azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Left-hander last pitched Saturday
Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
Shawn Estes, among the new members of the rebuilt Diamondbacks rotation, will get his chance tonight when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Bank One Ballpark, and he couldn't be more excited.
The veteran southpaw's first appearance was delayed a day by Thursday's open date, during which the team participated in its annual charity golf tournament at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club.
"The wait hasn't been frustrating because I've watched some pretty good pitching the last couple of days, which has been fun," said Estes, who will square off against former Diamondbacks pitcher Elmer Dessens. "I'm just anxious to get out there. I'm ready. My pitch count is up and I'm feeling strong."
Estes last saw action Saturday against Texas in Albuquerque, throwing five innings, but said he had a long side session earlier this week and got a lot out of it.
Counsell's view
The Diamondbacks won their first series of the year, taking two of three from the Cubs, but Craig Counsell still is taking a wait-and-see approach before commenting on the team's potential.
"Talk to me after April," he said. "We can talk about how we got good chemistry and good guys, but we've got to win baseball games. We're not going to find that out until we play.
"There is optimism because you look around and there is a lot of talented people who have successful track records. If you look at it that way, it bodes a possibility for success."
Big bang
Troy Glaus, who doubled, tripled and homered in Wednesday night's 8-3 victory over the Cubs, is 4 for 11 and has yet to stop at first base. He entered Wednesday's game with only a double in seven at-bats.
He said he wasn't a bit frustrated with his first two games against Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux, which came on the heels of a red-hot spring in which he hit .424 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 22 games.
"It was just two of 162 games," he said. "I was 1 for 7 and that's very minuscule in the grand scheme of things. I was trying to put good swings on them and make the adjustments. They were two guys who I've never seen before, and I was trying to get a feel for them and see what they did. It didn't work out for me the first couple days, but (Wednesday) night was better."
Moderation planned
Manager Bob Melvin brought closer Brandon Lyon into the game in the eighth inning Tuesday, breaking the mold of the one-inning closer.
"I don't know how often I can do that," Melvin said. "The first win of the year is a big game. For the most part, closers stay for the ninth and you let them create their own mess a little bit. From Day 1, I said Brandon is a guy who I'd rather bring in the eighth inning with guys on, because he has weapons to deal with that."
Melvin also used Lyon for two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday, but will guard against overusing Lyon, who missed last season after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery before the season.
"That's why we waited awhile to pitch him in consecutive games in the spring and why we waited awhile to pitch him two innings," Melvin said.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0408dbnotes0408.html
Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
Shawn Estes, among the new members of the rebuilt Diamondbacks rotation, will get his chance tonight when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Bank One Ballpark, and he couldn't be more excited.
The veteran southpaw's first appearance was delayed a day by Thursday's open date, during which the team participated in its annual charity golf tournament at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club.
"The wait hasn't been frustrating because I've watched some pretty good pitching the last couple of days, which has been fun," said Estes, who will square off against former Diamondbacks pitcher Elmer Dessens. "I'm just anxious to get out there. I'm ready. My pitch count is up and I'm feeling strong."
Estes last saw action Saturday against Texas in Albuquerque, throwing five innings, but said he had a long side session earlier this week and got a lot out of it.
Counsell's view
The Diamondbacks won their first series of the year, taking two of three from the Cubs, but Craig Counsell still is taking a wait-and-see approach before commenting on the team's potential.
"Talk to me after April," he said. "We can talk about how we got good chemistry and good guys, but we've got to win baseball games. We're not going to find that out until we play.
"There is optimism because you look around and there is a lot of talented people who have successful track records. If you look at it that way, it bodes a possibility for success."
Big bang
Troy Glaus, who doubled, tripled and homered in Wednesday night's 8-3 victory over the Cubs, is 4 for 11 and has yet to stop at first base. He entered Wednesday's game with only a double in seven at-bats.
He said he wasn't a bit frustrated with his first two games against Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux, which came on the heels of a red-hot spring in which he hit .424 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 22 games.
"It was just two of 162 games," he said. "I was 1 for 7 and that's very minuscule in the grand scheme of things. I was trying to put good swings on them and make the adjustments. They were two guys who I've never seen before, and I was trying to get a feel for them and see what they did. It didn't work out for me the first couple days, but (Wednesday) night was better."
Moderation planned
Manager Bob Melvin brought closer Brandon Lyon into the game in the eighth inning Tuesday, breaking the mold of the one-inning closer.
"I don't know how often I can do that," Melvin said. "The first win of the year is a big game. For the most part, closers stay for the ninth and you let them create their own mess a little bit. From Day 1, I said Brandon is a guy who I'd rather bring in the eighth inning with guys on, because he has weapons to deal with that."
Melvin also used Lyon for two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday, but will guard against overusing Lyon, who missed last season after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery before the season.
"That's why we waited awhile to pitch him in consecutive games in the spring and why we waited awhile to pitch him two innings," Melvin said.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0408dbnotes0408.html
