The Five Run Folly

When the 2009 season first began, the team and the fans expected to see the kind of baseball that the Diamondbacks have been playing this road trip. After first taking three of four from the New York Mets they then swept the Pittsburgh Pirates giving them a 6-1 record on this road trip.

From Pittsburgh the Diamondbacks travelled to the nation's capital to begin a three game series against the Washington Nationals. Yes the Washington Nations; owners of the worst record in Major League Baseball. On paper this seemed like the perfect storm.

This was the kind of road trip that comes around maybe once a decade. A road trip where you can absolutely dominate and maybe spring board your season back into relevance. A trip to the post season is still out of the question but if the Diamondbacks could somehow sweep the Nationals they would be only six games under .500.

The Diamondbacks sent Jon Garland to the mound. As of late he has pitched very well and through the first third of the game it looked like the Diamondbacks were well on their way to victory.

The offense jumped out with 5 runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. When the Nationals scored a run in the bottom of the second no one seemed to worry, the Diamondbacks still had a 4-run lead. When the Nationals scored another 3 in the fourth inning making it a 1-run game I started to get a really bad feeling.

That feeling turned into a nightmare in the fifth inning when the Nationals tied the game and then took the lead for good scoring two runs in the 8th. Although the Diamondbacks would score one in the top of the ninth that is all they could muster and once again Arizona found a way to snatch defeat out of the hands of victory.

Tonight's game was a microcosm of how the whole season has gone. There were flashes of brilliance coupled with moments of inattention leading to errors and mental mistakes. The one good point was that tomorrow the Diamondbacks have Dan Haren on the mound. He will right the ship for sure.