Diamondbacks take WILD N.L. Wild-Card Game, Will Face Dodgers Next

The Arizona Diamondbacks are moving on to the National League Division Series following a wild 11-8 win over the feisty but overwhelmed Colorado Rockies.

With the Snakes having the advantage of already locking up a wild-card berth, they were able to roll with a rested ace Zack Greinke in the winner-take-all contest.

Greinke shut out the Rockies their first time up and all-star Paul Goldschmidt clubbed a three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning, sending the sellout crowd at Chase Stadium into ecstasy.

The Diamondbacks would extend their early lead to 6-0 and a blowout seemed a certainty. But then the Rockies got hot, scoring four runs in the fourth inning and running Greinke out of the game. It was the shortest postseason appearance in his career.

From there it was a seesaw battle that could go either way until Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley slammed a triple in the seventh.

Colorado would respond by cutting the lead to 8-7 but an eighth-inning triple by A.J. Pollock sealed the deal for Arizona.

The Rockies capped off a surprising but at the same time a disappointing year with the loss. They had a hot start, bogged down as the season dragged on and finally backed into the postseason for 2009 thanks to a Milwaukee Brewers loss on Saturday.

For the Diamondbacks, it’s on to a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that roared out to an insurmountable lead and despite late-season woes, still won the N.L. West by 11 games.

The first game of NLDCS will take place Friday in Chavez Ravine when the D-Backs will try to solve Dodgers superstar pitcher Clayton Kershaw.