D-backs’ comeback bid doesn’t have the legs in loss to Brewers

PHOENIX — When a team is hard-pressed to get a win, fundamental breakdowns and mistakes are amplified that much more.

Just ask the Arizona Diamondbacks (21-55), who shot themselves in the foot Wednesday afternoon in a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers (42-33).

Although it was a classic nine-inning battle, Arizona’s downfall began in the fifth frame.

With starter Caleb Smith dealing early, not allowing a hit until the fourth frame, the D-backs pitcher appeared to be rolling as Arizona entered the halfway point of the game.

Things quickly took a turn, with Brewers outfielder Jace Peterson getting aboard with a leadoff double to start the inning.

Two pitches later, Brewers hurler Brandon Woodruff helped out his own cause with an RBI single to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead with no outs.

It appeared Smith was getting the train back on the track the following batter, recording his sixth and final strikeout.

Sloppiness ensued.

A fielding error by first baseman Christian Walker granted the Brewers a baserunner a pitch later before Josh Rojas impeded the baserunner on a steal attempt, resulting in a free base. A makeable pop-up play dropped by Josh VanMeter followed. Luckily, the D-backs were bailed out by the infield fly rule, but the optics remained.

An intentional walk was registered by Smith before the D-backs were finally able to get out of the inning on a Willy Adames groundout.

The miscues led outfielder David Peralta to lend his voice in the dugout in the middle of the inning.

“Look we all get in the dugout, we all bark and we have certain expectations,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “When things don’t go right, from one player to another, it’s very powerful. If he was in there posturing people up, I fully support it. I trust David and I’ve asked him to be kinda that leader if he sees something he doesn’t like to come in and make sure everybody knows how he feels about particular plays. We were sloppy in a couple areas today, we got to be better than that.

“We’re having conversations right now. We’re going to talk to these players about what it means to play Arizona Diamondback baseball and we’ll get there. But in the meantime, I’m not looking for fist fights in the dugout by no means. But I feel like if one player can straighten up the other, I’m gonna allow that to happen. But it’s got to be done in the right way and in the right taste.”

The Brewers were held to just one run, but forced Smith’s pitch count tick up even more thanks to the fifth-inning fielding lapses.

The 1-0 advantage didn’t appear like much on paper, but given Arizona’s recent offensive struggles — save for Monday’s 5-1 win — Milwaukee’s lead felt like much more. Especially with Arizona coming off a 5-0 shutout on Tuesday.

The seventh inning would mark the last for Smith on Wednesday, who exited with his team trailing despite allowing just one earned run on four hits over six innings pitched. He struck out six and walked four in what was one of his better starts of the season.

“Caleb threw the ball extremely well and he continues to throw the ball extremely well,” Lovullo said. “He gives us six unbelievable innings. We turn that lineup over to the fourth time for him.

“You hold a team to one run over six innings, you’re expected to win a baseball game. Unfortunately, he had someone on the other side matching up his zeroes.”

Smith’s departure made way for recently called up reliever Noe Ramirez.

Ramirez wouldn’t last long in the frame, however, as the reliever went just 0.1 innings pitched, giving up two earned runs, before being relieved by Joe Mantiply.

The padded lead was an untimely result as the D-backs managed finally get the bats working in the late innings of Wednesday’s ballgame.

After being held scoreless for the previous 19 innings, first baseman Christian Walker broke the seal with a moonshot to left field on the first offering he saw. It marked Walker’s third home run of the year.

“Just staying on the fastball,” Walker said about his approach. “For me, I hit off the fastball, always have, always will. Just a matter of direction and where I’m setting my sights, just making sure I don’t chase up, understanding he was probably gonna go to a sinker like he did in the at-bat before.”

Eduardo Escobar would follow suit an inning later.

Despite being out of the lineup Wednesday, Escobar, who was removed from Sunday’s game with right quad tightness, found himself pinch-hitting in the eighth inning with no outs.

Clearly, Escobar must not be feeling the effects of the injury as he sent one screaming into the right field stands to bring things within a run. The blast marked Escobar’s first career pinch-hit homer.

Unfortunately for the D-backs, they ran out of innings in the comeback bid.

Staring at a 3-2 deficit, Arizona failed to manufacture much of anything in the ninth, with Asdrubal Cabrera, Walker and Tim Locastro all going down in order to seal the D-backs’ 55th loss of the season.

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