You can't take anything for granted. I don't think the team did.
"I just think we didn’t execute at some really critical times and this is how it ends up. We lost today's game, and we could have swept for four straight [games]. It would have been a nice little push for us.”
Instead, they allowed the Brewers to keep chipping away at the lead.
Milwaukee scored one in the third, two in the fourth, one in the sixth, two in the seventh and then four in the eighth to go ahead. It was a stunning turn of events given that the Brewers had scored just five runs total in the first three games of the series.
“Today doesn't feel good, but I still think there's a lot of good that comes from today,” outfielder Jake McCarthy said. “We put up a lot of runs. I think we had good at-bats in clutch situations and, again, it stinks when you lose, but we’ve got six more [games] and we’re going to focus on tomorrow.”
The D-backs open a three-game series with the Giants on Monday night at Chase Field, have Thursday off and then finish the regular season with three games at home against the Padres.