azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 10, 2005 12:00 AM
Just when Diamondbacks fans where saying, "Here we ago again," Javier Vazquez threw them a curveball.
And, no, it wasn't driven hard somewhere.
Instead, Vazquez began throwing like the No. 1 pitcher management expected and could have easily been the winner if not for a shaky bullpen.
Vazquez left to a chorus of boos on Opening Day after going just 1 2/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, in Arizona's 16-6 loss to the Cubs. On Saturday, he survived another shaky start and left with a 7-5 lead and a runner on second after 5 1/3innings in the Diamondbacks' 12-10 11-inning loss.
"I had to go a little longer with Javy than I wanted to," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said.
"He gave it everything he had."Despite Vazquez entering the game with a 2-5 career record in 10 starts against the Dodgers, including a 6-3 loss in Los Angeles last year when he was with the Yankees, Melvin was optimistic about Vazquez's start before the game.
"We're excited about having Javy here," Melvin said. "You're going to have bumps in the road and bad days.
"The timing of it being Opening Day, and all the focus with Randy (Johnson) not being here, kind of magnified it. My feeling is he's going to be good (Saturday)."
He was, but not before being the target of boo birds again.
His shaky start brought back the Opening Day nightmare. After striking out the first two men he faced, he walked J.D. Drew, who was 0 for 17, and promptly served up a two-run homer to cleanup hitter Jeff Kent, who was hitting .467.
That was exacerbated in the second inning, when a pair of leadoff singles and an error on a force play at third by shortstop Alex Cintron loaded the bases with one out. Vazquez walked Cesar Izturis on four pitches to force in a run and trailed 3-0 as boos echoed off the walls of Bank One Ballpark.
Then came the curveball to fans.
He escaped further damage and retired the next 11 men he faced, striking out four consecutively. At one point, he broke three bats on three pitches. His teammates played long ball - a pair of two-run homers by Tony Clark and Shawn Green and solo blasts by Troy Glaus and Chris Snyder - to build a 7-3 lead entering the sixth.
That's when he stumbled again, perhaps understandably, considering it's still early in the season and his pitch count reached 103 before his exit.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0410dbacksside0410.html
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 10, 2005 12:00 AM
Just when Diamondbacks fans where saying, "Here we ago again," Javier Vazquez threw them a curveball.
And, no, it wasn't driven hard somewhere.
Instead, Vazquez began throwing like the No. 1 pitcher management expected and could have easily been the winner if not for a shaky bullpen.
Vazquez left to a chorus of boos on Opening Day after going just 1 2/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, in Arizona's 16-6 loss to the Cubs. On Saturday, he survived another shaky start and left with a 7-5 lead and a runner on second after 5 1/3innings in the Diamondbacks' 12-10 11-inning loss.
"I had to go a little longer with Javy than I wanted to," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said.
"He gave it everything he had."Despite Vazquez entering the game with a 2-5 career record in 10 starts against the Dodgers, including a 6-3 loss in Los Angeles last year when he was with the Yankees, Melvin was optimistic about Vazquez's start before the game.
"We're excited about having Javy here," Melvin said. "You're going to have bumps in the road and bad days.
"The timing of it being Opening Day, and all the focus with Randy (Johnson) not being here, kind of magnified it. My feeling is he's going to be good (Saturday)."
He was, but not before being the target of boo birds again.
His shaky start brought back the Opening Day nightmare. After striking out the first two men he faced, he walked J.D. Drew, who was 0 for 17, and promptly served up a two-run homer to cleanup hitter Jeff Kent, who was hitting .467.
That was exacerbated in the second inning, when a pair of leadoff singles and an error on a force play at third by shortstop Alex Cintron loaded the bases with one out. Vazquez walked Cesar Izturis on four pitches to force in a run and trailed 3-0 as boos echoed off the walls of Bank One Ballpark.
Then came the curveball to fans.
He escaped further damage and retired the next 11 men he faced, striking out four consecutively. At one point, he broke three bats on three pitches. His teammates played long ball - a pair of two-run homers by Tony Clark and Shawn Green and solo blasts by Troy Glaus and Chris Snyder - to build a 7-3 lead entering the sixth.
That's when he stumbled again, perhaps understandably, considering it's still early in the season and his pitch count reached 103 before his exit.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0410dbacksside0410.html
