Horacio Vs Cubs
July 12, 2003
I was really excited about this start! I got up way early and had to control my energy until it was time for the game to start so I started cleaning the house anything to keep myself from bouncing off the walls.
Horacio is 8-2 with a 3.49 ERA and Clement is 6-7 with an ERA of 4.56 so everything appears to be on Horacio's side. You never know though!!! Horacio was outstanding in his last start and hopefully he will have something similar to that in his arsenal today!
Anyone who knows me knows I hate watching the games when they are on Fox and today was just another reason why. Horacio was still warming up in the bullpen when they were ready to start and they were kind of annoyed by it but who cares last time I check it wasn't about FOX! <--sorry let me step down from that soap box!
Im sitting here watching Clement warm up with suddenly I realize that both starters wear number 30! So I dubbed this start the battle of # 30! The braves are really biting at all clements pitches, even those that did not look to be around the plate I sure do hope they calm down and take some pitches or this could be a long day! Three up and Three down for the braves in the first!
Now, its Horacio's turn to take over in the bottom of the inning. His first pitch to Grudzielanek was a ball, then he doubled to left field. The next batter got him over to third. Sammy Sosa was up and the first pitch to him was a STRIKE which got me fired up but then Sammy got a little looper past Mark Derosa which brought the run in from third. Alou then came up and this first pitch was also a ball, then he preceded to sing single down the right field line, runners on first and second with only one out. The Braves and Horacio really needed a double play to get out of the inning and got it with Karros grounding into the 543 double PLAY!
The inning was not a good start for Horacio but it could have been a lot worse. He needed the double play and he made a pitch to get it. Hopefully the Braves will get the run back for him in the next inning!
The Braves failed to score in the top half of the second inning so once again Horacio went to work. Ramirez's first pitch to Gonzalez was a ball, then he got a single to right field off of Ramirez. An out later they got a double off of Miller leaving the score at 1-0. This inning was better for Horacio, He just needs to get ahead of the batters a lot of his pitches are missing outside once he gets that location where he wants it he will be just fine!
Furcal took clement deep in the top of the 3rd after being down in the count 0-2! This should give Horacio a fresh slate to begin the inning with. He should be able to settle down now! Go Horacio!
Top of the 4th began with Sammy Sosa going deep, Horacio showed his distaste for the Homerun which I think is refreshing to see. I am proud to be a fan of a guy that cares so much about what happens while he is one the mound and doesn't act like he could care less! After watching the homer go out Horacio bent down to think it over and it seemed like he just took a breathe and was ready to face Alou!
Well from here Horacio lost it. I really think that Javy should have went out to talk to him after Alou got the hit off of him but he didn't the Cubs just kept hitting ball where the fielder weren't as they say "they were splitting the gaps" They were getting a lot of extra base hits.
Horacio I don't think was locating the ball where he wanted to he was missing outside and getting behind the hitters. Bobby pulled him after 3.2 innings, it just wasn't his day but with the way that he has keep Atlanta in games and came up big when they needed him I kept hoping that the braves would come back and win the game and get Horacio off the hook but it was n't in the cards. Horacio def. has nothing to be ashamed of! It was a rough outing yeah but it happens, its baseball!!!