Rays’ starter Scott Kazmir also had a heck of a time holding runners on, and the ever-savvy Tim McCarver was quick to point this out.
So what was Kazmir’s problem?
The young left-hander was tipping his pickoff move.
From Yahoo! Sports:
In the entire NLCS, the Phillies stole two bases. In the division series, they stole five. But pitchers weren’t tipping their moves to first and second bases in those series. Scott Kazmir was. So in the second inning, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz attempted a double steal, foiled when Carlos Ruiz fouled off a pitch. In the third, Jayson Werth ran on a 1-and-1 pitch to Utley, who two innings earlier had homered, meaning it wasn’t near worth the risk of being thrown out – unless Werth knew he would make it. In all, seven Phillies broke for the next base, the first five against Kazmir.
