[原文] Giants' streak snapped by Brewers
Giants' streak snapped by Brewers
By Rich Draper / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Talk about a change of scenery.
There was pitcher Brian Cooper cooling his heels in faraway Yuma, Ariz., near
the California border, doing his best but wondering how long he'd stay with the
Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.
At 4 p.m. he got a call from the Giants. We need you, they said. Rent a car,
drive to Phoenix and then catch a flight to San Francisco. Welcome aboard.
After five hours of sleep, the 29-year-old right-hander made his
orange-and-black debut by pitching six solid innings against the Milwaukee
Brewers on Wednesday afternoon, but he unfortunately saw San Francisco fall,
3-0, at SBC Park.
For Cooper, going from the Arizona outpost -- the Grizzlies were playing the
Edmonton Trappers (Montreal) franchise there because of snow in Canada -- to
the climes of Northern California was a culture shock.
"Yuma has no overhang on the stands so it looks like a high school baseball
field, wide open with 650 people at the game not paying attention," said
Cooper. "We come out there and it's a little different, with Barry Bonds
pinch-hitting and the fans there. It was awesome."
Cooper issued a solo homer to Geoff Jenkins and an RBI single to Gary Bennett
in the second inning, then retired the next 13 Brewers, yet opposing hurler
Wes Obermueller fared better, going 6 2/3 frames and combining with relievers
Jeff Bennett and Danny Kolb for the shutout.
"Cooper pitched well," said manager Felipe Alou. "He did exactly what we needed
him to do today. Based on the way he pitched in Spring Training, his one
outing at Triple-A, and based on today, I don't think too many bad things will
happen to him."
Cooper was a bit surprised at that news.
"I didn't have the best command out there today, but I was happy to get balls
hit to guys, get good 'D' and get good results," said Cooper. "In the second,
I was kind of wild in the zone with my fastball and I was still trying to find
my way.
"After that I was able to throw in and out and my slider was working well.
It's good to know about my status -- I thought it was going to be a one-shot
thing. With [Jason] Schmidt coming off the disabled list [to start Friday's
game], I figured I'd get my walking papers today."
The Hollywood-born pitcher is a four-year Major Leaguer but has bounced around,
throwing for Anaheim and Toronto before latching onto the Giants as a free
agent in November. He then surprised the Giants with a brilliant spring,
logging a 1-0 mark with a 2.37 ERA over 19 innings and limiting opponents to
a .209 average.
Suddenly, he's making an impact. Suddenly, this unknown guy is making his mark.
"I've been pretty locked in with my arm angle now -- before I was kind of
messing around with it -- as I decided to go as high as possible and stick
there," he said.
"No doubt I'm maturing as a pitcher," added Cooper. "When I was first coming
around, I was a big believer in the velocity thing. That's what you're preached
by coaches and managers. I was trying to throw balls by guys, and that's not me. I have to change speeds and see what happens."
The Giants take Thursday off, then host the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:15 p.m.
PT Friday night in the start of a three-game series at SBC Park.
Then begins one of their longest stretches of the season, going 17 straight
games before having another day off. The good news is 14 of those contests will
be at SBC Park, with a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on April 23-25 the
only road trip.
Rich Draper is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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