Warpigs 8, DVs 2

The Pigs made the drive up to Tulsa this weekend for the BUD championship. Both teams entered the 10-game series with identical records. The first one to 6 was the winner (including a possible game 11 to break the tie).

The Warpigs started off hot and the DVs started off cold, and it didn't vary much the whole series, which included the most amazing finish I've ever seen in game 4.

First three @ DV Field

Gm1 - Warpigs win 6-1 - Brandon Crawford silenced the rowdy DV crowd with a 2nd inning Grand Slam off of Andrew Cashner. Yonder Alonso hit a 2-run homer the next inning, and Adam Wainwright (22-9) won his 22nd game.

Gm2 - Warpigs win 6-4 - The DVs scored 4 in the 2nd inning on 2 singles, 4 walks, and an error. But Brandon Crawford hit another homer in the 5th and the DV lead was 4-3 going into the 6th. A.J. Pollock and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back pinch hit home runs in the 6th to give the Pigs the lead, and Jose Fernandez (15-5), with some stellar relief work, got the win. Tyler Lyons picked up his 3rd save of the year.

Gm3 - Warpigs win 6-3 - Stephen Strasburg (16-8) went 8.1 innings for the win. Yoenis Cespedes and Albert Pujols homered. Dexter Fowler and Giancarlo Stanton homered for the DVs.

Next three @ The BallPork

Gm4 - Warpigs win 5-4 - This one was unbelievable. The Pigs led 3-2 going to the top of the 9th. Casey Fien was on in relief, but the first batter up was Brian McCann, and Fien doesn't like lefties. The next two batters, however, were RHers, so Fien cautiously faced McCann. All we needed him to do in this park, was avoid 6-5. The roll? 6-5. Gone. Game tied. Fien stayed in to face the righties. Next batter was Allen Craig... 6-5. Again. This homer they had to roll for, but back-to-back rolls of 6-5 gave the DVs the lead. On to the bottom of the 9th. The first two Pig batters go meekly against Tommy "Big Game" Hunter. Austin Jackson was the next scheduled hitter, and the bench had already been emptied. BUT... Michael Bourn was at DH, so the Pigs reached for Pitcher Hitting Card #7 and brought Jose Fernandez to the plate. He rolled 2-3 for the game tying homer. Un-fucking-believable. When Jose reached home, he was met by DV catcher Brian McCann and words were exchanged. Both benches emptied. When order was restored, the DVs were faced with a dilemma: Let the reeling Hunter face Brandon Crawford or go to a lefty. The only thing to worry about was... get this... a solid HR vs LH on... yep, 6-5. He left him in. Crawford's roll? 6-5. Ballgame. (Additional note: the date of this game was July 4th. So yes, there were fireworks.)

Gm5 - Warpigs win 3-1 - Strasburg (17-8) needed 2.1 innings of bullpen help, but the Pigs held on for their 5th straight victory of the weekend, and 7th straight overall. Casey Fien, Tyler Lyons, and Michael Wacha each allowed a baserunner in the 9th to load the bases, but Wacha struck out the last two batters for the save.

Gm6 - DVs win 6-1 - Zack Wheeler was forced to start a game because of inning problems, and he pitched better than expected. The teams were tied 1-1 into the 8th when the DV bats finally woke up. Wheeler took the tough loss, getting no help from the bullpen.

Last 4 @ DV Field

Gm7 - Warpigs win 4-1 - Jose Fernandez (16-5) hit the floor after 5 innings of shutout ball but was around long enough to the the win. The game ended with an odd situation. Because the Pigs had used all of their relievers except Terrible Tommy Milone and Nick "Firestarter" Tepesch, the Warpig choices were limited in the bottom of the 9th when the DVs loaded the bases with nobody out. Wacha got a K and a popout, but Matt Holliday was up - not a great match-up for Wacha. The decision, questionable as it was, was to bring in Milone to face Holliday. He got the out for the save. The Pigs clinched the BUD with this victory.

Gm8 - Warpigs win 5-0 - Strasburg (18-8) used his last 9 innings to throw a complete game shutout. He allowed only 4 singles and struck out 11.

Gm9 - DVs win 3-1 - Both teams reached down deep on their benches for this game. Both lineups looked like a Spring Training game. Jake Odorizzi, spot starting for the inning-depleted Wily Peralta, pitched well in only his 2nd start of the year. In fact, he did not take the loss.

Gm10 - Warpigs win 14-2 - The DVs experimented, allowing each reliever to throw an inning. The experiment failed. Yonder Alonso had 4 hits including 1 of 4 Pig homers in the game. Adam Wainwright (23-9) got the win.