Brassball World Series Metropolis vs. Santa Barbara - Game Two

Jose Reyes scored the game's first run.

The Metropolis Avengers, after stranding 11 runners in Game One, hoped for a little good luck in Game Two of the Brassball World Series vs. the Santa Barbara Outlaws.  Metropolis gambled on Doug Fister as their starter, who struggled mightily in the NLCS, compiling a 7.94 ERA in losing two of his three starts.  The hometown Outlaws sent their second ace, Jered Weaver, to the mound.

Metropolis started the scoring quickly, with leadoff hitter Jose Reyes drawing a walk and then scoring on Jose Bautista's double to the left field corner.  Alex Gordon was looking for another run, but he hit a line drive directly to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez for the first out.  Weaver may have been a little shaken by the Avengers' quick start, as he hit Andrew McCutchen with the next pitch, putting two on with just one out.  Weaver then got a break, as Robinson Cano grounded into an easy double play to end the inning.

Daniel Murphy's double put
the Outlaws up 5-1.

Fister took the mound with a 1-0 lead and tried to put his recent struggles behind him.  It wasn't to happen.  Bautista booted a Curtis Granderson grounder to start the inning, putting the leadoff man on first.  Elvis Andrus, the best bunter in the league, laid down a textbook sacrifice and the tying run was in scoring position.  That's when the wheels fell off for Fister.  Adrian Gonzalez walked, Alex Rodriguez singled to tie the game and then Carlos Gonzalez walked to load the bases.  The Outlaws were far from done as Brandon Phillips singled in the go ahead run and then Daniel Murphy hit a double to clear the bases and make it 5-1.

Doug Fister's NLCS struggles
continued into the World Series

That ended Fister's night, as Kenley Jansen came in and struck out Carlos Santana and Gerardo Parra to end the inning.  Fister got just one out - which Andrus sacrificed to him - and gave up five runs on three hits and two walks.  Add that line to his three NLCS starts and Fister has a 10.80 ERA in his last four starts - all under the spotlights of the NLCS and World Series.  

After the five-run outburst, the Santa Barbara crowd was as loud as the Metropolis dugout was quiet.  The crowd got more raucous when the Avenger hitters went down in order in the second and easily again in the third.  Overcoming a four-run lead is always a tall order but it is nearly insurmountable when Weaver is on the mound.  

Corey Hart's first home pulled Metropolis into the game.

The Avengers started to show some life when McCutchen and Cano singled to start the fourth inning.   Then, right fielder Corey Hart stunned the crowd and launched a home run high over the left-center wall, driving home three runs and pulling the Avengers to within a run at 5-4.  After two ground outs, Travis Hafner came to the plate with the bases empty and brought his teammates back to their feet, hitting another Weaver pitch over the wall in left-center.  This one tied the game and seemed to give the visitors all the momentum.

Jansen hit Carlos Santana to lead off the bottom of the inning, but erased him with a double play and struck out Granderson to end the inning, quickly sending Metropolis back to the plate.  

Hart's second homer put
Metropolis up 8-5

After two quick outs in the top of the fifth, Weaver hit McCutchen for the second time in the game.  Cano followed with a double and McCutchen raced around the bases to score the go-ahead run.  That brought Hart back to the plate, one inning after his three-run homer put Metropolis back in the game.  He did it again, this time pulling a fastball down the third base line, easily clearing the fence and putting Metropolis up 8-5.  

Hart's second homer ended Weaver's day and brought Jim Johnson into the game to finish the fifth inning.  Metropolis also went to the pen in the bottom of the inning, using Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Santos in relief of Jansen.  The Outlaws did get one run back on a Carlos Gonzalez fielder's choice following singles by Andrus and Adrian Gonzalez.  That left the game 8-6 heading to the sixth.

Jered Weaver will need to forget his Game Two implosion,
as he is scheduled to start Game Five in Metropolis.

The Avengers kept the heat on, as Hafner and Reyes led off with a walk and a single to start another rally.  Bautista flied out, but Andrus then booted a likely double play ball to load the bases.  McCutchen hit another grounder, but hustled down the line to beat the relay throw, allowing Hafner to score the team's ninth run.  Cano followed with a single to drive home Reyes and the game was 10-6.

After that, the game was just about over.  Metropolis tacked on another run the next inning - scoring for the fourth inning in a row - and won by a score of 11-6.  Avenger reliever Craig Kimbrel pitched the last 2 2/3 inning to finish the game and tie the series at 1-1.

After an off day, the series will moves to Metropolis where two young starters will match up for Game Three.  Metropolis will send Alexi Ogando (10-6, 3.11 ERA) to face Jeremy Hellickson who had an amazing regular season (20-1, 1.95 ERA).

BOXSCORE: 2012 Metropolis Avengers At 2012 Santa Barbara Outlaws    11/2/2012

  Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Outlaws            AB  R  H RBI AVG

  J.Reyes SS          4  2  1  0 .242     C.Granderson CF     4  1  0  0 .313 

  J.Bautista 3B       4  0  1  1 .296   C-S.Smith PH          0  0  0  0 .429 

  A.Gordon LF         5  0  0  0 .154     E.Andrus SS         3  1  2  0 .275 

  A.McCutchen CF      3  2  1  1 .259   D-E.Nunez PH          1  0  0  0 .000 

  R.Cano 2B           5  2  3  2 .206     A.Gonzalez 1B       2  1  1  0 .313 

  C.Hart RF           5  2  3  5 .236   E-D.Stubbs PH         1  0  0  0 .214 

  L.Duda 1B           4  1  1  0 .196     A.Rodriguez 3B      4  1  1  1 .233 

  M.Wieters C         5  0  1  0 .217     C.Gonzalez RF       1  1  0  1 .333 

  T.Hafner DH         3  2  1  1 .243     B.Phillips 2B       3  1  1  1 .167 

                                          D.Murphy DH         4  0  2  3 .300 

                                          C.Santana C         1  0  0  0 .367 

                                        A-B.Posey PH,C        2  0  1  0 .308 

                                          G.Parra LF          3  0  0  0 .310 

                                        B-E.Chavez PH         1  0  0  0 .500 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      38 11 12 10                 Totals      30  6  8  6

A-Pinch Hit For Santana In 6th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Parra In 9th Inning

C-Pinch Hit For Granderson In 9th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Andrus In 9th Inning

E-Pinch Hit For Gonzalez In 9th Inning

Avengers........ 1 0 0  4 3 2  1 0 0  - 11 12  1

Outlaws......... 5 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  -  6  8  1

Avengers (9-7)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

D.Fister                  0 1/3   3   5   4   2   0   0   7.71  A1 A7

K.Jansen WIN(4-1)         3 2/3   2   1   1   2   5   0   2.75  A8 C2

J.Affeldt HOLD(1st)       0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  C3 C5

S.Santos HOLD(1st)        1 2/3   2   0   0   0   1   0   3.86  C6 D2

M.Rzepczynsk              0       0   0   0   1   0   0   0.00  D3 D3

C.Kimbrel                 2 2/3   0   0   0   2   3   0   0.00  D4

Totals                    9       8   6   5   7   9   0

Outlaws (9-3)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

J.Weaver LOSS(1-1)        4 2/3   7   8   8   2   2   3   3.46  A1 C6

J.Johnson                 1 1/3   4   3   1   2   0   0   2.08  C7 D8

D.Storen                  3       1   0   0   0   1   0   1.04  D9

Totals                    9      12  11   9   4   3   3

ATTENDANCE- 46,232 DATE- Friday, November 2nd 2012 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good

UMPIRES- Mike Dimuro, Tim McClelland, Larry Vanover, Mike Everitt

T- 2:56

LEFT ON BASE- Avengers: 7  Outlaws: 6

DOUBLE PLAYS- Avengers: 5  Outlaws: 2

ERRORS- J.Bautista, E.Andrus

DOUBLES- J.Bautista(4th), R.Cano(2nd), D.Murphy(4th)

HOME RUNS- C.Hart-2(3rd), T.Hafner(4th)

SACRIFICE HITS- E.Andrus

WALKS- J.Reyes, J.Bautista, L.Duda, T.Hafner, S.Smith, A.Gonzalez-2,

       C.Gonzalez-3, B.Phillips

HIT BY PITCH- A.McCutchen-2, T.Hafner, C.Santana

STRIKE OUTS- A.Gordon, M.Wieters, T.Hafner, C.Granderson-2, E.Nunez,

             A.Rodriguez, B.Phillips, C.Santana, B.Posey, G.Parra-2

GIDP- J.Reyes, R.Cano, C.Granderson, A.Gonzalez, A.Rodriguez, D.Murphy, G.Parra

2-out RBI- T.Hafner, R.Cano-2, C.Hart-2