Don Mattingly had it right: "There was really no true stress in the game."
If the Diamondbacks were pumped up to play the Dodgers in their first meeting in Arizona since the infamous Pool Incident, they sure as heck didn't act like it. Ryu had no issues in two-hitting the DBacks over seven innings, and AGon drove in five of the six runs in the 6-0 win.
The true stars of the show were Ryu and Gonzalez (with a special nod to Hanley Ramirez and his three hits), as they made it look easy, as Mattingly put it. Ryu was coming off a very rough home opener in which he was chased after two innings and eight runs. He struck out eight and only walked one.
Want to know what his ERA would be covering three road starts? Try zero. That's right, he's all but perfect on the road, with 19 innings of scoreless ball. Even with getting rocked against the Giants, his ERA is still a very solid 2.57. He said he was in better shape coming into this season, and he's sure pitching like he meant it.
Coming into Friday night's road game, Gonzalez had actually gotten a hit in 7 of the 10 games, but they were all single hit games for a .189 average. Friday looked more like the guy who collected 100 RBIs last season, as he hit a two-run homer in the first, a two-run single up the middle in the third, and an RBI single to left in the eighth. One night of big swings raised his average to .244. He looks ready to unload.
Other thoughts from the game:
* Like I mentioned above, let's not forget that Ramirez in the #3 spot with two doubles and an RBI. Hes' up to .310 after starting the year 1-for-15 through four games.
* Yasiel Puig was back in the lineup in the #2 spot, gathering one hit and two runs. Matt Kemp sat out while Puig, Carl Crawford, and Andre Ethier started against the right-handed Brandon McCarthy.
* Jamey Wright is getting work when he can, and he struck out the side in the eighth and stayed on to finish the game out. He has a 1.59 ERA in six appearances.
* Juan Uribe was 0-for-4 with two double play balls, but it didn't matter. He made at least two fantastic plays at third. He sure as heck can glove it and throw it.
* The DBacks sit in dead last in the NL West at 4-9. The injury to Patrick Corbin is obviously a huge one, as their staff looks just plain ordinary. Take away the mighty Paul Goldschmidt, and there's not a lot to be scared of.
Both teams are back at it on Saturday night, as Zack Greinke looks to go 3-0. Wade Miley started the first game in Australia and took the loss, but has bounced back for two straight wins since then.
No comments:
Post a Comment