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Halsey
hangs beauty on Rockies
Lefty's starting debut
solid for D-Backs
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com |
PHOENIX -- It's not usually a compliment
when a teammate calls you as a "snake in
the grass," but that's just what Koyie
Hill was trying to convey when he talked
about Brad Halsey.
"He's the guy, the snake in the grass
you don't know is there," Hill said.
The Rockies will certainly attest to
that as they were snake-bitten by Halsey
through six innings in a 2-0 Arizona win
Monday night at Bank One Ballpark.
"You see him throw on the side and guys
think they can get him," Colorado
manager Clint Hurdle said. "Then they
all came back and he had a little bit
more than they thought."
Halsey had a bit more than even his
manager thought he would, as he lasted
six-plus innings and walked one while
striking out a career-best seven.
"I wasn't counting on any more than five
innings from him tonight, just because I
knew where his pitch counts were in
Spring Training," Melvin said referring
to the fact that Halsey topped out at 74
pitches during the spring. "For him to
give us any more than that was more than
we were looking for."
Halsey gave the Diamondbacks 86 pitches,
a whopping 56 of which were strikes.
More important than the number of
strikes he threw though was when he
threw them. He threw first-pitch strikes
to 20 of the 24 batters he faced.
"That puts the hitters in a more
defensive position," Halsey said.
It also gives a pitcher more options.
Halsey is the atypical lefty that tries
to establish the inside corner and then
works away. His cutter and slider that
burrow in on righties allow him to do
that.
"It was a very effective outing," Hurdle
said. "Good fastball command, an
exceptional slider tonight that he
started in the middle of the plate and
it would turn in on the hands. We
couldn't barrel the slider tonight at
all, and he had an occasional changeup
just to make his fastball stay sharp."
Halsey kept his fielders sharp by
working quick and throwing strikes.
"You get in and out quick," first
baseman Chad Tracy said. "You don't get
caught on your heels. The ball is hit
and you're ready because every pitch has
a purpose and he's not really wasting a
whole lot. He put every pitch where he
wanted to."
The Diamondbacks got to Colorado starter
Jason Jennings in the first inning when
Troy Glaus doubled home Quinton
McCracken and then scored when Shawn
Green followed with a single to right.
That was all that Halsey and the bullpen
would need as Brian Bruney, Mike Koplove
and Brandon Lyon each pitched an inning,
with Lyon earning his third save of the
year.
It was the first start of the year for
Halsey, who was acquired from the
Yankees in the Randy Johnson trade. He
appeared Opening Day in relief and
allowed four runs in four innings in a
blowout loss.
"Even though maybe the results weren't
great, you've got to take positives out
of every situation," Halsey said. "And
for me, the positive I took out of it
was that I'd already been out there and
got my feet wet, so I should be more
comfortable this time and show what I'm
all about."
Part of what Halsey's about is
competing. Don't be surprised by the
looks of the 24-year-old who could pass
for a teenager.
"He's a baby-faced assassin," said
veteran Tony Clark, who played with
Halsey last year in New York when he
pitched in eight games.
Indeed, Halsey shows little if any
emotion on the field, a valuable trait
for a pitcher.
"Ideally you'd love to see no emotion,
because then the hitters don't know what
you're thinking," pitching coach Mark
Davis said.
Melvin was asked after the game if he
had Halsey's next start penciled in.
"I've got him penned in now; I've got
him Sharpied in right now," Melvin said.
That start will come Sunday at RFK
Stadium when the Diamondbacks take on
the Nationals. You might not be able to
count on the same results from Halsey,
but one thing is for sure: his approach
won't change.
"He didn't walk out of here doing
cartwheels with a big grin on his face,"
said Clark. "He walked out the same way
he came in today. He's very quiet, but
at the end of the night you like what
he's done."
Steve Gilbert is a
reporter for MLB.com. This story was not
subject to the approval of Major League
Baseball or its clubs. |
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