Torey Lovullo: Diamondbacks were ‘motivated’ by Garrett Stubbs’ plans to celebrate in their pool
"It’s a three-game series and we’ll see what happens," says Diamondbacks Game 5 starter Zac Gallen.
PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks watched Friday night from the dugout as Alek Thomas’ tying homer splashed into the pool behind the right-center field wall and hoped someone would retrieve it for him. Thomas was sent to triple A in May, returned four weeks later, and delivered the eighth-inning blow that sunk the Phillies’ plans to jump in the pool had they clinched the pennant at Chase Field. The only thing swimming was a two-run homer.
“I’m glad we could defend the pool,” said Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen, the South Jersey native who starts Game 5 on Saturday. “You don’t love when teams can jump in your pool. That means they did something that we didn’t get to do. It’s a three-game series and we’ll see what happens.”
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said his team “takes things personal” and “has a chip on their shoulder.”
”I know their backup catcher made a statement about sprinting towards the pool or making a beeline to the pool,” he said. “So I think they’re wearing that a little bit and they’re motivated by that externally, and they’re motivated to be as good as they possibly can internally.”
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Garrett Stubbs likely wasn’t the only one thinking about a clinch after the Phillies arrived here following a 10-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead. If the Phillies won two of three in the desert, the team’s party host said he would take a dip. There’s now no need for a lifeguard. The Phillies, after looking like they had their tickets punched to a second-straight World Series, have a series.
“We got our teeth kicked in,” Gallen said. “That’s no secret. Philly is a tough place to play. That’s no secret, either. I think people were counting the series as over but the 20-however many guys we have in this clubhouse didn’t feel that way. We knew we had to win the next day.”
Before Game 3, Diamondbacks hitting coach Joe Mather broke down the team’s 162-game schedule into segments of seven. He wanted to show the hitters during their pregame meeting how many times the D’backs had come down from a 2-0 series. There were multiple times they had lost two games and then won four straight. This wasn’t over yet, Mather said.
“I know a lot of people wrote us off,” Arizona outfielder Pavin Smith said. “But one 10-0 win counts the same as one game. … We definitely felt other people saying the Phillies were going to the World Series after Game 2.”
In postseason history, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win 84% of the time. That number is even higher (88.6%) in a league championship series. The Diamondbacks had a rookie pegged to start Game 3 and a cast of relievers for Game 4. It was easy to imagine the Phillies working on their cannonballs.
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“Fortunately, I don’t listen a whole lot but that would be my guess,” Mather said when asked if he thought outsiders were counting his team out after two losses. “That’s a really good team over there with a lot of established superstars. I’m certainly not judging anyone for taking them but that would be my guess.”
The series may have seemed finished after Game 2 but Gallen said the D’backs were OK. The plane ride from Philadelphia was quiet, but it was also late at night. They weren’t giving up.
“Everyone was bummed because we went into Philly and didn’t take at least one,” Gallen said. “But we came in the next day for the workout and the vibes seemed normal. It wasn’t anything crazy.”
The Phillies won’t be swimming on Saturday but more importantly, they’ll likely be shorthanded in the bullpen. Jose Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, and Craig Kimbrel could be unavailable after pitching on back-to-back nights. The Phillies used 11 relievers in Game 3 and 4 to combine for 26 outs. They’ll need Zack Wheeler to pitch deep into Game 5. If so, they’ll have a chance to celebrate next week at Citizens Bank Park. They just won’t have a pool to dive into.
“We don’t really care what they say,” reliever Kevin Ginkel said. “We’re just going to go out and handle our business. There’s a lot of games left. We’ll see how it goes.”