COLORADO — The Colorado Rockies face two potentially daunting tasks on Saturday night as they hope to take command of the National League Division Series:
Dealing with Mother Nature and dealing with a well-rested Pedro Martinez, who is defying Father Time.
Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel named Martinez to pitch Saturday night's Game 3. The weather forecast calls for temperatures dipping into the 20s with snow showers bringing up to an inch of accumulation.
Friday afternoon, clubhouse personnel wheeled a cart full of freshly-shined red cleats into the Phillies' clubhouse. Maybe they should have brought boots.
"It's going to be harder having to deal with Pedro," said Colorado outfielder Ryan Spilborghs. "We haven't seen him for a year. The elements — we're going to have to deal with the same things they're dealing with. Obviously, everybody wants to talk about the weather … that's not something this clubhouse will ever use as an excuse."
Martinez, on the other hand, could pose a challenge. Since debuting for the Phillies on Aug. 12 he's gone 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA. After being sidelined for much of late September, he last appeared on Sept. 30, giving up three runs in four innings of a 10-3 Phillies' win against Houston.
"I'm planning to go out there and have fun and do whatever I have to do," said Martinez, who had been reported to be dealing with a stiff neck in late September.
"It wasn't my neck," Martinez revealed Friday. "It was one of my ribs.
"I feel really good physically. Hopefully I'll have the feeling for the ball and hopefully be able to give my team what they expect which is a quality outing and a win."
Manuel opted for Martinez over right-hander Joe Blanton and rookie left-hander J.A. Happ, who took a line drive off his left leg in Game 2. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard thinks his manager made a good choice.
"(Martinez) wants to be the guy in these type of games — the big situations," he said. "That's something that sets you apart from everybody else. It's the reason he's got (three) Cy Young Awards and world championship rings.
The Phillies signed Martinez to a $1 million contract in July, making him a late-season insurance policy. Operating without veterans Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer down the stretch, it was a move that paid off.
Martinez drew laughs when he said that getting the call to pitch Game 3 of the NLDS "makes me look really smart."
He added: "I chose this team after waiting a long time. I gave away opportunities to make a lot more money. It might sound a little weird that I'm excited, but I am, just to have the opportunity to be here right now."
Colorado's Jason Giambi has seen plenty of Martinez over the years.
"I faced him when he was in his heyday." Giambi said. "There was no one better in baseball at that time. He had a fastball, changeup, breaking ball. He could locate at all times. It was fun to go to the park and try to face him because he had such a great game plan.
"I also faced him before he had his arm worked on, when he was throwing 86 mph. But he was still out there competing, making it work. … He'd find that 94 (mph) from somewhere when he needed a big pitch."
Martinez says he's never pitched in snow.
"I have pitched in 30-degree-some weather in those playoffs in Boston, New York, Cleveland," he recalled. I'm not going to really make a big deal out of it."
Right-hander Jason Hammel will oppose Martinez. Hammel was acquired from Tampa Bay at the end of spring training and went 10-8.
***
On Colorado weather: Phillies closer Brad Lidge lives in Englewood, Colo. and knows to expect the unexpected.
"People always ask me if this is a great place to play baseball," Lidge said. "This is the best place in the world to live — maybe not for baseball — but to live. Part of the beauty of Colorado is you never know what the weather will do.
Lidge says Major League Baseball needs to keep that in mind if the command is given to play ball shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time.
" I think if it 's really cold and there's a lot of moisture in the air, I can't imagine any reason to get this one started. But if they do, we've got to tough it out and get it done because there are no excuses. If you're out there playing and it's 15 degrees, you have to get your job done."
***
Coping with the cold: Colorado third baseman Ian Stewart says the secret for batters is to use hand warmers.
"You keep them in your back pocket and stick your hands in there between pitches," he said.
Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor says "you want to square up the ball and hit it on the fat part of the bat, for sure. You don't want any jam shots."
Baylor doesn't advise the technique employed by former Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer.
"When he went to San Francisco he used to keep his bats warm at Candlestick (Park)," Baylor said. "I don't think that helped him out a lot."
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Dealing with Mother Nature and dealing with a well-rested Pedro Martinez, who is defying Father Time.
Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel named Martinez to pitch Saturday night's Game 3. The weather forecast calls for temperatures dipping into the 20s with snow showers bringing up to an inch of accumulation.
Friday afternoon, clubhouse personnel wheeled a cart full of freshly-shined red cleats into the Phillies' clubhouse. Maybe they should have brought boots.
"It's going to be harder having to deal with Pedro," said Colorado outfielder Ryan Spilborghs. "We haven't seen him for a year. The elements — we're going to have to deal with the same things they're dealing with. Obviously, everybody wants to talk about the weather … that's not something this clubhouse will ever use as an excuse."
Martinez, on the other hand, could pose a challenge. Since debuting for the Phillies on Aug. 12 he's gone 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA. After being sidelined for much of late September, he last appeared on Sept. 30, giving up three runs in four innings of a 10-3 Phillies' win against Houston.
"I'm planning to go out there and have fun and do whatever I have to do," said Martinez, who had been reported to be dealing with a stiff neck in late September.
"It wasn't my neck," Martinez revealed Friday. "It was one of my ribs.
"I feel really good physically. Hopefully I'll have the feeling for the ball and hopefully be able to give my team what they expect which is a quality outing and a win."
Manuel opted for Martinez over right-hander Joe Blanton and rookie left-hander J.A. Happ, who took a line drive off his left leg in Game 2. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard thinks his manager made a good choice.
"(Martinez) wants to be the guy in these type of games — the big situations," he said. "That's something that sets you apart from everybody else. It's the reason he's got (three) Cy Young Awards and world championship rings.
The Phillies signed Martinez to a $1 million contract in July, making him a late-season insurance policy. Operating without veterans Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer down the stretch, it was a move that paid off.
Martinez drew laughs when he said that getting the call to pitch Game 3 of the NLDS "makes me look really smart."
He added: "I chose this team after waiting a long time. I gave away opportunities to make a lot more money. It might sound a little weird that I'm excited, but I am, just to have the opportunity to be here right now."
Colorado's Jason Giambi has seen plenty of Martinez over the years.
"I faced him when he was in his heyday." Giambi said. "There was no one better in baseball at that time. He had a fastball, changeup, breaking ball. He could locate at all times. It was fun to go to the park and try to face him because he had such a great game plan.
"I also faced him before he had his arm worked on, when he was throwing 86 mph. But he was still out there competing, making it work. … He'd find that 94 (mph) from somewhere when he needed a big pitch."
Martinez says he's never pitched in snow.
"I have pitched in 30-degree-some weather in those playoffs in Boston, New York, Cleveland," he recalled. I'm not going to really make a big deal out of it."
Right-hander Jason Hammel will oppose Martinez. Hammel was acquired from Tampa Bay at the end of spring training and went 10-8.
***
On Colorado weather: Phillies closer Brad Lidge lives in Englewood, Colo. and knows to expect the unexpected.
"People always ask me if this is a great place to play baseball," Lidge said. "This is the best place in the world to live — maybe not for baseball — but to live. Part of the beauty of Colorado is you never know what the weather will do.
Lidge says Major League Baseball needs to keep that in mind if the command is given to play ball shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time.
" I think if it 's really cold and there's a lot of moisture in the air, I can't imagine any reason to get this one started. But if they do, we've got to tough it out and get it done because there are no excuses. If you're out there playing and it's 15 degrees, you have to get your job done."
***
Coping with the cold: Colorado third baseman Ian Stewart says the secret for batters is to use hand warmers.
"You keep them in your back pocket and stick your hands in there between pitches," he said.
Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor says "you want to square up the ball and hit it on the fat part of the bat, for sure. You don't want any jam shots."
Baylor doesn't advise the technique employed by former Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer.
"When he went to San Francisco he used to keep his bats warm at Candlestick (Park)," Baylor said. "I don't think that helped him out a lot."
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