Hernandez continues postseason success, D-Backs complete sweep <h3>ARIZONA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 1</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks were counting onLivan Hernandez's extensive postseason experience. The Cubanrighthander needed all the guile he could muster. Hernandez escaped trouble throughout his six innings and ChrisYoung belted the first pitch of the game for a home run Saturdayas the Diamondbacks recorded a 5-1 victory and a three-gamesweep over the Chicago Cubs in their National League DivisionSeries. Eric Byrnes and Stephen Drew also homered for Arizona, whichwill play the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies-ColoradoRockies series for the right to represent the National League inthe World Series. "You try not to think about it. Take it one series at a time,one game at a time," the 23-year-old Young said. "Obviously wecame through and swept the Cubs, but that's not your plan. Youdon't come and plan on sweeping any team. You win the seriesany way you can and try to find a way and deal with thecelebrations afterwards." Colorado leads the series, 2-0, with a chance to sweepPhiladelphia later Saturday. Hernandez (1-0) put 11 runners on base but yielded just a runwhile stranding eight. He allowed five hits and five walks, hita batter and induced three double plays. "He's a guy that you got to have some patience with because hewill have some runners on base and he will find ways to pitchhimself out of it," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "This timeof the season it can be a little bit more difficult to bepatient at times, but, you know, up until a certain point in thegame, unless we really look like his stuff just isn't there, wedon't have better. "He's done it so many times. He's been in this type ofsituation before and had an outstanding effort." Like fellow starters Brandon Webb and Doug Davis, who pitchedArizona to victories in the first two contests of thisbest-of-five series, Hernandez and the bullpen continued tobaffle the Cubs' big hitters. "Starting off with a lead was big for me," said Hernandez."Although my command wasn't great, I didn't give in to thehitters in fastball counts. They have great hitters, you mustuse their aggressiveness to help get ground balls." "We did not hit in this series," Cubs left fielder AlfonsoSoriano said. "Our goal was to win the World Series. We wereshort of that. And that makes it a season that's disappointing." After combining for 29 homers in September, Alfonso Soriano,Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez failed to advance nine baserunnersin this one and were a combined 6-for-38 with no RBI and 28stranded runners for the series. "We had numerous opportunities, numerous," Chicago manager LouPiniella said. "What did we hit into, four double plays. ...When you don't score runs and leave a lot of runners on bases,it looks lackluster, but we gave it our all." "You can never envision a sweep," Lee said. "We just didn't playwell. They were the better team. They deserve to go on." Ramirez was especially brutal, going 0-for-12 with fivestrikeouts. He hit into two double plays and stranded 12baserunners. "He struggled this series, but we didn't do much offensively.What did we do, scored six runs," Piniella said. "I said beforethe series that the key was we needed to hits against theirpitchers - and we didn't." The 32-year-old Hernandez - the 1997 World Series MVP whoentered 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 10 career postseason games - didhis best pitching in the fifth, when the Diamondbacks had a 3-1lead. "There's no pressure pitching in these games," Hernandez said."I have great support from my teammates and my family. Pressureis living in Cuba trying to survive. My daughter said to metoday 'Daddy, you're the man.' Things like that take you a longway." The Cubs loaded the bases with one out and Hernandez fellbehind, 3-1, in the count to Mark DeRosa. However, Hernandezgot the Cubs' second baseman to roll into a double play,silencing the raucous Wrigley faithful. "It's tough, because it was the one time all series I felt likewe really put pressure on them, and one hit could have reallychanged the whole complexion of that game," DeRosa said."Grounding into a double play right there, you let yourteammates down, you let the fans down." With Wrigley Field quieted, Byrnes added another nail to theCubs' coffin when he drilled a hanging slider by Carlos Marmolinto the left field seats for a 4-1 lead, virtually ending anyhope the Cubs had of ending their 99-year world championshipdrought. "I think most of us will walk out of here stunned," DeRosa said."I think we had the necessary ingredients to make a run at aworld championship. I'm sure the fans are disappointed. I knowwe're disappointed. It's going to take me awhile to get overthe way this series played out." The hard-throwing Marmol, who had a fantastic regular season,was the loser in Game One when he yielded a seventh-inning homerto Mark Reynolds. Drew added his second blast of the series in the ninth off KerryWood to provide a 5-1 cushion. The rookie shortstop finished7-for-14 in the series. "If you want to talk about their players, start with theirshortstop," Piniella said. "Drew made great plays, hit some homeruns and what did he hit, over .500." Tony Pena took over for Hernandez in the seventh and got Lee tohit into an inning-ending double play. Brandon Lyon worked ascoreless eighth and Jose Valverde closed out the ninth,sparking a wild celebration on the mound after inducing agame-ending flyout by Soriano. Young hit the first pitch of the game - a 91 miles-per-hourfastball - from Chicago starter Rich Hill into the left fieldseats for a quick 1-0 lead. "I should have known better than to throw him that for a firstpitch," Hill said. "I've seen Alfonso (Soriano) do that all yearto other pitchers. We've just come so far and done so well allyear, it's a disappointing way to end the season." The 23-year-old Young got the Diamondbacks off and running inThursday's 8-4 Game Two victory with a three-run homer off TedLilly in the second inning that wiped out a 2-0 deficit. After Young's blast, Drew followed with a double and scoredthree batters later when 19-year-old Justin Upton singled toright for a 2-0 lead. Hill (0-1), making his first postseason start, was 3-0 with a3.18 ERA in his last three regular-season starts but hadn'tpitched since beating Cincinnati last Saturday. "You work so hard to get where you're at," said Hill. "To watchthe other team celebrate on your field, and to see them go on tothe next round, it's a real empty feeling." The lefthander needed 31 pitches to get through the first inningand was relieved after allowing the first two batters in thefourth inning to reach. Michael Wuertz entered and walked Young before striking out Drewfor the first out. Byrnes then hit a potential double-play ball to Ramirez atthird. But the hustling Byrnes just beat the relay throw fromfirst on a very close call, allowing Miguel Montero to score fora 3-0 lead. Hill was charged with three runs and six hits in three-plusinnings. Hernandez worked around six baserunners in the first threeinnings before the Cubs broke through in the fourth, when DeRosaled off with a single up the middle and advanced to third on ahit-and-run double to right-center by Jacque Jones. DeRosa eventually scored on a groundout by Jason Kendall.
Hernandez continues postseason success, D-Backs complete sweep <h3>ARIZONA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 1</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks were counting onLivan Hernandez's extensive postseason experience. The Cubanrighthander needed all the guile he could muster. Hernandez escaped trouble throughout his six innings and ChrisYoung belted the first pitch of the game for a home run Saturdayas the Diamondbacks recorded a 5-1 victory and a three-gamesweep over the Chicago Cubs in their National League DivisionSeries. Eric Byrnes and Stephen Drew also homered for Arizona, whichwill play the Colorado Rockies for the right to represent theNational League in the World Series. The Rockies completed aseries sweep Saturday night with a 2-1 victory. "You try not to think about it. Take it one series at a time,one game at a time," the 23-year-old Young said. "Obviously wecame through and swept the Cubs, but that's not your plan. Youdon't come and plan on sweeping any team. You win the seriesany way you can and try to find a way and deal with thecelebrations afterwards." Colorado leads the series, 2-0, with a chance to sweepPhiladelphia later Saturday. Hernandez (1-0) put 11 runners on base but yielded just a runwhile stranding eight. He allowed five hits and five walks, hita batter and induced three double plays. "He's a guy that you got to have some patience with because hewill have some runners on base and he will find ways to pitchhimself out of it," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "This timeof the season it can be a little bit more difficult to bepatient at times, but, you know, up until a certain point in thegame, unless we really look like his stuff just isn't there, wedon't have better. "He's done it so many times. He's been in this type ofsituation before and had an outstanding effort." Like fellow starters Brandon Webb and Doug Davis, who pitchedArizona to victories in the first two contests of thisbest-of-five series, Hernandez and the bullpen continued tobaffle the Cubs' big hitters. "Starting off with a lead was big for me," said Hernandez."Although my command wasn't great, I didn't give in to thehitters in fastball counts. They have great hitters, you mustuse their aggressiveness to help get ground balls." "We did not hit in this series," Cubs left fielder AlfonsoSoriano said. "Our goal was to win the World Series. We wereshort of that. And that makes it a season that's disappointing." After combining for 29 homers in September, Alfonso Soriano,Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez failed to advance nine baserunnersin this one and were a combined 6-for-38 with no RBI and 28stranded runners for the series. "We had numerous opportunities, numerous," Chicago manager LouPiniella said. "What did we hit into, four double plays. ...When you don't score runs and leave a lot of runners on bases,it looks lackluster, but we gave it our all." "You can never envision a sweep," Lee said. "We just didn't playwell. They were the better team. They deserve to go on." Ramirez was especially brutal, going 0-for-12 with fivestrikeouts. He hit into two double plays and stranded 12baserunners. "He struggled this series, but we didn't do much offensively.What did we do, scored six runs," Piniella said. "I said beforethe series that the key was we needed to hits against theirpitchers - and we didn't." The 32-year-old Hernandez - the 1997 World Series MVP whoentered 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 10 career postseason games - didhis best pitching in the fifth, when the Diamondbacks had a 3-1lead. "There's no pressure pitching in these games," Hernandez said."I have great support from my teammates and my family. Pressureis living in Cuba trying to survive. My daughter said to metoday 'Daddy, you're the man.' Things like that take you a longway." The Cubs loaded the bases with one out and Hernandez fellbehind, 3-1, in the count to Mark DeRosa. However, Hernandezgot the Cubs' second baseman to roll into a double play,silencing the raucous Wrigley faithful. "It's tough, because it was the one time all series I felt likewe really put pressure on them, and one hit could have reallychanged the whole complexion of that game," DeRosa said."Grounding into a double play right there, you let yourteammates down, you let the fans down." With Wrigley Field quieted, Byrnes added another nail to theCubs' coffin when he drilled a hanging slider by Carlos Marmolinto the left field seats for a 4-1 lead, virtually ending anyhope the Cubs had of ending their 99-year world championshipdrought. "I think most of us will walk out of here stunned," DeRosa said."I think we had the necessary ingredients to make a run at aworld championship. I'm sure the fans are disappointed. I knowwe're disappointed. It's going to take me awhile to get overthe way this series played out." The hard-throwing Marmol, who had a fantastic regular season,was the loser in Game One when he yielded a seventh-inning homerto Mark Reynolds. Drew added his second blast of the series in the ninth off KerryWood to provide a 5-1 cushion. The rookie shortstop finished7-for-14 in the series. "If you want to talk about their players, start with theirshortstop," Piniella said. "Drew made great plays, hit some homeruns and what did he hit, over .500." Tony Pena took over for Hernandez in the seventh and got Lee tohit into an inning-ending double play. Brandon Lyon worked ascoreless eighth and Jose Valverde closed out the ninth,sparking a wild celebration on the mound after inducing agame-ending flyout by Soriano. Young hit the first pitch of the game - a 91 miles-per-hourfastball - from Chicago starter Rich Hill into the left fieldseats for a quick 1-0 lead. "I should have known better than to throw him that for a firstpitch," Hill said. "I've seen Alfonso (Soriano) do that all yearto other pitchers. We've just come so far and done so well allyear, it's a disappointing way to end the season." The 23-year-old Young got the Diamondbacks off and running inThursday's 8-4 Game Two victory with a three-run homer off TedLilly in the second inning that wiped out a 2-0 deficit. After Young's blast, Drew followed with a double and scoredthree batters later when 19-year-old Justin Upton singled toright for a 2-0 lead. Hill (0-1), making his first postseason start, was 3-0 with a3.18 ERA in his last three regular-season starts but hadn'tpitched since beating Cincinnati last Saturday. "You work so hard to get where you're at," said Hill. "To watchthe other team celebrate on your field, and to see them go on tothe next round, it's a real empty feeling." The lefthander needed 31 pitches to get through the first inningand was relieved after allowing the first two batters in thefourth inning to reach. Michael Wuertz entered and walked Young before striking out Drewfor the first out. Byrnes then hit a potential double-play ball to Ramirez atthird. But the hustling Byrnes just beat the relay throw fromfirst on a very close call, allowing Miguel Montero to score fora 3-0 lead. Hill was charged with three runs and six hits in three-plusinnings. Hernandez worked around six baserunners in the first threeinnings before the Cubs broke through in the fourth, when DeRosaled off with a single up the middle and advanced to third on ahit-and-run double to right-center by Jacque Jones. DeRosa eventually scored on a groundout by Jason Kendall.
