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Paul Goldschmidt continued his assault on Miller Park on Sunday, and it ended only when the Brewers decided it was better to let Goldschmidt make history than to take another swing.
Goldschmidt became the first player in the modern era to post three hits and three intentional walks in the same game, even as the Brewers ended up on the right side of a 7-6, 17-inning victory when catcher Martin Maldonado hit a walk-off homer to end the longest game in Miller Park history, five hours and 49 minutes.
The first 90 minutes or so were a lot of Goldschmidt -- a solo homer in the first inning and singles in the third and fourth. By then, he was 9 for 13 with three homers and three doubles in the series, and 26 for 50 with nine doubles and seven homers in 12 career games at Miller Park.
After Mark Trumbo's ninth homer of the season tied the game at 6 in the eighth, the Brewers tried something new. Craig Counsell's Plan B began in the ninth, when the intentionally walked Goldschmidt with a runner on second and two out. Ender Inciarte grounded out, to end the inning a format that become the D-backs' worst nightmare.
Goldschmidt walked with a runner on first in the 11th. Inciarte grounded out. Goldschmidt was intentionally with a runner on third base and one out in the 13th. Inciarte popped out and Trumbo lined out. Goldschmidt was intentionally walked in the 15th with a runner on second, and Inciarte popped out to end the inning.
The Brewers probably would have walked Goldschmidt in those situations anyway, but it did not hurt that starting cleanup hitter David Peralta had to be removed from the game after suffering a finger injury in the first inning, putting a less potent bat behind Goldschmidt.
Goldschmidt was due to lead off the 18th inning -- if it had gone that far, it would have tied for the longest game in D-backs history -- but did not the chance.
Vidal Nuno struck out Luis Sardinas on a nine-pitch at-bat, all strikes, leading off the 17th before Maldonado hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in center. Nuno had given up one hit after taking over in the 13th, striking out six and walking three. He has a 1.88 ERA in his three appearances, giving up 10 hits with 19 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
Chase Anderson had his least effective outing of the season in squandering a 5-1 lead, though he did not figure in the decision, which is becoming the norm despite good numbers this season. Anderson has eight no-decisions in 10 starts, despite allowing as many as three earned runs only three times.
He gave up 10 hits for a second straight start, but while he pitched around that by giving up two runs in St. Louis on Monday could not do that Sunday. He was charged with six runs in five-plus innings, leaving after giving up two hits to open the sixth. Both scored with J.C. Ramirez on the mound.
Anderson entered the game with a 2.59 ERA, eighth in the NL, and left at 3.26. He had given up five earned runs in his previous five May starts.
-- Goldschmidt set a franchise record by reaching base seven times in one game.
-- Milwaukee used a franchise record nine pitchers (in games played before Sept. 1 when rosters expand), including scheduled Monday starter Matt Garza, who got the victory with five innings of shutout relief.
-- The D-backs threw 276 pitches. The Brewers 253.
-- A.J. Pollock was a homer short of the cycle.
-- The game was the third-longest in D-backs history, shorter only than 18-inning contests at San Francisco (5:53 on May 29, 2001) and at Philadelphia (7:06 on Aug. 24, 2013)
David Peralta suffered a contusion on his left middle finger and was forced to leave the game after fouling a bunt attempt in the first inning, a bad end to a smart play. Against an exaggerated shift, Peralta attempted to place a bunt down the third base line for the simple single, as Matt Adams did against the D-backs earlier in the week and as Miguel Montero did a time or two last year.
10 -- home runs by Goldschmidt in May.
* The D-backs have homered in nine consecutive games, taking a run at the franchise record of 15 straight games set from June 18-July, 4, 2012. Goldschmidt has four-plus homers in the D-backs' current run and Peralta and Nick Ahmed have two apiece. The D-backs had 25 homers in the 15-game stretch in 2012, when Jason Kubel had seven homers, Aaron Hill had four and Goldschmidt and Chris Young had three apiece.
* Left-hander Patrick Corbin, who threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Thursday at Salt River Fields, has not been scheduled into his next extended spring training outing, manager Chip Hale told reporters. Corbin experienced some soreness in his previous game in extended and while the D-backs do not believe there are any arm issues, they will err on the side of caution.
* After starting of the previous 11 games, Ahmed did not start but still had two hits in four at-bats after entering in a double switch in the bottom of the 10th. Ahmed has been on a roll since a two-hit game against Washington on May 12, hitting .351 with three doubles, three homers and 10 RBI.
* David Hernandez pitched a scoreless inning in back-to-back games for Double-A Mobile on Wednesday and Thursday, and he appears ready to return when the D-backs beckon, which could be soon. Randall Delgado helped rest the bullpen by picking up a three-inning save Saturday, but the D-backs used six relievers Sunday and four in the first game of the series Friday. They went to the bullpen 11 times in St. Louis to start the week. Hernandez has given up one hit and one walk while striking out eight in five rehab appearances, the first two with High-A Visalia. He is scheduled to pitch again for Mobile on Monday.
* Jarrod Saltalamacchia picked up his first hit in his second start with the D-backs, singling with two outs in the 12th. He also walked twice.
After going 4-5 against the NL Central Division in their last nine games, the D-backs will turn their attention to the NL East on the seven-game homestand that begins Monday with four games against Atlanta and ends with three against the New York Mets. Both visitors have had some trouble visiting -- Atlanta is 13-15 away from home and the Mets are 7-15. The Mets have the fewest road victories in the league, and only Baltimore (6-13) have fewer.
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