Three Brewers are most to blame for the Game 1 failure.In Game 1 of the NL Wild Card, the Milwaukee Brewers fell short of expectations and lost a close contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They performed quite well overall, but not well enough to begin the best-of-three series with a victory at home.
It’s presently unknown who the Brewers starter will be for Game 2 on Wednesday, but the Diamondbacks will be using ace pitcher Zac Gallen. Brandon Woodruff was scheduled to start for the Brewers, but he is not healthy and will not pitch in the Wild Card game.
The Brewers were the superior team, but despite having more runners on base than the Diamondbacks, they were unable to score more runs. Leaving so many runners on base is the primary reason for their defeat. However, these three Brewers bear the most responsibility for the loss.
In a close contest, the Brewers decided to use Devin Williams in the ninth inning, but he collapsed and was unable to secure a clean frame. In comparison to his stellar overall regular-season performance, he did not appear good.
He was tasked with obtaining three outs with the team trailing 4-3, but was only able to record two before being replaced by Bryse Wilson. Williams was unable to locate the strike zone, surrendering three walks, two hits, and ultimately two earned runs.
In such a close game, Williams’ failure to close out the top of the ninth inning may have cost them the game, as overcoming a one-run deficit is much simpler than overcoming the eventual three-run deficit they entered the bottom of the ninth facing.
Williams may be able to pitch on Wednesday if a save opportunity presents itself. However, that would only be the case if the decrepit bullpen, which utilized eight pitchers in just nine innings, could even get them that far.
One could contend that Williams is not to blame because he should have never been placed in a no-save situation. They should have utilized Bryse Wilson in the beginning instead of Williams. This does not negate the subpar performance of the closer, however. Arizona Diamondbacks
