THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Sometimes a baseball game can turn on a wave and a prayer.
In the sixth inning yesterday afternoon in blustery Huntington Park, Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh watched a line drive by Ezequiel Carrera split the gap in left-center field with two outs and Paul Phillips on first.
The Clippers were locked in a tug-of-war with the Toledo Mud Hens, so Sarbaugh decided to take a chance. He switched from manager to third-base coaching mode and began to windmill his left arm so that everyone in the ballpark would know what he wanted.
Phillips received the message and chugged around third while the relay throw from Toledo shortstop Cale Iorg headed in the same direction like a heat-seeking missile.
"As soon as the ball is hit, I'm going," Phillips said. "And I've got to look to score until he says no. So that's the thought process of a base-runner at first base when the ball is hit into the gap. You're scoring no matter what until he stops you."
The throw from Iorg sailed high and hit the screen behind home plate. Phillips scored and Carrera wound up on third. He trotted home two pitches later on a single by Luis Valbuena. The Clippers suddenly were up 5-3 and on the way to a 10-4 victory in their home opener.
"In that situation with two outs, I just wanted to be aggressive," Sarbaugh said. "And sometimes with the wind conditions, when it's into the face of the fielder throwing the ball, it's not an easy throw. There's no real method to it. You just go on feel."
The feel for the entire game seemed right for the Clippers. They began the afternoon with a parade to celebrate their 2010 Governors' Cup and triple-A national championships. Reliever Frank Herrmann, just optioned by the parent Cleveland Indians, arrived in the clubhouse in time to join the festivities.
"I rode the trolley," Herrmann said, smiling. "It was cool. I got a (championship) ring, so why not be in the parade? They do things right here."
Clippers starter Zach McAllister (2-0) had control issues in the first two innings and fell behind 3-0. Once he settled in, he worked four shutout innings.
"I went after the hitters, not really overthrowing, but going right after them," said McAllister, who didn't blame the weather. "I think everyone has played in weather like this before. It's just a matter of getting used to it. I got in a groove and was able to maintain it."
The Clippers tied the score at 3 in the fourth, with Phillips doubling in one run and Carrera singling home two more.
"I knew that if I was able to keep our team in the game and maybe go five or six (innings), we might be able to squeak out a win," McAllister said. "Our offense has been great all year. It's just a matter of keeping our team in the game."
Indians infielder Jason Donald played four innings as part of his injury rehabilitation assignment. He singled, walked and made three solid defensive plays at third base.
"Just with the conditions, we got him out after a couple of innings," Sarbaugh said. "He made three outstanding plays at third. He swung the bat real well, too. I thought his timing looked better today."
jmassie@dispatch.com