A 4-Game Mega-Series in 2 Cities (Part 1: Arizona)

GAME 65: Astros 4, Diamondbacks 3  
GAME 66: Diamondbacks 4, Astros 1  

Talk about a split series. This week's games are kind of like a single four-game series, but split between two cities. Who schedules this stuff? But the juxtaposition of a pair of two-game series against the same two teams is good for one thing: It provides a mini-clinic in the difference between AL and NL style games. Remember when our pitchers used to bat? From their swings -- and even bunt attempts -- they don't seem to remember how!

But I'm actually not sure if I would really blame the unusual pitching-switching machinations in Game 1 on playing in a NL venue. In 50 years of NL play, I don't think that I've ever seen a relief pitcher throw to one batter, then be moved to a fielding position, before being brought back to the mound to pitch to another batter. But that's what Porter did to Sipp in the eighth inning of this game. It was the righty-lefty matchups that drove the moves, of course. Sipp came to the mound to pitch the seventh inning, replacing Cosart who was sitting on a 4-3 lead. He threw an uneventful inning, and then stayed in for the first batter of the eighth, lefty Parra. Strikeout! When Porter came out to the plate to make the pitching switch to Williams for right-handed slugger Paul Goldschmidt, he was carrying a fielder's glove. The glove was for Sipp, who was moved to right field for one batter. (Despite the wrong assumptions by the Astros' broadcasters, this was not Sipps' first experience in the outfield; Porter knew he had played center field in college.) But Sipp did not actually have to use his fielding skills; Williams walked his only batter on 5 pitches. Then Sipp was back on the mound to throw to lefty Montera. Strikeout! That was it for Sipp. Porter went to Farnsworth, a RHP, to pitch to lefty Prado. Strikeout! Click here to check out the video of this crazy inning. My dad would have hated this -- he can't stand all that righty-lefty pitching-switching. However, it all worked out to preserve the Astro's one-run lead another inning; then Qualls threw the ninth for the save.

The disappointing aspect of the Arizona half of this mega-series was the absence of George Springer, due to soreness in his right knee. I'm not saying that the recent Astros' success is all his doing, but there's a certain momentum that comes with having him in the lineup after Altuve. That momentum was really missing in Game 2. Brad Peacock pitched a very nice game, with only a first inning solo homer on his line over 6 innings. But the Astros barely eked out a single run, on MattyD's sixth inning RBI single, to tie it up. That left Peacock with a no-decision, and loser's rights went to Josh Fields, who gave up a pair of runs in the seventh. But it was truly a team event, with relief pitchers, fielders, and batters conspiring for the loss. Villar and Fowler both had fielding errors, contributing to Fields' run count. Farnsworth gave the DBacks a gratuitous insurance run in the ninth. Altuve was 0 for 4, stranding loaded bases to end the second inning. But as I often say, there's always something to like in a game. The brightest spot in this loss was Jon Singleton's line -- batting third, he went 3 for 4, with a double and two singles, scoring the Astros' only run. No big boomers in this game, but he seems to be settling in at the plate.

Now home to Houston for the second half of this Mega-Series against the Snakes...