Trailing in their respective series, the Eastern and Western champions (Worcester and Yuma) both managed triumphs to keep their Series hopes alive as the 2010 BARB playoffs sputtered on . . . . !
YUMA 10, FROSTBITE FALLS 4
WP: Matt Cain (1-0, 4.76)
LP: Tim Lincecum (0-1, 17.18)
Joey Votto drove in four runs with a first-inning single, then added his second HR of the playoffs to cap a four-run inning against Squirrels ace Tim Lincecum, sending 'The Freak' to an early exit, as the 0-2 Firebirds found life on the road.
Yuma gave a hint that things would go their way early on, as Denard Span beat out an infield hit, Brian Roberts singled under the glove of Michael Young and (with one out) Votto beat out a slow roller that Young bobbled (scored inexplicably as a base hit) to score Span. Zimmerman grounded out to put two runners in scoring position, and when Nick Markakis walked, the bases were loaded! Lincecum dispatched Vlad Guerrero on a 1-2 fastball, but the 34-pitch inning had taken its toll.
The Squirrels went quietly in the first two innings. In the top of the second, Buster Posey (0-for-8 in the first two games) singled to lead off the inning. Yunel Escobar sacrificed Posey, and for the sixth time in the game Lincecum went to a three-ball count, eventually walking Span. Roberts followed with a ringing double over Beltran's head to score Posey, Braun hit a sac fly and Albert Pujols dropped a Michael Young peg that would've retired Votto, leading to another run. Lincecum ended with another 'K', but had already offered 51 pitches in just two frames, and trailed, 4-0.
Why does anyone ever pitch to Albert Pujols in the playoff? Things just seem to work out for the big dummy, time and again. Sorry, lost my objectivity, but in the bottom of the third Frostbite Falls seemingly got back into the ball game versus Cain, who did not have his best stuff. The Squirrels loaded the bases with two outs for....you guessed it, Pujols, who delivered a double over a leaping Roberts to plate all three teammates running on the play. Cain would get Victor Martinez, but score was narrowed: YUMA 4, FROSTBITE FALLS 3!
The wheels would finally come off for Lincecum in the fourth, however. Denard Span singled with one out, Brian Roberts walked and Frostbite Falls LF Adam Lind managed to turn a ball that the right-handed hitting Ryan Braun pulled down the left-field line into a double, scoring Span. An aroused Lincecum then left a fastball up for Votto, and the Yuma 1B YANKED it, up and out over the LF wall, a three-run shot! YUMA 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 3!
That was it for Lincecum. Matt Garza would come in and work a credible five-plus frames, allowing just two runs the rest of the way to limit the damage, but the Squirrels weren't able to do anything with the Yuma pen other than Carlos Beltran tomahawking a solo HR off Rafael Betancourt leading off the eighth. Huston Street would come with a six-run lead and a runner on second to get the final two outs....YUMA 10, FROSTBITE FALLS 4!
Despite the win, the Firebirds had to be troubled. They still trailed, 2-1 in the series and would need another road win to force a final game and defend their world title. What will happen? You'll have to tune in tomorrow to see!
WORCESTER 1, CASSELTON 0
WP: Mariano Rivera (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Claudio Vargas (0-1, 3.86)
Mariano Rivera, a non-factor in the first three games, came up big-time in Game 4 of the playoffs, a must-win game for his teammates, as the Eliminators won a classic pitcher's duel on the road in Casselton to even their playoff series at 2-2!
The game began with a matchup of unheralded fourth starters: RHP Anibal Sanchez (11-10, 4.27 in the regular season) for the Elims, and LHP A.J. Happ (7-4, 3.57) for the Horned Toads. Both would take shutout bids into the seventh, with Sanchez especially spectacular (6.2 IP, 4 H, 8 K). Happ was less dominant, but worked around doubles by Carl Crawford and Mark Teixeira to keep things scoreless, retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the frame, Sanchez fanned Torii Hunter for his 8th K. Casselton 3B Casey McGehee hit a one-shot rocket that Ramirez picked off his shoetops, turning it into an easy second out. But, with one down, Mike Napoli worked the count full and fouled off a pair of 3-2 deliveries before working a walk out of Sanchez. Decision time, with the pitcher's spot up! The Casselton brain trust brought in IF Reid Brignac to pinch-hit for Happ. Brignac had burned Worcester with a leadoff double in a previous pinch-appearance, and with Sanchez having thrown 115 pitches, his day was done.
Situational lefty Craig Breslow (1-3, 4.17) relieved, and induced Brignac to pop up to shallow right, ending the threat. It would now turn into a battle of the bullpens, and this was Casselton's Achilles heel: with Bobby Jenks out for the season, and Mike Adams and Dennis O'Day having combined for nearly eight innings in the last three games, the Horned Toads would have to turn to the bottom of their pen.
Claudio Vargas (2-2, 5.18) would get the call to pitch the eighth, and worked credibly. With one down, Vargas intentionally walked Billy Butler pinch-hitting for Breslow in order to pitch to All-World SS Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez obliged the home team's strategy by tapping back to the pitcher, who started a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning. Vargas would go on to work a 1-2-3 ninth as well, fanning Delmon Young to end the inning.
Meanwhile, Peter Moylan (5-2, 2.51) worked a 1-2-3 eighth and came out to work the bottom of the ninth as well. Here, the home team got their best chance for a walkoff win! Justin Upton singled, and with the dangerous Carlos Gonzalez at the plate, the Eliminators brought in lefty specialist Joe Thatcher (1-0, 2.70). 'Car-Go' surprised by sacrificing Upton to second, bringing the winning run into scoring position. The game was clearly on the line.
Enter Rivera, who had led all of BARB with 36 regular-season saves only to languish in the first three games of the post-season. The ancient Panamanian had come into the game as part of a double switch in place of Delmon Young, with utilityman Ty Wiggington trotting out to left and batting in the pitcher's spot. Five cut fastballs later, Rivera had induced a pair of soft grounders from Hunter and McGehee to end the threat.
That brought up the top of the 10th, where the biggest plate apperance of Hanley Ramirez's Worcester career would be a free pass, as Vargas's good outing was wasted by a wild teammate. Robinson Cano lined out sharply to RF Justin Upton, who made a spectacular shoe string catch. Joe Mauer singled over J.J. Hardy's head to put the go-ahead run on. Casselton executed a double switch, as well, calling on Ramon Ramirez (2-3, 3.99) to work on Derek Jeter, while Jorge Cantu took over duties at the hot corner from McGehee.
Ramirez STRUCK OUT Jeter for the second out, but then went 3-0 on the next two hitters (Nolan Reimold and Ty Wigginton).....walking both to load the bases!! What to do in a tie ballgame, with the only arm not yet used on the staff belonging to spot starter Joe Saunders, and with the right-handed hitting Hanley Ramirez at the plate?
Following the book, the Toads stuck with Ramirez:
Ball one!
Ball two!
Ball THREEeeeeeee........ball game!
Or so it seemed, as one Ramirez (Ramon) had just given a four-pitch walk to another (Hanley), and in the process forced in the game's only run? Saunders was brought in with the bases juiced to get the left-handed hitting Carl Crawford. Saunders popped the Elims CF up, ending the inning, but the damage was done.
In the bottom of the TENTH, then, Rivera would be asked to get three more outs. Again, the cut fastball was Worcester's best friend: Mike Napoli struck out, Jorge Cantu grounded out, and Derek Lee (pinch-hitting for Hardy) hit a comebacker that Rivera flipped to Teixeira at 1B....ball game! Just like that, the Worcester Eliminators had evened their series at 2-2, and forced a critical fifth game back home.
Rivera!
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