The Texas Rangers held on against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 of the World Series, and moved a step closer to winning their first ever fall classic. Bruce Bochy ensured the Rangers did not repeat their past mistakes, as he inserted Jose Leclerc into the game the minute matters got uncomfortable for Texas. The Rangers would go on to win 11-7 before things turned scary on Halloween.
While the Rangers are just one win away from reaching the pinnacle of the sport, the Arizona Diamondbacks are one loss away from ending their season in disappointment. The D'Backs haven't looked themselves ever since returning to Chase Field following a dominant Game 2 win in Arlington. There is plenty of blame to go around for that fact.
Arizona Diamondbacks to blame: Torey Lovullo
Prior to Game 4, manager Torey Lovullo had a tough decision to make -- did he go with a traditional starter and perhaps risk the high-powered Rangers lineup teeing off to begin what could amount to a must-win for Arizona, or did he got with his gut and trust what got him here. Lovullo chose the latter, and it turned out to be the wrong decision.
The Diamondbacks pitched a bullpen game on Tuesday night, and it did not go according to plan. Texas scored 11 runs, and while only six of those were earned, the scorecard doesn't tell the entire story. This bunch did not look confident from the first pitch onward, minus perhaps Ryne Nelson.
"I don't know what that answer is," Lovullo said prior to Game 4. "But we have a couple of bulk guys we know of in our bullpen. And Don Drysdale is not going to fall out of the sky. It's definitely going to be somebody in our bullpen that's going to start the day tomorrow. Who it is and where it is depends on where we get through tonight."
Considering Nelson threw over five innings of one-run ball, it's tough not to wonder if he could've simply done the same, only moved up to the first inning. It's easy to second guess, but Lovullo's strategy backfired.
Arizona Diamondbacks to blame: The bullpen
While Torey Lovullo trusted his bullpen to get the job done in Game 4, the bullpen did not follow suit. The combination of Joe Mantiply, Miguel Castro, Kyle Nelson and Luis Frias gave up 10 runs in just three innings of work. Asking the Diamondbacks offense to stage a comeback at that juncture was always a longshot, and ultimately they came up short.
Arizona's bullpen was a strength of theirs entering this series. Yet, they have fallen short time and time again, starting in Game 1. Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald blew a save in the ninth inning, giving up a two-run homer to Corey Seager. Arizona would eventually lose in extra innings, dealing a crushing blow to their chances. Had they won that game, there's a good chance the Diamondbacks could have come home to Chase Field with a two-game advantage.
"You have to try and get to the bottom of the lineup before the top comes up," Sewald said at the time. "That's what made me frustrated with walking the No. 9 hitter. Seager's one of the 10 best players in this league. You have to try to face him with nobody on there."
While Sewald did not pitching in Game 4, his teammates did not fare much better against Texas.
Arizona Diamondbacks to blame: Christian Walker
It's tough to be too hard on Christian Walker, as he was one of the only hitters in the Arizona lineup who showed up prior to the eighth inning. However, a costly error -- in which he bobled a potential double play ball -- led to five unearned runs. It was the first error of the World Series, and Walker's second mental flaw in two days.
Walker ran through a stop sign by the Arizona third base coach in Game 3 which would have scored the Diamondbacks first run of the game at the time. World Series are decided by just a few runs, one way or another. Five runs would have won Arizona Game 4, and that early advantage in Game 3 could have changed everything.
Diamondbacks fans showed Walker some surprising support early in Game 3, despite the fact he was hitting under the mendoza line for the postseason at the time. In many ways, they gave him the Trea Turner treatment. While he has turned things around at the plate, that has not translated into success in other facets of his game.