Thursday, October 24, 2002
Washburn, Schmidt ready for Game 5 rematch
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Jarrod Washburn is a quick study. If he struggles once against an opponent, he usually figures out what to do the next time.
Washburn will start Game 5 of the World Series on Thursday night for the Anaheim Angels against Jason Schmidt and the San Francisco Giants. It's a rematch of the opener, won by Schmidt 4-3 in Anaheim.
“I don't mind it,” Washburn said before Game 4 on Wednesday. “They're fresh in your mind, so you don't have to do as much homework before the second time. That's good, I guess. But everybody's in the same situation.”
Washburn has handled it well in the past.
Six times this season he made back-to-back starts against the same team and he got tougher the second time, going 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA. The first start against those teams he was only 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA.
Washburn hopes he can improve on the opener, when he allowed homers to Barry Bonds, Reggie Sanders and J.T. Snow — the second time this postseason he's allowed three homers in a game after not doing it once all season.
“They didn't come out with any surprises,” Washburn said. “Make a mistake to Barry Bonds, Reggie Sanders, J.T. Snow, any one of those guys in that lineup and they're going to hurt you. So don't make mistakes.”
Schmidt didn't have nearly as much success the five times he faced a team for the second straight time. He went 0-4 in those starts, compared with 3-1 in the first meeting.
But Schmidt fared much better in the Series opener than Washburn. In fact, he was one of the few San Francisco pitchers to hold the Angels in check.
“We just wanted to challenge them and see what they were going to do,” Schmidt said. “I guess we found that out so far. We underestimated them a little bit. They're not really doing anything special, they're just putting good wood on the ball and the balls are finding holes. They're doing their job, we're not.”
Schmidt got the win in Game 1, allowing three runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings. He often pitched his way out of trouble, using his overpowering fastball to strike out six batters.
Schmidt's accomplishment was notable because the Angels were the toughest team to strike out in the majors this season. They only struck out nine times in the last three games.
“He made some tough pitches with guys in scoring position against us,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We weren't able to put enough pressure on him to really have an impact on that game.”
After acquiring Schmidt from Pittsburgh for the stretch run in 2001, the Giants gave him a $30 million, four-year contract in the offseason to be their ace.
Schmidt was 13-8 with a 3.45 ERA during the regular season, holding opponents to a .218 batting average. He's 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in October, averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
This might be his most important start yet.
“He's been throwing the ball great,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said. “We feel very comfortable with Jason on the mound.”
Washburn had a breakthrough season, going 18-6. He is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA in four postseason appearances and started two of Anaheim's four losses in October.
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Washburn, Schmidt ready for Game 5 rematch 
