2:10 TO YUMA

YUMA’S ‘BIG TWO’ TOO MUCH FOR BROOKLYN
YUMA’S ‘BIG TWO’ TOO MUCH FOR BROOKLYN

The Brooklyn Moabs won seven straight to win the Eastern Division, including a one game playoff with Frostbite Falls that featured a clutch outing by Jon Lester (13-10, 3.63) and a big home run from Miguel Cabrera. But all that karma came to a halt in the first game of the playoffs, as Yuma aces Roy Halladay and C.C. Sabathia came in to play, and dominated.

Halladay (16-7, 2.77) led the league in complete games during the regular season, with 11. Opening on the road in Brooklyn, Yuma’s ace went the distance yet again, taking a shutout into the ninth before giving up a pair of tallies in the Firebirds 11-2 win, getting big flies from Joey Votto and Yuniel Escobar to take the lead in the series. Brooklyn evened things up in the second game despite an outing that saw Sabathia take a 5-3 lead into the sixth, as Cabrera hit his 26th homer of the year off reliever Rafael Soriano after a pair of Firebirds fielding errors, with Francisco Rodriguez saving the day for rookie lefthander Jose Mijares (1-0, 5.40) The Moabs had gained a split with an 8-5 win, and the action would now shift to Yuma.

Back home in Arizona, the Firebirds could only groan at a spectacularly poor outing by the amped-up Jake Peavy (0-1, 18.00) as Braun, Utley and Victorino all had three hits to back a workmanlike outing from Scott Baker (1-0, 4.50), who gave up single runs in each of the first three innings but survived largely due to the non-stop offense: the Moabs would continue to batter Yuma’s pen. Matt Cain and Hong-Chih-Kuo would combine to give up four additional runs in relief, and outside of Joey Votto (who went 3-for-3) could muster no offense after the fifth, as the Moabs went on to win, 10-4, not to mention take a 2-1 lead in the playoffs.

In a do-or-die situation, Yuma again turned to Halladay on short rest, and again their ace delivered a gem, this time in a matchup with one-game playoff hero Jon Lester. Lester (0-1, 6.35) walked three batters in a two-run third inning and could’ve been even more pummeled had he not picked off a napping Denard Span. Yuma led 5-0 by the end of the sixth, with Halladay taking a three-hit shutout into the late innings. In the ninth, Cabrera hit his second home run of the series to finally get the Moabs on the board, but that was too little, too late. Halladay (2-0, 1.50) fanned pinch-hitter Ty Wigginton, then got Chase Utley to chase for his second complete game of the series and 13th route-going effort of the year. Yuma would hold to win, 6-1, evening the series and setting up a fifth and final game.

The series finale returned the contest back to Brooklyn, and featured C.C. Sabathia back on short rest to duel with James Shields, the loser of the opener. No contest, it seems! An error by Ryan Howard prolonged the second inning with one out, and Shields (0-2, 11.81) lost it. The righthander walked Denard Span to load the bases, then hung curveballs that Braun and Votto both turned into a pair of RBI. Yuma would bat around, and then some, with two out, as four players batted twice. When it was all over, the Firebirds had put up an eight spot against Shields and two relievers, and the game was essentially over.

Sabathia (1-0, 3.21) would pitch into the eighth with little flak. Cabrera would collect another RBI with a two-out sac fly in that inning, but with a 10-1 lead, Yuma felt secure enough to hand the ninth-inning reins to Jose Arrendondo. When pinch-hitter Mark Teahen lofted a soft fly out to Span for the final out, the Firebirds roared onto the field, secure in the knowledge that they would have more aces to play against the Creepers!

PLAYOFF SUMMARY:

Yuma outlasted the Moabs in large part due to the outstanding pitching of Roy Halladay (2-0, 1.50), who was named Series MVP.


Yuma 11, Brooklyn 2

WP: Halladay (1-0, 2.00)
LP: Shields (0-1, 14.73)
HR: Votto (1), Escobar (1), McCann (1)

Brooklyn 8, Yuma 5

WP: Mijares (1-0, 5.40)
LP: Soriano (0-1, 40.50)
SV: Rodriguez (1)
HR: Markakis (1), Cabrera (1), Dye (1), Wigginton (1)

Brooklyn 10, Yuma 4

WP: Baker (1-0, 4.50)
LP: Peavy (0-1, 18.00)
HR: Utley (1), Braun (1)

Yuma 6, Brooklyn 1

WP: Halladay (2-0, 1.50)
LP: Lester (0-1, 6.35)
HR: Cabrera (2)

Yuma 10, Brooklyn 1

WP: Sabathia (1-0, 3.21)
LP: Shields (0-2, 11.81)
HR: none


ECHOES OF GAMES PAST

The dominant hurling of Halladay and Sabathia (3-0, 2.25 ERA in 32 innings, including two complete games) was reminiscent of the pair’s fine work in the 2007 post-season. In that campaign, the two Yuma aces had combined to go 4-1 with a 1.49 ERA in five starts, including a complete game from each hurler.

The single loss by the pair in that post-season? A 2-1 thriller in Game Six of the 2007 World Series, where John Smoltz and Trevor Hoffman combined for a three-hitter and just one (unearned) run in forcing a seventh game. In that finale, Sabathia would overcome a two-run first, stick around long enough to outlast Kelvim Escobar, and eventually take a 3-2 lead in the eighth.

The bottom line? Yuma has been here before, and their recipe appears unchanged: ride their two big horses as hard and as long as they can. The matchup with Pottsylania’s corps of starters promises to be a classic! More to come....