Albuquerque Isotopes at Memphis RedBirds
April 8th, 2004
| Albuquerque |
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2 |
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0 |
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2 |
6 |
0 |
| Memphis |
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1 |
4 |
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X |
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5 |
12 |
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LOB ALB 5, MEM-6, 2B-Sutton, Porter, HR-Padgett (Haren/2nd/solo), Treanor (Haren/2nd/solo), Mabry (Small/1st/solo), SACB-Haren
BB-Mabry
T-2:24, A-8,601 (tickets sold=12,643)
U-Jack Samuels, Casey Moser, John McMasters
The Albuquerque Tribune
The Memphis Commercial Appeal
by Marlon W. Morgan
Dan Haren went to spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals with every intention on winning a job in the starting rotation.
At the same time with the number of veteran arms already there, Haren resigned himself to the fact that he'd likely begin the year with the RedBirds.
But if Haren keeps pitching like he did in Thursday night's Pacific Coast League opener and the Cardinals arms keep failing, it's highly possible the 6'5" right hander won't be here for long.
Haren was two pitches away from totally dominating the Albuquerque Isotopes. Still his performance helped the RedBirds to a 5-2 win in front of 8,601 at AutoZone Park, their first season opening win in three seasons.
Haren, 23, pitched six strong innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six and walking two. Those two hits happend to be the Isotopes' only runs, coming on back to back homers in the second inning by Matt Padgett and Matt Treanor.
"I lost my concentration for a one minute span there and allowed them to come back." Haren said. "Once that happend, my adrenaline was going and the ball was getting up a little bit. I just concentrated on staying down and good things happend from then on."
RedBirds manager Danny Sheaffer who managed Haren in 2002 at Class A Peoria, was impressed with the way Haren shook off the homers.
"I think he made a few mistakes in the second inning." Sheaffer said. "Mistakes are supposed to be hit. The way he rebounded from that with more velocity and more intensity was pretty nice to see. He's a competitor and there's no doubt about that. Wheather it's at the level or in St. Louis, he's going to give you what he's got."
Haren climbed the ladder quickly last season, passing through Double A-Tennessee and Memphis before making his major league debut with the Cardinals where he was 3-7 with a 5.08 ERA in 14 starts.
The experience gave him the confidence that he could pitch in the big leagues. Now he's determined more than ever to get back.
"I kind of had the feeling that I'd be down here." Haren said. "I threw pretty good in the spring. To tell you the truth, I was pretty sharp. Getting sent down was kind of a bummer, but I've always got things to work on. I've totally got to prepare myself for the next time I get called by just getting batter."
He's already added a new pitch to his arsenal, a cutter, which he learned during his stint with the Cardinals last summer. Haren said he threw it effectively 10-12 times Thursday night.
The RedBirds bullpen picked up where Haren left off, blanking the Isotopes for the final three innings. Relievers Josh Pearce and Chad Paronto combined to strike out seven of the ten hitters they faced. Paronto earned the save.
Offensively, the RedBirds got on the board first on John Mabry's first inning solo homer to straight away center field, a shot that just cleared the 400 foot sign. Mabry finished the game 3 for 3 with a walk.
After falling behind in the top of the second the RedBirds answered in the bottom of the inning with four runs on five hits. John Gall, Yadier Molina and Colin Porter each had two hits.
"Even though it's just one game, it sets the tone for everybody." Mabry said.