Early deficit too much for D-Backs
PHOENIX -- He wasn't overpowering and he wasn't always in command of the strike zone, but Kansas City's J.P. Howell managed to perplex the Diamondbacks for five innings to earn the win in his Major League debut.
Howell struck out eight and allowed just one run as the Royals held off a furious Arizona comeback to win, 8-5, on Saturday night at Bank One Ballpark.
The Diamondbacks had few good swings against the left-hander, managing four hits -- the only four balls they got out of the infield. Howell induced six ground balls and one popup.
"There was some unfamiliarity and we just didn't get to him," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin. "We battled later and we scored some runs and made it a game.
Kansas City gave Howell an early cushion by rallying for three runs in the first inning off Arizona starter Brad Halsey. Howell, in fact, got his first Major League at-bat before throwing his first pitch.
The Royals didn't hit Halsey hard in the first, but they hit it to the right places. Of their six first-inning hits, three stayed in the infield. Emil Brown -- who went 4-for-5 with two RBIs -- smacked the first of his three doubles to bring in the first run and Terrence Long followed with a two-run single. The damage could have been worse had third baseman Troy Glaus not made a leaping snag on a soft drive down the line by Howell.
"They swung the bats good and a lot of times, you give up a big inning early in the game, it's really tough to make the bats go silent again," Halsey said.
The three runs were more than enough for Howell. The lefty never reached the 90s with his fastball and barely threw half of his 90 pitches for strikes but the lefty was always a step ahead of the Diamondbacks hitters.
Arizona threatened in the fourth when Glaus and Tony Clark -- who launched his 200th career home run in the game -- led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. But Howell struck out the side to escape the jam.
"He had lefty stuff. I wouldn't call him Cy Young or Randy Johnson, but it'd be nice if we had another shot at that guy. Obviously with Interleague Play we don't get to see him anymore," said Luis Gonzalez, who was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout against Howell. "When a team goes out there and scores three for you early, and you're a rookie, it's a good sign for you. He settled in after that because he knew his team scored a couple of runs off a pretty good lefty that we've got."
A Jose Cruz Jr. single in the sixth cut the deficit to three runs, but the Royals struck back with three in the seventh and one in the eighth to build an 8-1 lead. Long added his third RBI and then scored on a two-run blast by catcher John Buck as part of the three-run seventh that chased Halsey from the game.
But things started getting strange in the eighth. Clark led off with a 440-foot bomb to center and Shawn Green hit his third home run in two games in the next at bat. After a flyout, Royals reliever Mike Wood walked back-to-back Diamondbacks and it started looking like Bank One Ballpark might witness its second wild comeback in as many nights.
Alex Cintron laced a line drive down the third-base line but was robbed on a diving grab by Mark Teahan. Umpire Greg Gibson initially ruled Cintron out, but overruled himself when he saw the ball squirt out of Teahan's glove. Teahan then calmly picked up the ball, stepped on third and tossed to second for a controversial double play.
"Give him credit, he got it right -- he realized that, saw the ball on the ground and got it right in his mind," said Melvin, who officially protested the call. "But I had to do that because I have a responsibility to my team and it holds my runners and all the runners did hold."
Arizona staged another rally in the ninth, scoring two runs on Royals closer Mike MacDougal and sending the potential tying run to the plate. Craig Counsell walked and came around to score on a Gonzalez single. After Glaus struck out, Clark reached on a fielder's choice when shortstop Angel Berroa dropped a throw from first. Green rocked an RBI double to left, but pinch-hitter Scott Hairston popped out and Chris Snyder grounded out to end the threat.
"That's been the story of our club," Gonzalez said. "We find a way to somehow get ourselves, if we don't win the game, we put ourselves in a position to almost win the game, and that's the sign of a team that doesn't give up."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
Howell struck out eight and allowed just one run as the Royals held off a furious Arizona comeback to win, 8-5, on Saturday night at Bank One Ballpark.
The Diamondbacks had few good swings against the left-hander, managing four hits -- the only four balls they got out of the infield. Howell induced six ground balls and one popup.
"There was some unfamiliarity and we just didn't get to him," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin. "We battled later and we scored some runs and made it a game.
Kansas City gave Howell an early cushion by rallying for three runs in the first inning off Arizona starter Brad Halsey. Howell, in fact, got his first Major League at-bat before throwing his first pitch.
The Royals didn't hit Halsey hard in the first, but they hit it to the right places. Of their six first-inning hits, three stayed in the infield. Emil Brown -- who went 4-for-5 with two RBIs -- smacked the first of his three doubles to bring in the first run and Terrence Long followed with a two-run single. The damage could have been worse had third baseman Troy Glaus not made a leaping snag on a soft drive down the line by Howell.
"They swung the bats good and a lot of times, you give up a big inning early in the game, it's really tough to make the bats go silent again," Halsey said.
The three runs were more than enough for Howell. The lefty never reached the 90s with his fastball and barely threw half of his 90 pitches for strikes but the lefty was always a step ahead of the Diamondbacks hitters.
Arizona threatened in the fourth when Glaus and Tony Clark -- who launched his 200th career home run in the game -- led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. But Howell struck out the side to escape the jam.
"He had lefty stuff. I wouldn't call him Cy Young or Randy Johnson, but it'd be nice if we had another shot at that guy. Obviously with Interleague Play we don't get to see him anymore," said Luis Gonzalez, who was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout against Howell. "When a team goes out there and scores three for you early, and you're a rookie, it's a good sign for you. He settled in after that because he knew his team scored a couple of runs off a pretty good lefty that we've got."
A Jose Cruz Jr. single in the sixth cut the deficit to three runs, but the Royals struck back with three in the seventh and one in the eighth to build an 8-1 lead. Long added his third RBI and then scored on a two-run blast by catcher John Buck as part of the three-run seventh that chased Halsey from the game.
But things started getting strange in the eighth. Clark led off with a 440-foot bomb to center and Shawn Green hit his third home run in two games in the next at bat. After a flyout, Royals reliever Mike Wood walked back-to-back Diamondbacks and it started looking like Bank One Ballpark might witness its second wild comeback in as many nights.
Alex Cintron laced a line drive down the third-base line but was robbed on a diving grab by Mark Teahan. Umpire Greg Gibson initially ruled Cintron out, but overruled himself when he saw the ball squirt out of Teahan's glove. Teahan then calmly picked up the ball, stepped on third and tossed to second for a controversial double play.
"Give him credit, he got it right -- he realized that, saw the ball on the ground and got it right in his mind," said Melvin, who officially protested the call. "But I had to do that because I have a responsibility to my team and it holds my runners and all the runners did hold."
Arizona staged another rally in the ninth, scoring two runs on Royals closer Mike MacDougal and sending the potential tying run to the plate. Craig Counsell walked and came around to score on a Gonzalez single. After Glaus struck out, Clark reached on a fielder's choice when shortstop Angel Berroa dropped a throw from first. Green rocked an RBI double to left, but pinch-hitter Scott Hairston popped out and Chris Snyder grounded out to end the threat.
"That's been the story of our club," Gonzalez said. "We find a way to somehow get ourselves, if we don't win the game, we put ourselves in a position to almost win the game, and that's the sign of a team that doesn't give up."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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