yagsy
05-01-2005, 12:11 PM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20050501-9999-1s1padres.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050501/images/sports_padres.jpg Padres' Brian Lawrence during his 2 hit 8 inning shutout performance.
Pads can sweep Arizona today, thanks to Lawrence, rare homer by Burroughs
By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 1, 2005
Fall down. Get up. Figure out what to do next time and knock down the other guy.
That's how it's done in major league baseball, if you wish to survive. Helped by two rugged pitchers who passed that test with flying colors, the Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 at Petco Park last night.
Brian Lawrence five days earlier got clobbered by the Diamondbacks, who ousted him after just seven outs, the shortest start of 117 in the pitcher's career.
Lawrence (2-3) figured out what to do. He altered the grip on his sinkerball by moving his thumb a smidge. The results were a mile different. Allowing only two hits, Lawrence went eight innings.
"I was able to use all of my pitches on both sides of the plate," he said. "That was the No. 1 thing. When a major league hitter can look for one pitch in an area, you're going to get hit, no matter how much life you have."
Lawrence handed a 2-0 lead to the master of resilience, Trevor Hoffman, who less than 24 hours earlier coughed up the save when he badly misplaced a two-strike pitch with two outs. Bad news, Arizona. Coming off blown saves, Hoffman usually is at his sharpest. He's never blown consecutive saves. In bagging his 397th career save last night, Hoffman threw only strikes with his eight pitches, dismissing the lineup's Nos. 1-3 hitters.
"I'm just happy to preserve the win for B-Law," Hoffman said. "He pitched extremely well. We played great defense. It was a crisp ballgame. I was just glad to put a finishing touch on it."
Sean Burroughs helped the Padres survive another strong outing by Shawn Estes, the veteran lefty who pitches better against San Diego than he usually does against others. Golfing a curveball with one out in the fifth inning, Burroughs landed it on top of the right-field scoreboard, good for his first home run at Petco, a span of 285 at-bats.
"He got his one home run for the season – I gave it to him," said Estes, who watched Burroughs clap after beating out a swinging bunt for a single in the second inning.
Burroughs, who is batting .319, said the lack of carry in cool Petco raised doubts that the ball would go the requisite 375 feet. "I was kind of blowing at it, the last two seconds of it," he said. "It was good that it broke up a scoreless game and helped the team win."
Burroughs had both of the hits off Estes (2-2) in seven innings. The lefty had won his previous eight decisions against the Padres, and was 13-4 against them overall.
The Padres nicked reliever Javier Lopez for a run in the eighth. After pinch-hitter Adam Hyzdu drew a two-out walk, Dave Roberts advanced him with a single, and Mark Loretta's two-out single off Lance Cormier gave Hoffman a larger cushion.
"I can't say enough about the guys getting an insurance run," Hoffman said.
In his past 16 innings at home, Lawrence has allowed one run for a Padres pitching staff that boasts the league's best home ERA, now at 1.71.
Lawrence got help form Xavier Nady, whose diving catch in left field denied Arizona a 1-0 lead in the first inning (on the play, Craig Counsell, less alert than usual, wasn't in position to tag and score from third base). In the seventh, Lawrence's sinker induced a double play from Shawn Green with runners on first and second. "The pitch was up; I got a little lucky," Lawrence said.
Arizona has lost its past 10 games at Petco, nine by two runs or fewer. A win by the Padres today would complete a three-game sweep, the fate San Diego suffered last weekend in Phoenix, where Lawrence's thumb and sinker were out of place.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050501/images/sports_padres.jpg Padres' Brian Lawrence during his 2 hit 8 inning shutout performance.
Pads can sweep Arizona today, thanks to Lawrence, rare homer by Burroughs
By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 1, 2005
Fall down. Get up. Figure out what to do next time and knock down the other guy.
That's how it's done in major league baseball, if you wish to survive. Helped by two rugged pitchers who passed that test with flying colors, the Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 at Petco Park last night.
Brian Lawrence five days earlier got clobbered by the Diamondbacks, who ousted him after just seven outs, the shortest start of 117 in the pitcher's career.
Lawrence (2-3) figured out what to do. He altered the grip on his sinkerball by moving his thumb a smidge. The results were a mile different. Allowing only two hits, Lawrence went eight innings.
"I was able to use all of my pitches on both sides of the plate," he said. "That was the No. 1 thing. When a major league hitter can look for one pitch in an area, you're going to get hit, no matter how much life you have."
Lawrence handed a 2-0 lead to the master of resilience, Trevor Hoffman, who less than 24 hours earlier coughed up the save when he badly misplaced a two-strike pitch with two outs. Bad news, Arizona. Coming off blown saves, Hoffman usually is at his sharpest. He's never blown consecutive saves. In bagging his 397th career save last night, Hoffman threw only strikes with his eight pitches, dismissing the lineup's Nos. 1-3 hitters.
"I'm just happy to preserve the win for B-Law," Hoffman said. "He pitched extremely well. We played great defense. It was a crisp ballgame. I was just glad to put a finishing touch on it."
Sean Burroughs helped the Padres survive another strong outing by Shawn Estes, the veteran lefty who pitches better against San Diego than he usually does against others. Golfing a curveball with one out in the fifth inning, Burroughs landed it on top of the right-field scoreboard, good for his first home run at Petco, a span of 285 at-bats.
"He got his one home run for the season – I gave it to him," said Estes, who watched Burroughs clap after beating out a swinging bunt for a single in the second inning.
Burroughs, who is batting .319, said the lack of carry in cool Petco raised doubts that the ball would go the requisite 375 feet. "I was kind of blowing at it, the last two seconds of it," he said. "It was good that it broke up a scoreless game and helped the team win."
Burroughs had both of the hits off Estes (2-2) in seven innings. The lefty had won his previous eight decisions against the Padres, and was 13-4 against them overall.
The Padres nicked reliever Javier Lopez for a run in the eighth. After pinch-hitter Adam Hyzdu drew a two-out walk, Dave Roberts advanced him with a single, and Mark Loretta's two-out single off Lance Cormier gave Hoffman a larger cushion.
"I can't say enough about the guys getting an insurance run," Hoffman said.
In his past 16 innings at home, Lawrence has allowed one run for a Padres pitching staff that boasts the league's best home ERA, now at 1.71.
Lawrence got help form Xavier Nady, whose diving catch in left field denied Arizona a 1-0 lead in the first inning (on the play, Craig Counsell, less alert than usual, wasn't in position to tag and score from third base). In the seventh, Lawrence's sinker induced a double play from Shawn Green with runners on first and second. "The pitch was up; I got a little lucky," Lawrence said.
Arizona has lost its past 10 games at Petco, nine by two runs or fewer. A win by the Padres today would complete a three-game sweep, the fate San Diego suffered last weekend in Phoenix, where Lawrence's thumb and sinker were out of place.