azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Relievers twice fail to hold lead for D-Backs
By Ed Price, Tribune
PHILADELPHIA — Five reruns might mean time for a cancellation.
Matt Mantei surrendered yet another crucial ninth-inning home run Sunday for the Diamondbacks, and eventually the Philadelphia Phillies won 6-5 in 14 innings at Citizens Bank Park when Oscar Villarreal walked in the winning run.
“Oscar didn't lose that game,” Mantei said, “I lost it in the ninth for us.”
In nine outings this year, Mantei has given up five home runs: all in the ninth inning, all either tie-breaking, game-tying or game-ending.
And it seems like the Diamondbacks — who have gone 1-2 in all four of their road series — are ready to take him out of the closer's job.
Asked if it would be beneficial to change bullpen roles, manager Bob Brenly said, “We'll get with Matty on the plane (to Chicago on Sunday night), and we'll talk about it.”
That's not quite “you're fired!” — but it seems to indicate a change.
Jose Valverde, the presumed substitute closer, worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in Sunday's 11th inning and has a 3.68 ERA for the season.
Mantei, whose ERA is 11.88, has yet to go consecutive outings without allowing a homer. He has blown three of seven save chances, and of the 12 hits he has allowed in 8 innings, five are home runs.
Sunday was Pat Burrell's turn. Burrell was batting for Todd Pratt — who in 1999 eliminated the D-Backs from the playoffs with a home run off Mantei for the Mets — after Tomas Perez walked with two out and nobody on base.
Burrell delivered a 447-foot blast that tied the game 4-4, costing Brandon Webb a win.
“I'm trying to go away with a pitch, and I leave it in the middle again,” Mantei said. “My location's been (horse manure). I've been (horse manure).”
Said Brenly: “We all know Pat Burrell's a first-pitch fastball, cheat-for-the-fastball hitter and he got it right down Main Street and didn't miss it.”
Arizona went back up in the top of the 14th inning, scoring an unearned run off Ryan Madson (2-1). But Villarreal (0-2) hit Mike Lieberthal with a pitch to begin the bottom of the inning, and David Bell's pinch double tied the score.
With two out, after Villarreal's first pitch to Bobby Abreu was a ball, Brenly ordered an intentional walk of Abreu — even though that brought up Jim Thome, last year's NL home run leader.
“He doesn't chase bad pitches out of the zone,” Brenly said of Abreu. “So I didn't see any point in pitching around him and trying to get him to chase a bad pitch when he doesn't do that.
“Thome had been overly aggressive with runners in scoring position, chasing some bad pitches, so once we fell behind Abreu 1-and-0 we decided to go ahead, put him on, take our chances with Thome. Maybe he chases a bad pitch, and it also sets up a force at any base.”
But Villarreal walked Thome on four pitches to load the bases and then went to a full count on Ricky Ledee. After catcher Bobby Estalella went to the mound to call for a fastball, Villarreal's pitch was well high and away, forcing pinch runner Randy Wolf home.
“I wanted to throw my sinker away, and I (flew) open,” Villarreal said.
“We've got seven defenders out there behind him,” Brenly said. “If he hits the ball, we have a chance to do something. But if you walk the guy, obviously the game's over.”
Five of Arizona's 14 losses have come in the opposition's last at-bat.
Webb, who retired the first batter in all seven of his innings, had his 13-inning scoreless streak ended when he tired in the seventh.
With two out, Jimmy Rollins singled and Perez followed with his first home run, on Webb's 101st and final pitch. It was just the second homer off Webb this season and cut Arizona's lead to 4-2.
Webb has pitched in 37 innings this year and shut out his opponent in 31 of them. Only once in six starts has a team been able to score against him in more than one inning.
By Ed Price, Tribune
PHILADELPHIA — Five reruns might mean time for a cancellation.
Matt Mantei surrendered yet another crucial ninth-inning home run Sunday for the Diamondbacks, and eventually the Philadelphia Phillies won 6-5 in 14 innings at Citizens Bank Park when Oscar Villarreal walked in the winning run.
“Oscar didn't lose that game,” Mantei said, “I lost it in the ninth for us.”
In nine outings this year, Mantei has given up five home runs: all in the ninth inning, all either tie-breaking, game-tying or game-ending.
And it seems like the Diamondbacks — who have gone 1-2 in all four of their road series — are ready to take him out of the closer's job.
Asked if it would be beneficial to change bullpen roles, manager Bob Brenly said, “We'll get with Matty on the plane (to Chicago on Sunday night), and we'll talk about it.”
That's not quite “you're fired!” — but it seems to indicate a change.
Jose Valverde, the presumed substitute closer, worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in Sunday's 11th inning and has a 3.68 ERA for the season.
Mantei, whose ERA is 11.88, has yet to go consecutive outings without allowing a homer. He has blown three of seven save chances, and of the 12 hits he has allowed in 8 innings, five are home runs.
Sunday was Pat Burrell's turn. Burrell was batting for Todd Pratt — who in 1999 eliminated the D-Backs from the playoffs with a home run off Mantei for the Mets — after Tomas Perez walked with two out and nobody on base.
Burrell delivered a 447-foot blast that tied the game 4-4, costing Brandon Webb a win.
“I'm trying to go away with a pitch, and I leave it in the middle again,” Mantei said. “My location's been (horse manure). I've been (horse manure).”
Said Brenly: “We all know Pat Burrell's a first-pitch fastball, cheat-for-the-fastball hitter and he got it right down Main Street and didn't miss it.”
Arizona went back up in the top of the 14th inning, scoring an unearned run off Ryan Madson (2-1). But Villarreal (0-2) hit Mike Lieberthal with a pitch to begin the bottom of the inning, and David Bell's pinch double tied the score.
With two out, after Villarreal's first pitch to Bobby Abreu was a ball, Brenly ordered an intentional walk of Abreu — even though that brought up Jim Thome, last year's NL home run leader.
“He doesn't chase bad pitches out of the zone,” Brenly said of Abreu. “So I didn't see any point in pitching around him and trying to get him to chase a bad pitch when he doesn't do that.
“Thome had been overly aggressive with runners in scoring position, chasing some bad pitches, so once we fell behind Abreu 1-and-0 we decided to go ahead, put him on, take our chances with Thome. Maybe he chases a bad pitch, and it also sets up a force at any base.”
But Villarreal walked Thome on four pitches to load the bases and then went to a full count on Ricky Ledee. After catcher Bobby Estalella went to the mound to call for a fastball, Villarreal's pitch was well high and away, forcing pinch runner Randy Wolf home.
“I wanted to throw my sinker away, and I (flew) open,” Villarreal said.
“We've got seven defenders out there behind him,” Brenly said. “If he hits the ball, we have a chance to do something. But if you walk the guy, obviously the game's over.”
Five of Arizona's 14 losses have come in the opposition's last at-bat.
Webb, who retired the first batter in all seven of his innings, had his 13-inning scoreless streak ended when he tired in the seventh.
With two out, Jimmy Rollins singled and Perez followed with his first home run, on Webb's 101st and final pitch. It was just the second homer off Webb this season and cut Arizona's lead to 4-2.
Webb has pitched in 37 innings this year and shut out his opponent in 31 of them. Only once in six starts has a team been able to score against him in more than one inning.
