D-Backs’ season ends as Dodgers finish sweep

Paul Goldschmidt swung and missed, hung his head and walked off the field. The Diamondbacks’ season was over, ending with barely a whimper. Their lineup was silenced. Their ace was beaten. And the Dodgers celebrated, first on the field, then in the visitors’ clubhouse.

With a 3-1 win on Monday night, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep in the National League Division Series. The Diamondbacks, who entered the year with low expectations but went on to win 93 games, were finished.

They were the upstart team that knocked the Dodgers around in a pair of late-season series. They were the club many believed the Dodgers wanted to face the least. And yet they never stood a chance in these three games.

The Diamondbacks’ pitchers could not tame a deep and patient Dodgers lineup. Their hitters could not manufacture the sort of baton-passing innings they were known for during the regular season. The Dodgers, who finished with the most wins in the majors, were the clearly superior club.

On Monday night, right-hander Yu Darvish was masterful into the sixth inning. The Dodgers bullpen was even better. Cody Bellinger and Austin Barnes launched solo homers and the Dodgers never trailed.

“There’s a lot of reasons we can look back on why we didn’t win any of these games, but I think the bottom line is they were just a better team,” Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley said. “They came out and they beat us.

“It’s a tough one to swallow. It’s going to sit with us for a while this offseason.”

Some 10 minutes after the game, the Diamondbacks clubhouse was a sea of handshakes and hugs. As is always the case in the postseason, the end came quickly and unexpectedly for the losing team.

“It stings, honestly,” center fielder A.J. Pollock said. “I know we went down two games, but we felt really good about (Game 3). We felt good coming in here.”

Instead, the clubhouse was filled with farewells, including from slugger J.D. Martinez, the club’s key midseason pickup who might have played his final game with the Diamondbacks. An impending free agent, Martinez is likely to command a monster contract; it seems unlikely the Diamondbacks will be able to afford him.

“Obviously, I would love to come back, but I don’t know what the future holds or where God wants me to go,” Martinez said. “I hope it’s here. But if it’s not, Arizona will always hold a special place in my heart.”