azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Jack Magruder, Tribune
With Barry Bonds down in San Francisco and Adrian Beltre out of Los Angeles, the Diamondbacks can argue their offense is as thick as any in the NL West.
Lineup lengtheners Troy Glaus, Shawn Green and Jose Cruz showed just how deep in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs before 26,789 fans Wednesday night at Bank One Ballpark.
"There’s no breather, there really isn’t,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said.
How effective was the committee brought in expressly to buttress No. 3 hitter Luis Gonzalez?
• After Gonzalez walked in the first, Glaus tripled to deep right.
• After Royce Clayton and Gonzalez singled in the third, Cruz hit a two-out, two-run single.
• After Clayton walked and Gonzalez singled in the fourth, Glaus doubled in one, Green singled in two and Cruz doubled in another.
"This team all year is going to be able to have some big innings,’’ said newcomer Green.
"I don’t see us as being a team that will get a run here and a run there. I feel like we are going to be the kind of team that can explode. That’s good, because you never feel like you are out of the game."
Glaus, who homered in the eighth, was a a single short of the cycle while also stealing a base.
Gonzalez has hit safely in all three games and has scored five times. Cruz has five RBIs. Glaus has four extra-base hits.
All of the runs before Glaus’ first National League homer came with two outs.
"That’s good,’’ Glaus said. "Those are the key hits. They are generally the difference in winning the game.’’
So much for the 16-6 season opener, the only game the Cubs won in the three-game series.
"We did what we had to do, win the series,’’ Gonzalez said. "That shows we are capable of putting a loss behind us and moving on.’’
Glaus slid hard into the plate to beat Jeromy Burnitz’s throw from right field on Green’s two-run single in the fifth, taking out catcher Michael Barrett’s legs, and Barrett responded by kneeing Glaus in the left leg.
Glaus turned and raised his hands while home plate umpire Ron Kulpa stepped in front of Barrett, but Glaus said no words were exchanged.
Brandon Webb, who gave up two runs in 5 1 /3 innings for a victory in his first start of the season, is not used to the support. Webb gave up two or fewer runs 23 times last season but won only six of those games.
Webb massaged his way through the five scoreless innings, when the Cubs had eight base runners, three as far as third, but did not score.
He struck out clean-up hitter Aramis Ramirez on a curve with runners on first and third in the third, then got opposing pitcher Ryan Dempster to bounce out to Clayton after Clayton’s two-out error put runners on the corners.
Webb did not lose his shutout until leaving the game after giving up two singles in the sixth, when Barrett hit a three-run homer off reliever Brian Bruney. That made the score 7-3.
Webb, who led the major leagues in walks last season, walked three, although none scored.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39174
With Barry Bonds down in San Francisco and Adrian Beltre out of Los Angeles, the Diamondbacks can argue their offense is as thick as any in the NL West.
Lineup lengtheners Troy Glaus, Shawn Green and Jose Cruz showed just how deep in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs before 26,789 fans Wednesday night at Bank One Ballpark.
"There’s no breather, there really isn’t,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said.
How effective was the committee brought in expressly to buttress No. 3 hitter Luis Gonzalez?
• After Gonzalez walked in the first, Glaus tripled to deep right.
• After Royce Clayton and Gonzalez singled in the third, Cruz hit a two-out, two-run single.
• After Clayton walked and Gonzalez singled in the fourth, Glaus doubled in one, Green singled in two and Cruz doubled in another.
"This team all year is going to be able to have some big innings,’’ said newcomer Green.
"I don’t see us as being a team that will get a run here and a run there. I feel like we are going to be the kind of team that can explode. That’s good, because you never feel like you are out of the game."
Glaus, who homered in the eighth, was a a single short of the cycle while also stealing a base.
Gonzalez has hit safely in all three games and has scored five times. Cruz has five RBIs. Glaus has four extra-base hits.
All of the runs before Glaus’ first National League homer came with two outs.
"That’s good,’’ Glaus said. "Those are the key hits. They are generally the difference in winning the game.’’
So much for the 16-6 season opener, the only game the Cubs won in the three-game series.
"We did what we had to do, win the series,’’ Gonzalez said. "That shows we are capable of putting a loss behind us and moving on.’’
Glaus slid hard into the plate to beat Jeromy Burnitz’s throw from right field on Green’s two-run single in the fifth, taking out catcher Michael Barrett’s legs, and Barrett responded by kneeing Glaus in the left leg.
Glaus turned and raised his hands while home plate umpire Ron Kulpa stepped in front of Barrett, but Glaus said no words were exchanged.
Brandon Webb, who gave up two runs in 5 1 /3 innings for a victory in his first start of the season, is not used to the support. Webb gave up two or fewer runs 23 times last season but won only six of those games.
Webb massaged his way through the five scoreless innings, when the Cubs had eight base runners, three as far as third, but did not score.
He struck out clean-up hitter Aramis Ramirez on a curve with runners on first and third in the third, then got opposing pitcher Ryan Dempster to bounce out to Clayton after Clayton’s two-out error put runners on the corners.
Webb did not lose his shutout until leaving the game after giving up two singles in the sixth, when Barrett hit a three-run homer off reliever Brian Bruney. That made the score 7-3.
Webb, who led the major leagues in walks last season, walked three, although none scored.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39174
