posted on Saturday, March 01, 2008 12:37 PM
by
Jim
Third game leftovers
HITTING
*Juan Uribe did a terrific job turning the lineup over from the ninth spot, with a two-out single to start the third-inning rally, and a two-out, two-run double off the batter's eye in center field. Uribe was barely thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
*Jiim Thome showcased two of his lesser skills -- an opposite-field RBI single that bounced through the hole in the shift, and he stole second of Yusmeiro Petit later in the game. Either he or Harold Baines noticed that Petit wasn't looking him back, and he took off before Petit lifted his front leg.
*Chris Getz laid down a sacrifice bunt when he needed to in the top of the ninth, which should win him points in Ozzie Guillen's book.
*A.J. Pierzynski hit into a double play, but to his credit, it was the hardest-hit ball off Brandon Webb all day. It just happened to be directly at Orlando Hudson, who flipped it to first before Jermaine Dye could get back.
*Dye, with an opposite-field single, had the only hit off Webb in two innings.
*Jeff Cox doesn't hide what he wants. After Carlos Quentin didn't pick up Cox's windmilling, stopping at second on a single to right, Cox expressed his displeasure.
PITCHING
*Octavio Dotel looked good pitching a perfect inning in his Sox debut. He got ahead in the count, and no drama at all.
*Mike MacDougal, not so much. He didn't walk anybody, but he was routinely behind in the count. He gave up three hits in a row -- the second one was cheap, but the third one was a no-doubt blast by Mark Reynolds that cleared the bullpen and nearly left the park entirely. Ozzie doesn't know what to do with him.
*Charlie Haeger survived his first outing in Arizona -- the only solid contact he allowed was a comebacker that deflected off him and right to third baseman Royce Huffman, who threw to first in time for the out.
*Lance Broadway struggled with two outs. In his first inning of work, he gave up a harmless two-out single. In the second, he allowed a run-scoring double (unearned run) and a single that would've scored a run had a catcher not been running.
*Lucas Harrell nearly had his head knocked off by a line drive back through the box, but came up with a big groundball out with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth inning of a tied game.
*D.J. Carrasco did himself no favors, entering the ballgame with a 7-4 lead in the ninth and allowing the first three guys to face, two of them via the walk.
FIELDING
*Josh Fields went full-extension but missed a screaming liner to his left. I don't know if Joe Crede would have made that play.
*A.J. Pierzynski threw out Chris Young, not at second, but at first. Young strayed too far from the page, Pierzynski fired to first, and Young was tagged out after a short rundown.
*Royce Huffman flashed some leather at third, including a diving stab and throw to his right.
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