Pitcher Fernando Rodney reacts after the final out against the Kansas City Royals. After the blowout, the Diamondbacks face a true do-or-die game.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the 93rd time, the Diamondbacks shook hands on the field in celebration. At the end of a long day that ended a long season, the reactions seemed muted, even considering the game was a 14-2 blowout of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“It was like, ‘OK, this is what you dream about doing, what you talk about doing, now it’s time to go do it,’” reliever Archie Bradley said. “The last out was made and it was kind of like, ‘OK, let’s go win a game now.’”
After a week of relatively meaningless games, the Diamondbacks will have to wait two more days before they have a chance to win it. Ready or not, the dress rehearsals for Wednesday’s wild-card game against the Colorado Rockies are
over.
As ever, the Diamondbacks will be heading into the do-or-die game with concerns, some more pressing than others. The past two outings for Zack Greinke, their starting pitcher for Wednesday, consisted of an awful start and a so-so one. Their MVP candidate, Paul Goldschmidt, ended the season in an 0 for 17 skid. Bradley, their top reliever, has given up five runs in his past three appearances.
And there are two position players nursing injuries, and though the issues appear minor they were enough to force them out of games in the past two days. Left fielder David Peralta departed Saturday’s game with neck/back tightness; he did not play on Sunday.
Shortstop Ketel Marte was removed from Sunday’s game with left hamstring tightness after legging out an infield single.
Both Peralta and Marte say they will be fine for Wednesday, a sentiment manager Torey Lovullo echoed.
“If they had to play,” Lovullo said, “they could’ve played. It’s just one of those things where we wanted to give them the extra day today.”
On the bright side, catcher Jeff Mathis tested his right hand and came through the past two days feeling good; he appears to be an option to catch Greinke on Wednesday. And infielder Chris Owings will see game action in instructional league in the coming days, his first since fracturing his finger in July, and Lovullo continues to view him as wild-card game option not just to run the bases but also to hit and play the field.
After a few games of modest production from the offense, the Diamondbacks busted out on Sunday, albeit with most of the damage coming from their secondstring players, who pounded the Royals’ bullpen in the middle-to-late innings.
The Diamondbacks gave lefty Robbie Ray just enough game action to keep him sharp while keeping him available for Wednesday, and they gave appearances to a slew of relievers, many of whom are likely to be on the postseason roster.
Several Diamondbacks players talked this week about the odd nature of playing out the string while waiting for the postseason to begin. They’re glad to be turning the page, even if it means facing the Rockies, a team they’re probably tired of seeing.
The Diamondbacks and Rockies are National League West foes who share a facility in Salt River Fields. They faced each other twice in spring training games, then another 19 times during the regular season. There is probably little about the other they do not already know.
“Fortunately, we’ve faced them so many times you have an idea of what you want to do and how you want to execute it,” Bradley said. “It really just comes down to just doing it.”
The Rockies are planning to start right-hander Jon Gray on Wednesday. In three starts against the Diamondbacks this season, Gray posted a 3.50 ERA; the last time he saw them, on Sept. 12 at Chase Field, he gave up two runs in seven innings, striking out 10. Greinke has faced the Rockies five times this season, logging a 3.41 ERA, and he, too, gave up two runs in seven innings the last time he threw against them.
“I think everybody is champing at the bit to get going,” Ray said. “We’re excited that the game is going to come, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for it.”