NL Wild Card Game Live Blog: Rockies at Diamondbacks, Jon Gray vs. Zack Greinke

Update 10:12 pm MT: And Nolan Arenado grounds into a fielders choice to end the game and the Rockies season.

It was an absolutely insane game and it was “fun” (in a way) but still an absolutely devastating loss emotionally. And at the end of the day, it’s a two-run triple from a reliever that makes the difference. That’s baseball.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one folks—which is to say (since the comments were closed a while ago) hit me up on twitter if you actually stuck with me. @playerTBNL

Stay tuned to Purple Row as we switch into offseason mode. Get ready for big things in 2018. #Rocktober forever

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Update 10:03 pm MT: Carlos Gonzalez hits an RBI single up the middle in what could end up being his last AB as a Rockie. 11-8, Nolan at the plate.

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Update 10:01 pm MT: Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu looked awful striking out against Rodney. So....................yeah..............

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Update 9:58 pm MT: Ian Desmond leadoff single. Maybe?

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Update 9:53 pm MT: Jeff Mathis lays down a perfect bunt to the third base side—which is a big no-no when there are two outs but when Holland falls off the first base side of the mound as hard as he does it’s actually quietly brilliant, okay, there, I’m done complementing him—and it’s 11-7 Rockies.

Yeah, Fernando Rodney is coming in and he’s do for an implosion and yadda yadda but even if he blows it I’m not sure I can handle the bottom of the ninth anyway.

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Update 9:48 pm MT: Carlos Estevez came in pumping heat (101 mph several times) but gave up a single to Paul Goldschmidt. Bud Black brings in closer Greg Holland, who gets Julio Daniel to ground into a fielder’s choice. Lamb dumped a 2-2 slider into left.

Then, the dagger: AJ Pollock hits ANOTHER two-run triple for the Diamondbacks and now it’s 10-7 Diamondbacks and I never want to see another Diamondback again.

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Update 9:30 pm MT: Pat Valaika nearly wrapped it around the left field foul pole to make it back-to-back-to-back but it hooked just foul. He doubled to the opposite field to bring Lucroy to the plate who gave it a ride but flew out to right.

It’s a one run game again people and I don’t know about you but I feel like I’ve already had three heart attacks this inning.

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Update 9:21 pm MT: Nolan Arenado flashes his MVP credentials with a DEEP solo home run to dead center field...which Trevor Story followed up by hitting an oppo-taco (on National Taco Day) to give us taco’s.

In a universe where we didn’t JUST give up a two-run triple to a RELIEF PITCHER who looks like he plays the jug in a bluegrass band, the Rockies have a lead. As such, it’s 8-7.

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Update 9:10 pm MT: The Diamondbacks had two on with one out and manager Torey Lovullo allowed Jeff Mathis (who struck out) and reliever Archie Bradley to hit. Seems like some bad managing, right? Until Bradley hit a 2-2 hanging slider over Parra’s head for a two-run triple.

Archie Bradley. A reliever. Hit a two-run triple. I don’t have jokes, folks. I just have all the existential dread a baseball game could give me.

Jake McGee got David Peralta to groundout to end the inning but this...this one hurts.

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Update 8:55 pm MT: It’s not everyday you see a legitimate MVP candidate pull off a squeeze bunt in a winner-take-all playoff game. But here we are. Chuck drives in Lucroy to make it 6-5 (and was nearly safe at first). Two outs and Archie Bradley, comes in and retires DJ on the first pitch to send us to the bottom of the seventh.

It’s a one-run game folks. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! TRY NOT TO VOMIT!

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Update 8:47 pm MT: Lucroy doubled (read: was two vertical feet away from hitting a home run to dead center) and moved to third on a passed ball. Then Ian Desmond decided THIS was the 2-2 pitch he wanted to swing at.

Hold on to your butts: Jorge De La Rosa is in to face Blackmon with one out and a man on third.

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Update 8:44 pm MT: No, Neshek didn’t fake autograph the ball when he struck out Julio Daniel Martinez, but he was pumped nonetheless.

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Update 8:38 pm MT: Pat Neshek gets the two most dangerous bats in the lineup to keep it a two run game. Lucroy-Desmond-Blackmon due up in the top of the seventh.

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Update 8:35 pm MT: I’m willing to entertain the assertion that Chris Rusin is fallible. He gave up a leadoff single to Peralta, after all. But then he struck out Marte at exactly the right time and after 2¹⁄₃ innings, he’s out.

Bud Black makes the bold move to grab Pat Neshek to face righties Goldschmidt and Juilo Daniel. Ian Desmond is in at first and in the ninth spot in the lineup (due up second next inning).

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Update 8:25 pm MT: Gerardo Parra is on a campaign to make you like him after last year with his second hit of the night. Unfortunately he was erased on a double play ball from Mark Reynolds and we go to the bottom of the sixth. Robbie Ray, who’s name is much more fun in pig latin, is still on the mound for Arizona and will probably keep going I guess.

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Update 8:20 pm MT: Chris Rusin is the relief ace the Rockies need and the one the Rockies fans deserve. Despite a two-out walk to Jeff Mathis, Rusin has put up two zeroes so far. To the top of the sixth we go!

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Update 8:10 pm MT: Robbie Ray, who tried and failed to kill a bird one time, is in the game for the Diamondbacks and I’m wondering if I will be alive when this game ends.

He strikes out DJ and Cargo before getting Nolan to fly out to just in front of the right field foul pole to send it to the bottom of the fifth.

BY THE WAY, if you’re here for the GameThread, we’ve officially moved into an overflow.

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Update 8:00 pm MT: Rusin got Goldy to ground out to ground out to Nolan for the second out. He then intentionally walked JD Martinez to face Jake Lamb and got him to pop up to Lucroy to end the inning. Rockies still trail by two headed to the fifth.

Did you know that JD is short for Juilo Daniel? If I had a fake ID name like that, I’d go by JD as well.

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Update 7:53 pm MT: Chris Rusin comes in the game and Ketel Marte, who the Mariners deemed expendable, hits his second triple of the night.

Here’s the thing, my video glitched and the Rockies scored. It came back and Marte tripled. I will now attempt to live blog without actually watching the game. For luck.

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Update 7:47 pm MT: Andrew Chafin, who’s mustache makes him look like Mad Dog Tannen, gets Charlie. AJ Pollock had to make a sliding catch and he dug up more turf than your Uncle Lou at the driving range. To the bottom of the fourth, 6-4 Dbacks.

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Update 7:42 pm MT: Well, the feed from the TBS website glitched hard on me but Twitter tells me that after Reynolds hit an RBI ground out, Lucroy doubled and Alexi Amarista (yes, THAT Alexi Amarista) hit a single to make it 6-4. Noted bad teammate and autograph-promise-breaker Zack Greinke is out of the game after 4 ²⁄₃ innings.

Folks, we have a baseball game.

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Update 7:35 pm MT: Rockies are on the board! Parra singles off shovel-face to drive in Arenado and it’s 6-1.

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Update 7:23 pm MT: Literally Daniel Descalso hit a home run to make it 6-0 Dbacks after three. When Purple Dinocast is right, they are soul-crushingly right.

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Update 7:18 pm MT: Tyler Anderson is now in the game and allows a single to Jake Lamb on the first pitch he throws. He came back to strike out AJ Pollock. One out in the bottom of the third, still 4-0 Dbacks.

In other news, I’m not crying, you’re crying.

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Update 7:13 pm MT: Jonathan Lucroy draws a one-out walk and Raimel Tapia follows up with a pinch-hit to right. This is exactly the situation you want your MVP candidate and—

DJ LeMahieu then grounded out to end the inning. Not scoring there could very well haunt the Rockies.

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Update 7:05 pm MT: You could try to tell me the Rockies twitter account isn’t great, and you’d be wrong.

I, for one, appreciate the optimism.

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Update 7:02 pm MT: Scott Oberg comes in and strands the runner at third, striking out both Goldschmidt and Julio Daniel Martinez. Perhaps he’s the ace the Rockies are looking for?

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Update 6:54 pm MT: Welp. Rockies got nothing in the top of the second and just when it seemed like Gray was starting to get things together he allowed another single to Peralta then an RBI triple to Marte and it’s 4-0 Dbacks. Gray is out of the game. Oberg is in.

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Update 6:45 pm MT: I’m not saying Paul Goldschmidt’s home run was lucky. But I am saying it wasn’t NOT lucky.

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Update 6:40 pm MT: Jon Gray strikes out Descalso and Mathis to strand two runners and limit the damage. Unfortunately he’s thrown 33 pitches and has given up a lot of hard contact.

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Update 6:33 pm MT: After a hustle double from AJ Pollock the Dbacks have runners on second and third with one out and Scott Oberg is warming in the bullpen. Gray just doesn’t seem to have the bite on his breaking balls and might not be long for this game if he can’t get out of this one.

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Update 6:27 pm MT: David Peralta and Ketel Marte led off the game with back-to-back singles off Jon Gray and then Paul Goldschmidt hits a three-run home run. 3-0 Diamondbacks. Not ideal, friends.

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Update 6:19 pm MT: Rockies go 1-2-3 on three ground balls to the right side in the top of the first. Zack Greinke threw 15 pitches. Diamondbacks coming up to bat.

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Update 6:10 pm MT: Welcome everyone! We’ll be live blogging from here tonight as well.

Rockies are wearing their road greys with purple piping. Dbacks are wearing home whites with the teal accents. So the Rockies already are winning.

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It all comes down to this. The Rockies and Diamondbacks face off in the NL Wild Card Game to see who has the privilege to play the Dodgers in the NLCS starting Friday in Los Angeles.

Here are your lineups.

Let’s support each other through the most stressful game in 10 years.