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Catalanotto's behind in the count thanks to taking that first pitch to allow Wells to steal, but it evens up when Schmidt bounces a fastball that Lunsford has to smother just to prevent a wild pitch. A changeup right on the black puts the count at 1-2, but Cat fouls off one of those nasty strikeout changeups to stay alive, and Schmidt follows with a slider that's in the right handed batter's box. Two and two and Schmidt goes with as much heat as he's got left, and I'm as surprised as Cat is that the radar gun reads 93, but he gets a piece to keep the A.B. going. Going with a slider to put him away might have worked twenty pitches ago, but this one gets fouled away and Schmidt gets another new baseball. I guess he likes 'em dirty (stop, stop) because he buries this one in the ground, and the count's full. Again Schmidt goes with the change, by far his best offering at this point, but Cat lines it foul down the third base line. Then he does it again, same pitch and same result except with a little more air and depth under it, it ends up a souvenir in the seats midway down the left field line.
An inning ago Schmidt was at 28 pitches, his slider was sharp and it was an open question if three days rest even effected him. His fifty-first pitch of the game and twenty-third of the inning was also fouled off, a little pop up to the right side that just snuck into the seats. Finally on his fifty second pitch, twenty fourth of the inning and tenth of the at bat, he got Catalanotto to bite on a fastball that he probably shouldn't have swung at, but Cat got enough wood on it to loft a fly ball to center. Vernon Wells tagged and scored from third to make it 3-1.
Pale Hose 3, Yankees 1
Two out, top fourth
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