NLCS Game 2
Both teams switch up their pitching arms: Rockies go lefty-righty, Dbacks, righty-lefty. The Rockies can come out with the same lineup - only change is Hawpe and Tulowitzki switch spots. Dbacks not so much - Tony Clark's at first in place of Conor Jackson, and Jeff Salazar's in RF for Justin Upton.
The Rockies' balanced lineup contributes to their "hotness" - it's definitely an advantage, when you're on a streak like this, to be able to bring out the same guys night after night.
First Inning - Tony Clark really got Doug Davis out of trouble with that double play. Davis'd thrown a lot of balls. Just bad luck for the Rockies; that kind of thing happens.
Second Inning - Davis looks way better than he did in the first.
Hawpe's at bat was a great piece of hitting. He fought off a lot of pitches, extended the at bat, and made Davis throw him something he didn't want to - and then he lined it into center.
Torrealba's RBI single is payback for that double play ball Tony Clark caught: it actually hit the foul line. Tony Clark just shakes his head.
Davis has thrown around 50 pitches in two innings. At this rate, he'll be exhausted after four - even if he doesn't give up lots of hits.
Both pitchers threw three strikeouts in the second inning, but neither struck out the side. The big difference: Davis gave up two hits and a run, while Jimenez kept the ball off the bat after a leadoff double.
Third Inning - And you love to make the opposing pitcher lead off an inning. It handicaps their offense, and it means he gets no break: off the mound, grab a bat, and hit.
And hit. Davis gets a double. What are the chances?
Doug Davis runs like a girl.
Funny - Chris Young's slide into second looks a lot like Holliday's game-winning slide into home the other night vs. the Padres. Hand gets foot, not bag. But the call goes the other way, and that makes all the difference.
Fifth Inning - Ubaldo walks the bases loaded, throws a wild pitch - and gets out of the inning unscathed. Amazing. Lucky, really.
Mark Reynolds is having a Stephen Drew night. Every time he's up, there's men on, and every time, he leaves them there.
Doug Davis' line: 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Ubaldo Jimenez's line: 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6K
For such different pitchers, amazing how similar the lines are.
Sixth Inning - Juan Cruz was awful last night, but they go back to him tonight, and he looks pretty good.
Seventh Inning - Wow. Tony Pena came in and struck out the side last night, and then tonight, did it again - on 9 strikes. That's called domination. Too bad he's not their closer...
WOW - watch a catch, Willy Taveras. That was the game, right there.
Eighth Inning - Helton's determined Pena's not going to strike him out.
Tulo got his only hit last night in the 8th inning as well... looks like it takes him most of the game to warm up his bat. Maybe he should take some extra BP.
Oh, NOW Reynolds gets a hit. Now that there's nobody on base.
Really? The Mariners traded Brian Fuentes for Jeff Cirillo years ago? That has to go down as one of the all-time worst decisions in Mariner history. Of course, there are a lot.
That' the third inning in a row now that the D-backs have gotten a single - then nothing else. This time it was a leadoff single. The distance from first to second is a mile and a half if you're a Diamondback.
Ninth Inning: Corpas really isn't pitching badly - the HBP was a mistake, granted, but Stephen Drew went down and got a slider out of the strike zone for that single. And then they score on a ground ball that was nearly a double play.
Speaking of which, another Dbacks mistake. I'm developing a theory that in postseason play, it's really the team that makes the fewest mistakes that wins, not necessarily the team with the best hitting or pitching. If Stephen Drew had stayed on second, and Tony Clark been able to hit with one out instead of two, maybe the outcome of this game would've been very different.
It's the little stuff. As my dad says, the significance is in the mundane. Like making sure you're really out before you start trotting towards the dugout.
(OK, maybe not. that ball Clark hit had double play written all over it.)
10th Inning: Manny Corpas kind of looks like Felix Hernandez.
11th Inning: You might say the announcers cursed Valverde in this one.
Tony Gwynn: "All Valverde's done so far is come in and throw strikes."
Chip Caray: "Valverde's thrown 20 pitches so far... 17 of them have been strikes."
Or you might say Ryan Spilborghs absolutely battle the heck out of that at bat - and wore him out.
This is weird... Valverde looks really uncomfortable out there as he's pitching to Jamey Carroll. He knows he's done. He's thrown an awful lot of pitches, for a closer. Then the pitching coach comes out, and that really should be the end of the road for him. But it looks like they're talking about defense, not about his stamina. He stays in. Why?
So he can walk Taveras on four pitches. And throw 42 pitches - more than he's thrown in any outing all year.
Ryan Speier...not a single save in the regular season, but he gets it done here. Does that make him a closer? If so, the Rockies have three now - Brian Fuentes, Manny Corpas, and Mr. 11th Inning.
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