"HAWPE" SPRINGS ETERNAL AS . . .

....SQUIRRELS GO NUTS!

Lexington—Staked to a 3-1 lead after six innings, the Rebels pen choked ‘big-time’, going from penthouse to outhouse in the space of a few pitches as the visiting Squirrels, led by RF Brad Hawpe, shocked the host Lexingon Rebels in the opening game of their playoff series!

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In the series opener, the Rebels matched Brandon Webb (15-10, 3.31 in the regular season) against Felix Hernandez (8-6, 4.73) Both gave good efforts, but in the fifth the home team took the lead by playing ‘small ball.’ David Wright singled and Jhonny Peralta walked to open the inning against ‘King’ Felix. Lexington then executed a successful double steal. Jay Bruce hit a fly ball to deep center to score Wright and send Peralta scampering to third, where he scored five pitches later on Molina’s slow grounder to 2B Michael Young. Not exactly a bunch of frozen ropes, but good enough to give Webb and the Rebels a 3-1 lead.

But Webb, who had a league-leading 10 complete games in the regular season, seemed to tire a bit in the sixth and Rebels GM Ronald Melkonian, playing it safe, opted to bring in erstwhile starter Danny Haren. Haren bailed out Webb in that frame, but put the first two runners on in the eighth. Joey Devine was brought in to face Magglio Ordonez with a runner down and fanned the Squirrels left fielder, but (with Mike Gonzalez in the pen) was allowed to face switch-hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez delivered, smashing a long single into the right field corner that Curtis Granderson (who had tripled and scored to begin the game) made a brilliant play on, but not before Brad Hawpe (remember that name) had scored. Edwin Encarnacion then belted a ball that B.J. Upton had to turn on his jets to flag down right before the wall in center field, ending the threat, but the Squirrels had narrowed Lexington’s lead to 3-2.

The Rebels, meanwhile, could do nothing with Carlos Marmol, who worked two scoreless frames, fanning five of the eight hitters he faced. That brought up a dramatic ninth: with a one-run lead, GM Melkonian summoned up-and-down closer Huston Street, who got off to a great start, fanning SS Edgar Renteria and pinch-hitter Carlos Pena. Two down.....and just one more out needed for a series-opening, tone-setting victory for the home team! Rolling the dice, the Squirrels pinch-hit Aki Iwamura for Michael Young. Iwamura walked on a 3-2 pitch after fouling off a couple of strikes, setting the stage for....Brad Hawpe....who....fell behind, and with a 2-2 count.....

...drove a ball down the line, DEEP, it’s gone if it’s fair.......

FAIR BALL!

HOME RUN!

Brad Hawpe, in a now-or-never situation, had just come through with a big, go-ahead, two-run bomb to lift his team from the edge of defeat to the lead! A stunned Street shook his head, and although Albert Pujols popped up a 2-1 change for the inning’s final out, there was no doubt what had happened. Hawpe had sucked all of the momentum out of the Rebels, who went 1-2-3 in the ninth against the usually-reliable Joe Nathan. Nathan earned the save, Marmol (1-0,. 0.00) dominated to earn the win in relief and Street (0-1, 18.00) clinched perhaps an eternal set of ‘goat horns’ for his colossal mistake pitch to Hawpe.

JEFF IS ‘DREAM WEAVER’ FOR RALLYING VEGAS

Down Under—Las Vegas got a solid eight innings from young Jared Weaver, and then had just enough to hold off a late Darwin rally, as the visiting Luchadores stunned Scott Kazmir and the host Finches with a six-run fourth to even their playoff series with the host Finches!


Darwin, which got a gem from Gil Meche in their 3-1 series opener, seemingly was still on a roll through three frames, as Kazmir (0-1, 15.00) matched zeroes with Weaver (1-0, 5.63). But things came apart for the Finches in the fourth. Kazmir, working the second time through the order, gave up a monster long ball on the first pitch of the inning to Matt Holliday, who drilled it 422 feet into the left-field bleachers. Manny Ramirez reached on an error by SS Mark Loretta, who was given a start ahead of a banged-up Cristian Guzman. Kazmir then drilled Prince Fielder’s sizeable belly to put two on with nobody out, and the Finches bullpen began to work. Soriano singled to load the bases, and after youngsters Alex Gordon and Hunter Pence both smacked RBI singles, Kazmir’s day was over. Chad Billingsley came in with two runners on. Billingsley had been moved back into the pen for the postseason despite a strong September showing in Darwin’s rotation, but by the look of things that might’ve misfired.. Both inherited runners scored, and Las Vegas led, 6-0!

Weaver, nursing that lead, got into a little trouble in the sixth. Placido Polanco and Chipper Jones drew walks with two out, and the Finches got their first run of the game when David Ortiz singled under the glove of a diving Reed Johnson. Lance Berkman followed with an opposite-field single to left to score Jones, but a lumbering Ortiz was thrown out on a fine relay from Holliday to Gordon, leaving the score at 6-2.

The Finches, recognizing the seriousness of their plight, saved their short relievers by turning to the old knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield. If the veteran gave up a bunch of runs, it would pretty much turn the affair into a laugher. But, if he could baffle the Luchadores with the dancer, keep his club close, then they could try to rally against the Luchadores bullpen. A familiar role for Wakefield, and as it turned out, he worked three innings of hitless relief....and so it was that Darwin took its last, best shot at Weaver in a dramatic ninth.

Weaver had allowed only the two runs through eight frames, and with a four-run lead and having thrown only 99 pitches, was allowed a shot at the complete-game win. David Ortiz led off the inning, though, by fouling off three straight 0-2 pitches and ended up singling between first and second on a 3-2 pitch. Chone Figgins pinch-ran for Ortiz and, after three attempted pickoffs, Weaver would lose the plate and walk Lance Berkman on three pitches. The Vegas pen began warming in earnest, but not before Josh Hamilton lit into a Weaver fastball, driving it out of the park in the second deck in right! Darwin trailed by just one run, 6-5, and nobody out!

Mariano Rivera came on for Weaver and gave up a single to pinch-hitter Jeff Clement. Ty Wiggington ran for Clement, but Cristian Guzman (who had come into the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh) hit a tailor-made double play ball to Jimmy Rollins. Pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit smoked a Rivera cut fastball on an 0-1 pitch, but Alex Gordon DIVED and caught the screamer on one hop, popped up and whipped an off-balance bullet to Prince Fielder. The ball was in the dirt! But Fielder came off the bag, blocked it with his body, and then regained control in time to tag the bag, beating Doumit by a step!

Rivera got the save, Weaver the win and Las Vegas some breathing room, as the Luchadores held on to win 6-5, despite a great Darwin rally, and so had evened things in the series 1-1! The Finches would now have to go on the road to ‘Sin City’ and win at least one game to avoid another post-season disappointment. For the Luchadores, the win meant that they would have a chance at home to advance to the BARB World Series!