Hawpe gets to Webb as Rockies cruise
10/12/2007 2:17 AM ET
Hawpe gets to Webb as Rockies cruise
Francis makes early runs stand to avenge only recent defeat
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
PHOENIX -- Brad Hawpe sees the Rockies' recent success as being much like a
sound approach to healthy eating. Just take little bites.
For example, Hawpe had homered three times against Diamondbacks ace Brandon
Webb during the regular season. But all he wanted Thursday night was a good
swing, which turned out to be a two-run single in the third inning -- as big
a hit as the Rockies managed in their 5-1 Game 1 victory in the National
League Championship Series at Chase Field.
"Not do too much -- just put the barrel on the ball and try to hit it and get
on base," Hawpe said of his game plan.
Not do too much was good enough to improve Hawpe's 2007 RBI total against
Webb, last year's Cy Young Award winner, to 13. It brought the Rockies to 4-1
against Webb in 2007.
While Thursday's game was punctuated by fans throwing debris on the field
after an interference call against the D-backs, it's mere background noise on
the night the Rockies -- who had played almost their entire 15 seasons of
existence without winning nine in a row -- won for the 18th time in their
past 19 games.
The Rockies wrested home-field advantage with the victory. Game 2 is Friday
night, and the series moves to Coors Field for three straight, if necessary,
starting Sunday.
But all that adds up to too big a chunk for these Rockies.
"We're 1-0," Hawpe said. "We had such a long break, all we were thinking
about was the series coming up, winning the first one."
Like Hawpe's approach against Webb, the Rockies didn't make the first NLCS
game in their history any bigger than a string of little tasks.
The Rockies had eight hits, one fewer than their opponent, and had no
extra-base hits.
"You can't expect to hit home runs and doubles off Brandon Webb to score your
runs," said Matt Holliday, whose third-inning single off Webb touched in foul
ground but kicked back and ticked off third base to become fair. "You gotta
fight for them."
The Rockies loaded the bases with no outs in the second and scored when Webb
forced Troy Tulowitzki into a double play. Kazuo Matsui knocked a soft RBI
single to left in the third, and then the Rockies loaded the bases for
Hawpe's feathered single to right. The Rockies added an unearned run in the
seventh.
A frustrated Webb, who gave up four
runs and seven hits in six innings and is stuck with a 5.80 ERA against the
Rockies in 2007, said: "They had some good luck on their side because they
didn't hit too many hard, but give them credit for putting the ball in play
and hitting it where we weren't. There was nothing I could do about it."
The Rockies won with left-handed starter Jeff Francis continuing his success
against the D-backs (6 1/3 innings, seven hits, one run) and a solid bullpen
(no runs, two hits, two strikeouts). A defense that set the all-time fielding
percentage record during the regular season turned three double plays.
Francis, who struck out four against two walks and two hit batters, is 8-2 in
15 career starts against the D-backs.
"I can't explain it," Francis said. "I think it's just a small sample size of
me not being here that long and having a good run against that team."
The performance brought Colorado starters' ERA to 3.39 during the current hot
streak. The Rockies led the NL with a 3.86 ERA from the All-Star break to the
end of the regular season.
Francis gave up no runs after Eric Byrnes' one-out RBI double in the first.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You can't expect to hit home runs and doubles off Brandon Webb to score your
runs. You gotta fight for them."
-- Matt Holliday
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With two on and nobody out in the seventh, Justin Upton was ruled out for
interference -- and the Rockies were awarded a double play -- when he slid
over the bag and rolled into Matsui at second. Tulowitzki shouted angrily at
Upton as he left the field, and some among the sellout crowd of 48,142 tossed
objects onto the playing surface, causing the delay as the players left the
field until clam returned.
Jeremy Affeldt bailed the Rockies out in the seventh by coaxing Stephen
Drew's fly ball to right with the bases loaded.
Brian Fuentes gave up one hit but fanned two in the eighth, and Manny Corpas
threw a scoreless ninth for a bullpen that has a 2.20 ERA over the 19-game
surge.
Webb's victory over the Rockies, which is the one recent loss, came at Coors
Field on Sept. 28. It played a role in manager Clint Hurdle's biggest lineup
decision of the postseason.
Hurdle went with the Rockies' preferred lineup. Willy Taveras, who had been
out since suffering strained right quadriceps on Sept. 8, returned as leadoff
man and Matsui dropped a spot, to No. 2. Each went 1-for-5, but each also
stole a base and scored a run.
Taveras and Matsui entered with career averages of .412 and .423,
respectively, against Webb.
"I just thought we needed to go at them a different way, with some people
that have had success, and we were able to have some good at-bats early,"
Hurdle said. "You gotta do what you believe in."
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