DENVER (AP) -Matt Holliday broke out of a slump with his first home run of the NL championship series, staking Colorado to a 1-0 lead over Arizona through three innings of Game 3 on a chilly Sunday night.
With a cold rain falling, and the temperatures hovering around 43 degrees, Holliday connected against Livan Hernandez with two outs in the first inning.
Eric Byrnes, who was intent on tracking it down, ran smack into the left-field wall, tumbling to the warning track. He quickly hopped back up.
Holliday, an NL MVP candidate, was hitting .125 in the series with no RBIs coming into the game. He hit .340 with 36 homers and 137 RBIs in the regular season.
Rockies starter Josh Fogg was bailed out of trouble by double plays in each of the first three innings.
He issued a one-out walk to Chris Young in the third, but Stephen Drew rolled into a 4-6-3 double play.
Fogg worked out of a first-and-third jam in the second when Augie Ojeda rolled a hard grounder to Kaz Matsui, who fired a throw slightly off-line to Troy Tulowitzki.
But the NL Rookie of the Year contender showed his prowess in the field by twirling around and delivering a strike to Todd Helton to double up Ojeda.
The Diamondbacks threatened in the first after Young and Drew singled with no outs. Fogg then helped his own cause by snagging a liner up the middle by Byrnes and throwing to second to double up Young. Tony Clark then flew out to center to end the inning.
There was quite a discrepancy in postseason experience on the mound as Hernandez made his 10th playoff start, and Fogg his first.
Hernandez entered the game 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three appearances in league championship series games.
Fogg has been dubbed “Dragon Slayer” by teammates for his ability to come up big in important games. There was even a mural of Fogg slaying a dragon hanging from his locker Saturday afternoon. Fogg didn’t know who was responsible for the airbrushed painting, but liked the artwork.
Fans at Coors Field bundled up in fleece jackets, wool caps and gloves – clothing better suited for the ski slopes. It drizzled throughout the day and into the evening, and a light fog also settled over the field.
So it was only fitting that the Rockies sent Fogg to the mound to deal with the elements in the first NLCS game in Denver in franchise history.
Both sides didn’t think the damp, cold conditions would play a major factor in the outcome.
“What elements?” Clark said. “We knew coming in it was going to be chilly. They got to play in it, too.”
Add A Comment
THIS IS NOT A GAMBLING SITE – If you think you have a gambling problem click here.
Disclaimer: This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Individual users are responsible for the laws regarding accessing gambling information from their jurisdictions. Many countries around the world prohibit gambling, please check the laws in your location. Any use of this information that may violate any federal, state, local or international law is strictly prohibited.
Copyright: The information contained on TheSpread.com website is protected by international copyright and may not be reproduced, or redistributed in any way without expressed written consent.
About: TheSpread.com is the largest sports betting news site in the United States. We provide point spread news, odds, statistics and information to over 175 countries around the world each year. Our coverage includes all North American College and Professional Sports as well as entertainment, political and proposition wagering news.
©1999-2023 TheSpread.com