Sizzling Gonzalez puts out Atlanta's fire, 5-4
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ATLANTA -- There is no secret to what Mike Gonzalez is doing, but that makes it no less scintillating.
As fellow reliever Salomon Torres ably put it, "He gets me all riled up just watching him out there. He's confident, he's energetic, he's pounding the strike zone and, with his stuff, that's an exciting combination."
One capable of producing the exemplary results the Pirates saw in edging the Atlanta Braves the past two nights at Turner Field, including the 5-4 outcome last night.
On Tuesday, Gonzalez struck out Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones before getting a flyout.
In this one, he was handed a one-run lead, thanks to Freddy Sanchez's tiebreaking home run in the seventh, and this was as suspenseful as it got ...
Three pitches to Adam LaRoche, three strikes. The last was 94-mph heat.
Three pitches to Matt Diaz, three strikes. The last was 95-mph heat.
A 2-2 count to Marcus Giles, then a devastating slider that froze him.
With that, Gonzalez had his 23rd save in as many chances, and the Pirates finished the road trip 3-3 by winning a series in Atlanta -- two of three -- for the first time since August 1997.
"He was simply outstanding," manager Jim Tracy said. "And this is what you get from Mike Gonzalez when he throws strikes. He's got much better quality early in the count with his fastball. And that sets up everything else he has to offer."
The control has been key.
Gonzalez was struggling late last month, regularly walking the first man he faced. But a long talk with bullpen mate Matt Capps and pitching coach Jim Colborn July 29 has been followed by a stretch of nine appearances in which he has walked two and thrown 65 percent of his pitches for strikes.
There is this, too: Opponents have two hits in 26 at-bats against him in August.
"I wasn't doing all that well, and I got some help," Gonzalez said. "I feel a lot more comfortable, a lot more consistent. And now, I'm just going right after guys."
Gonzalez's streak of 27 saves, dating to last year, is the longest active run in Major League Baseball. And, with five weeks left, he has a chance to become the first closer with a perfect season since Eric Gagne's 55 for 55 in 2003.
Is he thinking about it?
"No, not all year," he said. "I'm just going out there and doing what I need to do."
What led to the finish was nearly as dynamic.
The score was 4-4 through six innings. The bulk of the Pirates' offense came from Jason Bay, who hit his 28th home run off Tim Hudson to lead off the second inning and added an RBI double in the fourth. Jose Bautista pitched in two doubles, scoring in the fifth and driving in a run in the next inning.
Ian Snell was solid until the sixth, when Atlanta got two hits and two walks. He would be charged with four runs after John Grabow yielded a two-out, bases-loaded walk that tied the score, but the bullpen was flawless from there.
Capps entered, to the delight of the 200-plus in left field who made the short drive from his native Douglasville, Ga. And the roar grew when Capps threw nothing but strikes in fanning Diaz.
He wound up with the victory.
"Great feeling," Capps said.
Sanchez put the Pirates back ahead with two outs in the seventh, cracking a 3-1 fastball from reliever Chad Paronto about 20 feet inside the left foul pole. It was his sixth home run, his first since June 29.
He had been 0 for 3.
"I didn't have a good at-bat all night," Sanchez said. "I'm just trying to hit the ball hard."
Capps allowed a man to reach second in the bottom half of the seventh, but Torres recorded the final out in eye-popping fashion. Chipper Jones' grounder looked destined for right field, but first baseman Xavier Nady dived to stop it, then flipped high to Torres.
Way high.
"It got stuck in my palm," Nady said.
Torres made an acrobatic, straddling leap to haul it in, then landed his foot on the bag just in time.
"I'm full of surprises," Torres said, grinning. "That was my Michael Jordan impersonation."
He turned in a 1-2-3 eighth, then turned the ball over to Gonzalez.
It was only a few months ago that the Pirates were uncertain how Gonzalez might fare in his first full year as closer. They signed Roberto Hernandez as a parachute in case he failed.
Now, Hernandez has been traded, and it is safe to say any doubts have dissipated.
"He's for real," Torres said.
Gregory Smith, Associated Press photosShortstop Jack Wilson makes an off-balance throw to first last night to get Atlanta's Andruw Jones at Turner Field.
Click photo for larger image.
Today:
Game: Pirates (Maholm 5-10) vs. Astros (Rodriguez 9-7), 7:05 p.m.
TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020).
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Jason Bay gets congratulations from third-base coach Jeff Cox last night after homering for the third time in past five games.Click photo for larger image.
First Published August 24, 2006 12:00 am
