Tucson Toros pitching coach Ed Vosberg was unable to sleep Sunday night as he thought about how the team would handle its pitching in a possible doubleheader Monday night.
If the team won the first game, it would play another. Win that one and advance to the league championship series.
It was a formidable task that would require several pitchers – and two valiant outings by 32-year-old former major-leaguer Lorenzo Barcelo.
During Barcelo's four shutout innings in the first game, a 5-1 victory over the St. George RoadRunners, Vosberg asked the right-hander if he would be able to start the second game, Game 5 of the South Division best-of-five series.
Barcelo's answer — yeah, sure.
After closer Reid Price threw a scoreless ninth to seal the victory, Barcelo returned to the mound about 45 minutes later to start the second game and allowed one run in five innings in a 5-4 victory in 11 innings that sent the Toros to the Golden Baseball League championship series.
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Tucson will play Calgary in Game 1 of the best-of-five series today at Hi Corbett Field. The Toros will host Game 2 on Thursday and play Games 3-5, as necessary, Friday through Sunday in Calgary.
For the night, Barcelo threw 110 pitches in nine innings; he earned victories in Games 1 and 4 of the series.
"I told him after the game, 'You really have my respect.' That was huge," said center fielder Lino Garcia, who drove in the winning run on a single in the 11th.
Early on, Barcelo displayed a calm demeanor. An hour before the first game, Vosberg realized he hadn't seen Barcelo in the clubhouse, and another coach called him. Within 10 minutes, Barcelo strolled in, and 20 minutes later, he stood on the field dressed in his uniform. A continuation of Sunday's rainout, the first game resumed tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth, so Barcelo had ample time to warm up.
"He's cool as a cucumber," Vosberg said. "He always has his game face on, and once he steps on that mound it's all business."
Barcelo shut down the RoadRunners — whom he also beat in Game 1 in St. George, Utah, allowing four runs in 7 1/3 innings — by changing speeds and throwing strikes. In 16 1/3 innings in the series, he struck out nine and walked none.
"I was relaxed," said Barcelo, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 2000 to 2002. "It was not a big deal. When you locate your fastball, everything becomes better."
After Barcelo guided the Toros to a 9-4 win in Game 1, Game 2 in St. George was rained out, and the rest of the series moved to Tucson. The RoadRunners took a 2-1 lead before the Toros tied the series and clinched during the six-hour doubleheader.
Left-handers Jason Jacome and Vince Davis are expected to start Games 1 and 2. Vosberg said he is unsure who will start Game 3, but righty Dustin Glant is a possibility.
During the regular season, the Toros went 3-3 against North Division champion Calgary, each team sweeping at home, but four games were rained out last month in Canada. The Vipers' .332 average and 88 home runs led the league, and their 5.64 ERA ranked seventh of nine teams. Tucson hit .304 (third) and had a 4.77 ERA (second).
"We faced a good team in St. George, and Calgary is a little different," Vosberg said. "They have a little more power. I like our chances. The key is the first game. We won the first game this series."
Today
• What: Golden Baseball League championship series, Game 1
• Who: Calgary at Toros
• Where: Hi Corbett Field
• When: 7 p.m.
• Radio: 1450-AM
