azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Nationals hammer bullpen as D-Backs suffer sweep
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - The Diamondbacks allow beer on their charter flights, and that's a good thing, because Mike Koplove planned to tip a few back during the team's long trip to Denver after its 7-3 loss to the Nationals.
''I usually don't (drink), but I think I'm going to need a few after this," Koplove said, hanging his head.
With Arizona holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Koplove replaced starting pitcher Brad Halsey, inheriting runners at first and third with no outs. He got the lead runner when Vinny Castilla grounded to third baseman Troy Glaus, enabling an easy tag at home plate, but everything began to unravel for Koplove and the Diamondbacks after that.
A day after scorching the Diamondbacks' bullpen for seven runs in the seventh, Washington struck for six more in the seventh on Sunday, pulling off a three-game series sweep of Arizona in the Nationals' first three games at RFK Stadium.
The Nationals, playing before a loud and jubilant crowd of 35,463, have won nine consecutive games against the Diamondbacks, including two three-game sweeps last year when they were the Montreal Expos.
The 2004 Expos had only three sweeps of the three-game variety all season. And it appears the Nationals, a team devoid of any real superstars but boasting a well-balanced lineup and a new home, have Arizona's number, too.
"We have to chip away and do the little things right to get a run in," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "Right now, we're doing a lot of things right."
Such as Nick Johnson, the hitter following Castilla against Koplove in the seventh, reaching out for a change-up some 8 inches off the plate and hitting a two-run triple over Quinton McCracken's head in center field to tie the game.
"He's a good hitter," said Arizona catcher Koyie Hill, acknowledging the team tried to pitch Johnson inside most of the series. "I looked at the video of that pitch, and that was tough to hit."
Brian Schneider followed with a single to put Washington ahead 4-3 and after a strikeout, a double steal and an intentional walk, Koplove walked Cristian Guzman on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, this time inflicting his own damage.
Guzman had walked just twice in his first 44 at-bats of the season.
With a flurry of left-handers striding to the plate, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin elected to keep left-handed specialist Randy Choate, the victim of Saturday's seventh-inning meltdown, in the bullpen. Instead, he called on another lefty, Michael Gosling, but all he did was give up a two-run single to the first - and only - batter he faced, Jose Vidro, as Washington put the game out of reach.
There were other mistakes:
• Glaus, Luis Gonzalez and Shawn Green went a combined 1 for 12 with four strikeouts.
• There were a couple of missed fly-ball chances in the outfield.
• Hill couldn't convert a strike-him-out-throw-him-out play in the seventh which might have bailed out Koplove.
Hill blamed shoddy field conditions near home plate for slipping, thus affecting his throw to third. But Hill also took blame for the miscue, just as Koplove took the heat for his.
"We have something like a three-hour flight (actually 4 1/2) and I'm going to sit on the plane and stew over it for a while," Koplove said.
"Come tomorrow, it'll be gone and I've got a job to do. . . . Right now, it's a pretty lousy feeling."
View from Press Box
It's a good thing management keeps stockpiling extra pitchers that other major league clubs are throwing to the curb. Maybe one of them can be called upon from Triple-A Tucson to bring some stability to a shaky bullpen. Well, it's only a thought.
- Bob McManaman
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0418dbacks0418.html
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - The Diamondbacks allow beer on their charter flights, and that's a good thing, because Mike Koplove planned to tip a few back during the team's long trip to Denver after its 7-3 loss to the Nationals.
''I usually don't (drink), but I think I'm going to need a few after this," Koplove said, hanging his head.
With Arizona holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Koplove replaced starting pitcher Brad Halsey, inheriting runners at first and third with no outs. He got the lead runner when Vinny Castilla grounded to third baseman Troy Glaus, enabling an easy tag at home plate, but everything began to unravel for Koplove and the Diamondbacks after that.
A day after scorching the Diamondbacks' bullpen for seven runs in the seventh, Washington struck for six more in the seventh on Sunday, pulling off a three-game series sweep of Arizona in the Nationals' first three games at RFK Stadium.
The Nationals, playing before a loud and jubilant crowd of 35,463, have won nine consecutive games against the Diamondbacks, including two three-game sweeps last year when they were the Montreal Expos.
The 2004 Expos had only three sweeps of the three-game variety all season. And it appears the Nationals, a team devoid of any real superstars but boasting a well-balanced lineup and a new home, have Arizona's number, too.
"We have to chip away and do the little things right to get a run in," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "Right now, we're doing a lot of things right."
Such as Nick Johnson, the hitter following Castilla against Koplove in the seventh, reaching out for a change-up some 8 inches off the plate and hitting a two-run triple over Quinton McCracken's head in center field to tie the game.
"He's a good hitter," said Arizona catcher Koyie Hill, acknowledging the team tried to pitch Johnson inside most of the series. "I looked at the video of that pitch, and that was tough to hit."
Brian Schneider followed with a single to put Washington ahead 4-3 and after a strikeout, a double steal and an intentional walk, Koplove walked Cristian Guzman on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, this time inflicting his own damage.
Guzman had walked just twice in his first 44 at-bats of the season.
With a flurry of left-handers striding to the plate, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin elected to keep left-handed specialist Randy Choate, the victim of Saturday's seventh-inning meltdown, in the bullpen. Instead, he called on another lefty, Michael Gosling, but all he did was give up a two-run single to the first - and only - batter he faced, Jose Vidro, as Washington put the game out of reach.
There were other mistakes:
• Glaus, Luis Gonzalez and Shawn Green went a combined 1 for 12 with four strikeouts.
• There were a couple of missed fly-ball chances in the outfield.
• Hill couldn't convert a strike-him-out-throw-him-out play in the seventh which might have bailed out Koplove.
Hill blamed shoddy field conditions near home plate for slipping, thus affecting his throw to third. But Hill also took blame for the miscue, just as Koplove took the heat for his.
"We have something like a three-hour flight (actually 4 1/2) and I'm going to sit on the plane and stew over it for a while," Koplove said.
"Come tomorrow, it'll be gone and I've got a job to do. . . . Right now, it's a pretty lousy feeling."
View from Press Box
It's a good thing management keeps stockpiling extra pitchers that other major league clubs are throwing to the curb. Maybe one of them can be called upon from Triple-A Tucson to bring some stability to a shaky bullpen. Well, it's only a thought.
- Bob McManaman
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0418dbacks0418.html
