Game of the Day | Arizona steals it in ninth

PHOENIX — As Conor Jackson's two-run single bounced through Milwaukee's drawn-in infield, the Arizona Diamondbacks poured out of their dugout as if they had won a title.

All they had really done was reach .500. But it felt like a monumental achievement for the slumping NL West leaders.

In one of the more improbable victories in team history, the Diamondbacks overcame a five-run deficit in the ninth inning to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Thursday. After being shut out for eight innings, seven consecutive batters reached base in the ninth for Arizona.

"Hopefully this will kind of spark us and get us going," said Chad Tracy, whose three-run, pinch-hit double was pivotal. "That looked like the old Diamondbacks right there, battling back and never giving up."

Afterward, they still weren't quite sure how they had done it.

"I was almost in shock, basically," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "We played possum for eight innings, and in the ninth inning we surprised them. Don't ask me."

For the Brewers, the loss put an agonizing end on a 5-5 trip to Atlanta, Minnesota and Arizona.

"It was a very tough loss for us today, especially going into the ninth inning 5-0," said closer Salomon Torres (4-2), who blew his third save in 18 chances. "It appears to be the deal was sealed, but apparently it wasn't."

The rally began like a dripping faucet but quickly became a flood.

Three Arizona reserves — Robby Hammock, Chris Burke and Augie Ojeda — breathed life into a seemingly moribund team. Hammock led off with a single against reliever Guillermo Mota. Burke drew a walk and then Ojeda loaded the bases with a scratch single to second.

The Chase Field crowd of 23,842, or what was left of it, was suddenly on its feet and cheering. Lefty Brian Shouse came on to face Tracy, batting for the pitcher.

Tracy was hitless in seven at-bats against left-handers this season, but Melvin had no righties on his bench. Tracy said he knew he'd have trouble with Shouse's slider, so he went up looking for a fastball.

Shouse delivered one on his first pitch, and Tracy belted it into the gap in right-center to clear the bases and make it 5-3.

Brewers manager Ned Yost summoned Torres, who gave up a bloop single to Justin Upton, putting runners at the corners.

Orlando Hudson's double down the left field line made it 5-4, but the crowd groaned when Upton ignored third base coach Chip Hale's green light and stopped at third.

The baserunning blunder didn't matter. With Upton at third and Hudson on second, the Brewers brought the infield in. Jackson bounced a single up the middle and a party broke out at home plate.

Torres had converted 14 straight save opportunities since taking over the closer job.