by Nick Piecoro - May. 9, 2012 09:40 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Carlos Beltran's sharp grounder bounced twice, hit off the heel of Diamondbacks third baseman Ryan Roberts' glove and then smoked Roberts in the jugular. The moment sort of summed up the past three days for the Diamondbacks.
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The best news to come out of Wednesday night's 7-2 loss, which completed a three-game sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals? The Cardinals aren't scheduled to return to Chase Field this season.
The Cardinals roster is populated with red-hot hitters, and it seems that no matter whom they have in their lineup on a particular day, any of them is capable of stinging a ball to any part of the ballpark.
Another microcosm of the series: In the ninth inning, closer J.J. Putz got an off-balance swing from Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday, and Holliday drilled it high up the wall in center field. The Cardinals offense could not be stopped.
But the Diamondbacks' problems appear more deep-rooted than just the identity of their opponent. The loss was their seventh in their past nine games. After a 7-3 start to open season, the Diamondbacks have gone 7-15.
They didn't play particularly well in this one.
They appeared to get a break on a call at the plate that cost the Cardinals a run in the third, but an inning later the Diamondbacks were thrown out trying to score, a play in which Lyle Overbay was tagged out standing up.
Roberts' painful error (he stayed in the game) cost them a run, and the game's key hit, Matt Carpenter's two-run double in the sixth, wasn't played well by left fielder Jason Kubel.
Left-hander Wade Miley pitched into and out of trouble for most of the night, but he couldn't escape the sixth inning.
He got out of the third when a relay throw by shortstop Willie Bloomquist (via center fielder Gerardo Parra) nailed Rafael Furcal at the plate. Replays showed Furcal to be safe, but Miley and the Diamondbacks would take it.
Two innings later, Miley got an inning-ending double play from Allen Craig to escape a bases-loaded jam.
But Miley couldn't get the third out in the sixth. He walked David Freese to open the inning and quickly retired the next two batters. But Cruz shot a single to right, putting runners on the corners for the Cardinals.
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny went to his bench, sending up Matt Carpenter to hit for starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, who an inning earlier appeared to tweak a hamstring while running the bases.
Carpenter is a left-handed hitter. In his career, he had just three hits in 18 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Miley entered the game holding lefties to a .207 average this season.
But Carpenter got a fastball he could handle and blistered it into left field. Kubel raced to his left and leaped, but he wasn't close, and the ball rolled to the wall, allowing both runners to score.
Putz couldn't finish the ninth. He got the first two outs quickly, but after an infield single by Rafael Furcal, he gave up four consecutive hard-hit balls, including a two-run homer from Allen Craig to put the game out of reach.
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