MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t arrive in Milwaukee until nearly 4 a.m. CDT Monday to begin their four-game series with the Brewers because of mechanical issues with their plane.
Manager Torey Lovullo said he was told there were brake issues with the plane that was supposed to take the team from Arizona to Milwaukee.
“We had to find another plane,” Lovullo said before the Diamondbacks' 7-5 loss to the Brewers. “It was like a five-hour window before another plane could pick us up.”
Lovullo said he got to his hotel room at about 4:30 a.m., about 14 hours before the start of Monday night's game. He credited director of team travel Roger Riley for keeping the team informed during the delay, which followed the Diamondbacks' 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
The Diamondbacks found plenty of ways to pass the time Sunday as they waited for their plane. Reliever John Curtiss recently released an album of original songs, and Lovullo said the Diamondbacks listened to the entire thing.
“We were shooting the breeze, doing things a team would do if you had a rain delay or a plane delay,” Lovullo said. “We took advantage of it, for sure.”
The sleep-deprived Diamondbacks fell behind 6-0 through four innings against the Brewers.
“Maybe we were staggering a little bit,” Lovullo said after the game. “I gave them a late arrival here at the stadium to let them sleep as late as possible. I don't know. I don't want to use that as an excuse.”
Bryce Jarvis, who worked 5 2/3 innings of relief Monday, didn't blame the late arrival for the outcome.
“I think we handled it well,” Jarvis said. “There's always going to be issues in life, especially in this game and the type of travel we do. We all took it in stride. I don't really feel like it affected anybody.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
