GAME 7 – West Coast Swing vs. Tempe Tempers – Series all tied!

(10.7.2012) – In the night time October sky here in Tempe, this series will finally be decided. David versus Goliath in what has turned into an epic battle – will the West Coast Swing, facing what could be there final franchise game, be able to shut down the hopes of the juggernaut Tempe Tempers in what is supposed to be their BIG YEAR? The home town fans are back to their frenzied levels and when this reporter looked in on the West Coast dugout, he was sure he saw the kitchen sink.

Starting tonight will Josh Tomlin for West Coast – making his first start in the series – he pitched in a soak up role in one of the Tempers blowout victories going 5 innings and giving up 4 HRs enroute to achieving a nice big 10.80 era.  Manager Schindel however is looking at Josh as being a team player – he did what he had to do at a time the team needed to collectively regroup.  He’s done well down the strecth and he was 1-0 with a 1.80 era in wild card series start.

WEST COAST SWING at TEMPE TEMPERS – Division Series Game 6 (West Coast leads 3-2)

(10-6-2012) This surprising series has returned to Tempe, that in itself was somewhat of a surprise, but the fact that West Coast is holding the lead at 3 games to 2, that is the big news event. They are standing on the edge of a precipice they expected to shoved over quickly, but they have the chance of being the shovers, not the shovee.

As the crowd settles in, you don’t get the sense of panic, but there definitely is a sense of urgency among the hometown fans.  This was not supposed to be hard, but here they are facing elimination now in game 6.  The bright spot – Matt Cain will be taking the hill. Last time he faced West Coast in these playoffs, he lead the team to a 14-0 blowout.  The Tempers just seem to really like it when he’s on the mound.  For West Coast, they are going with Gavin Floyd, their ace, He has no record in these playoffs, but in the 2 games he has started against the Tempers, the Swing has won them both!  However, as you look at the Swing bench, you start to see a bunch of guys that are playing on will power – fatigue is setting in, in fact third baseman Ryan Zimmerman had to be scratched from the starting lineup tonight, he’ll be replaced by Eduardo Nunez (who has been very effective off the bench – can he come through as a starter).

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GAME 5 – Tempe at West Coast – Series tied 2-2

(10.4.12) What a difference a day can make, two days ago West Coast fans were figuring they’d show up because their team was playing out the season as Tempe was turning the series into a laugher.  But a tight, exciting multi lead changing victory with a 2 run 9^th inning rally can really change attitudes.  Now the series is tied and that crazy hope that existed earlier in the series is back – but Tempe still is Tempe and they will have a lot to say about it – and most likely a LOT to say.  Game 5 sees new starters. Wandy Rodriguez looked decent in a relief stint and he’s been given the nod to start game 5 for the Swing.  Tim Stauffer gets the ball for the Tempers.   Here we go ….

1^st – Wandy gets Tempe in order.  In the bottom half Utley draws a 1 out walk and steals 2^nd. Victorino thens takes a Stauffer pitch up up and away for a first inning 2 run lead!  Cuddyer follows with a double, but  he is stranded.  West Coast 2-0 after 1.

In the top of the 4^th, Pence leads off and takes Rodriguez downtown blasting a long home run to cut the score to 2-1.  Eat away at the lead, and then pounce.  But that was all the nibbling in this inning for Tempe.  In the bottom half, West Coast gets the run back when Cuddyer singles again and the steals 2b after Stauffer is replaced by Madson.  Zimmerman Ks and Trumbo gets an IW.  Cuddyer steals 3b, runners on the corners.  Desmond then executes a perfect hit and run, scoring Cuddyer to make it 3-1 getting that 2 run lead back but that is all the action in the 4^th.

Top of the 5^th Molina leads off and WHAM – Home run over the left field wall, cutting the West Coast lead to 3-2.  That was all the nibbling done this inning.  In fact, that was all the scoring until the 8^th.

Top of the 8^th Cabrera (again) leads off with double, getting the tying run to 2b with no outs. West Coast pulls Huff and replaces him with Perez.  Duda comes in to PH for Clippard and flies out, Cabrera holds at 2^nd.  Tulo (of Nemesis Trio fame) hits a shot past Utley at 2^nd into RF, They waving Cabrera in, Cuddyer hurls the ball toward home, Tulo digs for 2^nd on the throw and Cabrera is out by inches at the plate!  Go to town home fans. Tying run is cut down at home. 2 outs, Tulo at 2^nd. Beltre comes up.  Perez throws, and it’s a PB by Teagarden.  Tulo gets to 3^rd. OK 2 outs tying run at 3^rd Beltre up. The pitch, the swing, it goes toward RF, and bloops in there safely, Tulo scores, Beltre gets to 2^nd the Nemesis Trio strikes again!  TIE GAME 3-3 in the 8^th. The trio work ends with AGon ground out to end the inning.

Bottom of the 8^th provides some excitement – Peralta comes in to pitch. Young, JR. leads off with a slow roller past Peralta that Tulo charges but his throw to first is not in time. Peralta leaves, Josh Spence comes in. Utley up, and Young, JR. steals 2^nd. Utley then whiffs. Victorino flies out and Cuddyer comes to the plate. And he delivers again with a single to LF, Young, JR. never hesitated and he scores easily on the play to put West Coast back up 4-3! The inning ends on a Zimmerman strike out.

Top 9 – Schindel chooses to leave Perez on the hill and he promptly fans Pedroia. Then he gets Molina to fly out to CF.  But with 2 outs, he walks Ruiz. That’s it for Perez and Kenly Jansen is brought in to try and shut down the Tempers.  Gutierrez is PR for Ruiz.  Granderson steps into the batter’s box – the pitch and it’s a bleeder on the right side of the infield, everyone is in motion and Utley gets to the ball, slings it to first and Granderson is out by a step.  The Swing win again!  And they take a 3-2 lead as they send the series back to Tempe.

FINAL LINE
TEM  3 10 0
WCS  4   6 0
WP Perez (1-0) S Jansen (2)
LP Peralta (0-1)
HRs: TEM – Pence (1), Molina (1); WCS – Victorino (2)

Well baseball fans, this is turning into something far more than expected.  3 1-run victories for West Coast and 2 monumental blow outs for Tempe.  Game move back to West Coast – no doubt Cain will be on the mound for game 6.  Stay tuned, more results in a couple of days ……

GAME 4 – Tempe at West Coast – Tempe Tempers up 2 games to 1

(10.3.12) Afternoon sun blazing, stadium decked out for playoffs, fans happy to see their team in the Division Series, but they are still shell shocked. Tempe, after dropping game 1 at home, they have dropped the hammer on the Swing. They let their Tempers flare and have outscored West Coast 24-1 in the last two games.  West Coast is NOT starting Scott Baker in game 4, but they are going back to Gavin Floyd, their game one starter – maybe that’s where their magic is.  Tempe is countering with Game 2 starter (and winner) Brandon McCarthy.

The first inning has been the game breakers for Tempe in games 2 and 3 and in this one it seems they are taking off right where they left off in game 3.  Granderson leads off with a double. Cabrera then smashes one to short – and it bounds off Desmond’s glove, Cabrera safe – Grandy was unable to move to 3^rd.  Pence then singles to LF and Granderson scores, no throw, runnrer at 1^st and 2^nd, no outs and 1-0 Tempe.  Nemesis Trip coming up and Schindel stays with Floyd.  AGon helps out the home team by grounding in DP, Cabrera to 3^rd. Tulo thens rocks a liner up the middle and Floyd put up his glove in self defense and lo and behold the ball was in it for the final out.  1-0 Tempe.  West Coast went out in order in the 1^st and Tempe did nothing in their half of the 2^nd.

Bottom of the second,  Cuddyer (who, remember him) leads off with a single and steals 2^nd. With 1 out, Utley singles to CF and Cuddyer is cut down at home trying to score. Utley then steals 2^nd (with 2 outs).  Mgr Douglas calls for the IW to Trumbo to face Torrealba. Yorvit hits a pea past AGon at first, Utley scores, Trumbo scores and Torrealba hustles all the way to 3^rd.  The 12 inning scoreless drought is over. And the Swing actually have a lead, 2-1.

Leads can be short lived and this one was.  Top 3 Tempe charge back (big time).  Floyd still on the mound, Punto leads off the inning PH for McCarthy and singles.  Gutierrez PRs for Punto. Uh-Oh, Schindel has seen enough of Floyd (why?) – and he calls for Josh Johnson.  Johnson got mauled in game 2, but that was an aberration, wasn’t it. He comes in with a 54.00 era! Gutierrez steals 2b. Granderson then walks. Cabrera hits slow roller, out at 1^st but runners move to 2^nd and 3^rd. Pence says Johnson who – and doubles in two runs to put Tempe back in the lead 3-2.  AGon then walks and  the Nemesis Trio unloads again as Tulo hits a three run homer and Tempe suddenly lead 6-2. Johnson is getting hammered again.  But he will stick around – working on lowering the era. He gets them out finally.  In the bottom half something different happens, West Coast doesn’t role over and play dead. With one out Pierre singles and then Victorino plows one over the wall for a 2 run homer and the Tempe lead is cut to 6-4.  After that Manager Douglas lifts Peralta in favor of Jim Johnson, so we have Johnson & Johnson pitching for both teams.

There is not scoring for a while but part of that was due to some great arms in the outfield. Pence was cut down by Cuddyer at home in the 5^th (trying to score from 2^nd on AGon single to RF).

Bottom of the 6^th, Tempe brings in Holland to hold off West Coast. But Cuddyer leads off with a homer!  His bat, dormant for 2 games, has reemerged for game 4.  Zimmerman then decides he can do it too and he goes over the wall and now the game is tied at 6-6.  The game goes to the 9^th with the score still knotted at 6.

Top 9 – Perkins has been in for West Coast for 1.1 ip and he gives up a leadoff double to Ruiz.  Schindel lifts him in and calls on Josh Lindblom. Repko called to PR for Ruiz. Butera grounds out, but Repko moves to 3^rd. Granderson up, IF in, and Granderson fans.  2 outs.  Cabrera up and he grounds to short to end the inning – but NO, he beats out the throw, it was a weak one, Desmond barehanded it, and Cabrera is safe and Tempe takes the 7-6 lead in the top of the 9^th. Cabrera then tries to steal 2^nd but Teagarden throws him out.  Tempe needs three outs to secure the win, West Coast needs 1 to tie or go down 3 games to 1.

Bottom 9 – Madson on the mound, Trumbo leads off with a single.  Blackmon comes in as PR. Eric Young, JR. comes in to PH for Teagarden, he grounds to short with Blackmon moving and Tulo goes to 1^st for the 1^st out. Nunez then comes in to PH for Lindblom.  He drills one straight to Cabrera in CF – he’s there but whoa! It’s over his head.  It goes to the wall, Blackmon scores and Nunez’s rounds 2^nd heading for 3^rd and there is no play. He’s standing on 3^rd clapping those hands looking up at the scoreboard and seeing a tie game!  Madson still pitching, Nunez on 3^rd, 1 out, IF in, Desmond up and he drills it to RF, it is high, it is far and it is caught by Pence…Nunez tags, Pence unloads and … he’s safe at the plate.  West Coast wins 8-7 on a 2 run ninth to come back.  4 lead changes dramatic rallies in the 9^th. Series tied 2-2!

FINAL LINE
TEM  7 10 0
WCS  8 10 1
WP Lindblom (1-0)
LP Madson (0-2)
HRs: TEM – Tulowitzski (1); WCS – Victorino (1), Cuddyer (2), Zimmerman (1)

So far Baker (for WCS) and Madson (for TEM) are both 0-2.  Pence is hitting .500, Beltre .462 (with 4 homers), AGon .429, Tulo .385, Cabrera .368.  Cuddyer leads West Coast with .333 and 2 homers.

Game 5 coming up with the series tied and the knowledge that Tempe will once again host a game or two more.  Who will start Game 5?

GAME 3 – Tempe at West Coast – Series tied at 1 game each.

(10.1.12) West Coast is home, this is their sixth game of the playoffs this year, but the first 5 have all been on the road. However, in those five road games they amassed a 3-2 record and have been slinging flat stones at the giants of the league.  Can they keep this up? Well, if game 2 was an indication, a 10-1 drubbing and clubbing by the Tempers, it looks doubtful.  We shall see.  West Coast is once again sending Matt Cain to the hill – he left early with no decision in game 1 (although he did give up 2 runs in 3 ip and sports a mountain high 6.00 era). Tempe fans are not concerned, Cain seldom did anything wrong during the year – and certainly not in consecutive outings.  Schindel is countering with Scott Baker who started game 2. Baker if you remember was pounded in the 1^st inning for 4 runs (and a lofty 36.00 era) and he was pulled early.  Can he rebound?

The excitement of the West Coast fans was quickly quashed (as well as any confidence Baker might have had in his abilities – he might never pitch a first inning of any game again). Granderson leads off the 1^st with a single to RF. He takes off and Cabrera singles to LF moving Grandy to 3^rd. Pence follows with an rbi single moving Cabrera to 3^rd.  Baker faces 3 batters – 3 hits – that was too much for Schindel. He pulls him in favor of Josh Johnson.  West Coast is seeking to limit the damage to a little as possible, that 10-1 game is heavy in their minds.  Johnson, in limited action has been a horse – including a couple of starts against Tempe (including a win) at the end of the regular season.  So, can the youngster hold it together in the playoffs? He better because the first three batters are the Nemesis Trio! AGon steps in – Johnson seeking a K or DP fires it in a AGon singles scoring Cabrera, 2-0. OK, Cabrera up with runners at 1^st and 2^nd, grounds out, but the runners advance, there is finally an out. Adrian Beltre – what does he do to Johsnon, just launches one to RF, the last time anyone saw it it was an astronaut on the international space station – a Baltimore Special – Beltre’s 3^rd HR and a 5-0 TEMPE lead.  Johnson is done in favor of Josh Tomlin. Tomlin settles things down …. for awhile.

Top of the 5^th Tomlin still out there and the Nemesis Trio leads off the inning.  AGon goes yard to make it 6-0. Tulo flies out, but Beltre follows with a solo shot (and 2^nd homer for him this game – two games in a ROW!!), 7-0.  Pedroia fans and then Drew Butera goes over the wall for the 3^rd Tempe solo homer of the inning and an 8-0 lead. Schindel is really going strange in the West Coast dugout wondering if he can afford to go for this one or just find some arms to finish the game and move on to game 4.  These blowouts can really eat up a staff.  Tomlin stays out there. Which works until the next inning ….

Top 6^th, with one out Cabrera singles (again). Pence follows with a single and then AGon homers again (3 run job, 2^nd HR for him this game), 11-0.  After a lot of defensive subbing, including bringing in Soria, Guerrero double and Beltre come up – but Manager Douglas sends in Duda to give Beltre a rest (or maybe he’s feeling like West Coast needs a rest). He fans but Pedroia didn’t get the message and he doubles home Guerrero for a 12-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Matt Cain has been Matt Cain.  He goes deep into this game, 7 ip giving up 2 hits and 2 walks and NO runs.  Colon will come in and mop up innings 8 and 9 with no runs.

And the scoring wasn’t done, Pedroia blasts a 2 run homer of his own in the 8^th to make the final 14-0 Tempe.  Second straight slaughter (24-1 scoring advantage in games 2 and 3).

FINAL LINE
TEM  14 19 0
WCS    0   4 1
WP Cain (1-0)
LP Baker (0-2)
HRs  A. Gonzalez 2 (2), Beltre 2 (4), Pedroia (1), Butera (1)

Tempe now stands up 2 games to 1 and showing the muscle (and dominating pitching) that carried them to 132 victories in the regular season.  Can West Coast rebound, can they at least show some respectability, or was game one their only flash?