azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Jack Magruder, Tribune
WASHINGTON - The Diamondbacks hid Jose Cruz Jr.’s absence from the Washington Nationals for two days, but they could not do anything Sunday about relocating the seventh inning, an inning that has become their equivalent of locking the keys in the car with the engine running.
Riding Brad Halsey’s strong second start of the season, the D-Backs took a 3-1 lead into the seventh and had runners on first and third with no one out and the middle of the order up.
Six outs later, however, it was Washington that had taken control. The Nationals scored six runs on their way to a 7-3 victory at RFK Stadium and a series sweep before 35,463 fans who still have not seen their team lose in 34 years. There hasn’t been a team in Washington since 1971.
"Halsey pitched certainly well enough to win,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "We just couldn’t hold them.’’
Mike Koplove (1-1) took the loss after replacing Halsey with runners on second and third in the seventh. He gave up four runs on two hits and three walks (one intentional). Michael Gosling gave up a single that scored the final two.
The D-Backs (6-6) open a two-game series in Colorado tonight after a tough threehour flight Sunday.
"I’m going to sit on the flight and stew over it for awhile. It’s not going to affect my next appearance, but I’m disappointed we lost,’’ Koplove said.
Craig Counsell opened the D-Backs’ seventh with his third hit, a double, and beat a throw at third on Royce Clayton’s bunt off Esteban Loaiza, who was touched for three second-inning runs on Quinton McCracken’s RBI double and Counsell’s two-run single.
Washington brought in lefthander Joe Horgan to face Luis Gonzalez and got the best result it could hoped for — a semi-line drive toward second base that shortstop Cristian Guzman fielded on the short hop. He tagged second, looked Counsell back to third, and completed the double play with a throw to first. Troy Glaus flied out.
"Really, the only ball that you can hit with runners on first and third that is not going to get him in on a double play is a line drive that looks like it could be a line-drive out, because Counsell couldn’t break,’’ Melvin said. Halsey was lifted after giving up a single to Jose Vidro and a double to Jose Guillen opening the bottom of the seventh.
Koplove got Vinny Castilla to hit a ground ball to third baseman Glaus, who threw out Vidro at the plate while Guillen stayed at second.
But Nick Johnson hit a pitch that was six inches outside for a tying triple over center fielder McCracken’s head, and after pinch-hitter Terrmel Sledge walked, Brian Schneider broke the tie with a single to center to make it 4-3.
"I’m surprised (Johnson) hit it as well as he did. It wasn’t a great pitch, but it wasn’t a strike,’’ said Koplove, who had been scored upon in only one of his previous six appearances. "From then on, I had a little trouble finding the zone."
Koplove struck out Ryan Church on a 3-2 pitch, and the D-Backs had a chance for an inning-ending double play with the runners breaking. But catcher Koyie Hill lost his footing in the dirt behind the plate and could not make a throw.
"I slipped a little bit. It was almost like sliding on ice,’’ said Hill, noting the lumpy condition of the dirt. Koplove walked Brad Wilkerson intentionally, then walked Guzman on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run. Koplove faced six straight lefthanded batters (including switch-hitting Guzman) before Gosling entered and Vidro singled in the final two runs of the inning. Halsey, who threw 56 strikes in his 76 pitches, had his second straight quality start after winning the No. 5 spot in the rotation the final week of spring training.
"I can’t expect my bullpen to go three innings every time,’’ Halsey said. "I didn’t execute some pitches in the beginning of the seventh that set them up for a big inning.’’
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39766
WASHINGTON - The Diamondbacks hid Jose Cruz Jr.’s absence from the Washington Nationals for two days, but they could not do anything Sunday about relocating the seventh inning, an inning that has become their equivalent of locking the keys in the car with the engine running.
Riding Brad Halsey’s strong second start of the season, the D-Backs took a 3-1 lead into the seventh and had runners on first and third with no one out and the middle of the order up.
Six outs later, however, it was Washington that had taken control. The Nationals scored six runs on their way to a 7-3 victory at RFK Stadium and a series sweep before 35,463 fans who still have not seen their team lose in 34 years. There hasn’t been a team in Washington since 1971.
"Halsey pitched certainly well enough to win,’’ D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "We just couldn’t hold them.’’
Mike Koplove (1-1) took the loss after replacing Halsey with runners on second and third in the seventh. He gave up four runs on two hits and three walks (one intentional). Michael Gosling gave up a single that scored the final two.
The D-Backs (6-6) open a two-game series in Colorado tonight after a tough threehour flight Sunday.
"I’m going to sit on the flight and stew over it for awhile. It’s not going to affect my next appearance, but I’m disappointed we lost,’’ Koplove said.
Craig Counsell opened the D-Backs’ seventh with his third hit, a double, and beat a throw at third on Royce Clayton’s bunt off Esteban Loaiza, who was touched for three second-inning runs on Quinton McCracken’s RBI double and Counsell’s two-run single.
Washington brought in lefthander Joe Horgan to face Luis Gonzalez and got the best result it could hoped for — a semi-line drive toward second base that shortstop Cristian Guzman fielded on the short hop. He tagged second, looked Counsell back to third, and completed the double play with a throw to first. Troy Glaus flied out.
"Really, the only ball that you can hit with runners on first and third that is not going to get him in on a double play is a line drive that looks like it could be a line-drive out, because Counsell couldn’t break,’’ Melvin said. Halsey was lifted after giving up a single to Jose Vidro and a double to Jose Guillen opening the bottom of the seventh.
Koplove got Vinny Castilla to hit a ground ball to third baseman Glaus, who threw out Vidro at the plate while Guillen stayed at second.
But Nick Johnson hit a pitch that was six inches outside for a tying triple over center fielder McCracken’s head, and after pinch-hitter Terrmel Sledge walked, Brian Schneider broke the tie with a single to center to make it 4-3.
"I’m surprised (Johnson) hit it as well as he did. It wasn’t a great pitch, but it wasn’t a strike,’’ said Koplove, who had been scored upon in only one of his previous six appearances. "From then on, I had a little trouble finding the zone."
Koplove struck out Ryan Church on a 3-2 pitch, and the D-Backs had a chance for an inning-ending double play with the runners breaking. But catcher Koyie Hill lost his footing in the dirt behind the plate and could not make a throw.
"I slipped a little bit. It was almost like sliding on ice,’’ said Hill, noting the lumpy condition of the dirt. Koplove walked Brad Wilkerson intentionally, then walked Guzman on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run. Koplove faced six straight lefthanded batters (including switch-hitting Guzman) before Gosling entered and Vidro singled in the final two runs of the inning. Halsey, who threw 56 strikes in his 76 pitches, had his second straight quality start after winning the No. 5 spot in the rotation the final week of spring training.
"I can’t expect my bullpen to go three innings every time,’’ Halsey said. "I didn’t execute some pitches in the beginning of the seventh that set them up for a big inning.’’
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39766
