The Rome Umpires earned their 1st playoff berth by winning 96 games and then beating Kershaw in the wild card game. Their reward? Facing the Surprise Zombies who rolled to 128 wins and are on a mission to win an unprecedented 3rd consecutive ARBA championship.
Game 1: AJ Burnett vs. Zack Greinke
The Zombies struck quickly with a Votto HR and Turners RBI single, but Burnett escaped a bases-loaded jam. Grichuk hit a 2-run HR in the 3rd and it looked like the rout was on. However, the Zombie ace didnt have his best stuff, allowing a HR to catcher Garneau (!) and then another run after Gonzalez butchered a fly ball. Alonso & ARod doubles in the 6th brought Rome within 4-3 and the home fans were officially nervous. Burnett got the hook after a 2-out single in the 6th and LOOGY Lopez failed in his one job, walking Votto. Rome then called on Verrett, who failed more spectacularly by allowing a McCutchen single and Turner double. Just like that, Surprise led 7-3. Rome scored again in the 8th, but Greinke hung in there to get the complete game victory. SUR 7-4
Game 2: Jordan Zimmerman vs. Corey Kluber
Okay, so I guess theres going to be a lot of offense in this series? Uh, no. Kluber looked a little shaky early, but only allowed one run when Revere singled home Parra in the 4th. Unfortunately for him, Zimmerman totally dominated the mighty Zombie offense. A 4th inning single was the 1st SUR baserunner, but he was erased on a DP. Zimmy was furious when Rome pulled him for LOOGY Lopez in the 7th, but at least he retired Votto that time. Surprise rallied in the 8th with a single and walk, but Hatcher escaped the jam and retired the side to finish off a 1-0 gem. Wow! The Zombies were shut out only twice in 162 games, but now the series is tied and heading to Rome. ROM 1-0
Game 3: Tyson Ross vs. Marco Estrada
Former Zombie Estrada beat Kershaw in the wild card game, but Turner and Gosselin hit back-to-back HR off him in the 2nd. Dr. Tommy Pham DDS almost made it 3 in a row, but settled for a double and Estrada avoided further damage. Then Tyson Ross cruelly murdered Jung Ho Kang and didnt even apologize. Estrada escaped another jam in the 3rd, but after loading the bases in the 4th, Rome had seen enough. LOOGY Lopez heroically struck out Votto to keep it close. Surprise added another run in the 6th when Edwin Jackson (yet another former Zombie) balked with a runner on 3rd base. Other than that, the Rome bullpen did a great job, but Ross was nigh untouchable. He went the distance in a 4-hit shutout. SUR 3-0
Game 4: Zack Greinke vs. Scott Kazmir
The Zombies jumped out to an early lead thanks to a sac fly by Dr. Pham and a Votto 2-run HR. Rome rallied for a run in the 2nd as Parra tripled and scored. Once again, Rome went to their pen in the 4th, starting with LOOGY Lopez. He did his job well, as did most of the other Rome relievers. However, Surprise added a pair of insurance runs in the 7th. They didnt need them as Greinke earned the complete game victory. SUR 5-1
Game 5: Corey Kluber vs. AJ Burnett
Kluber suffered a tough 1-0 loss in Game 2. Would he get any run support this time? Marte led off the game with a double and then Votto walked, but Turner hit into a DP. That was the 1st of 4 SUR GIDP in the game, which contributed to the scoreless tie through 7 innings. Rome had a couple good scoring chances, but Kinsler was caught stealing to end the 3rd and thrown out at home to end the 6th. In the 8th, Zobrist led off with a walk, then pinch runner Romine stole 2nd and went to 3rd on a bad throw. Milone replaced Burnett and gave Chirinos an IBB to put runners on the corners. Cabrera hit a very slow grounder to 2nd that scored a run and advanced Chirinos. Marte followed that with a single to score PR Odor. Rome put runners on the corners in the 8th, but A-Rod doesnt do clutch. Surprise stuck with Kluber and he went 1-2-3 in the 9th to end the series. SUR 2-0
Congratulations to Mike on Rome's great season and a hard-fought series. In the end, the Zombie trio of aces was just too tough. Rome exploded for 4 runs in Game 1, but scored only 2 in the next 4 games combined. Surprise only went to the pen in Game 2 as their SP had 4 CG wins, including 2 shutouts. The Zombie offense performed well below their lofty standards (e.g., Carlos Gonzalez was 0-18), but it was enough to win with such dominant pitching. Bring on Redwood!
