|
|
|
|
Posted: 6:17 PM Jul 16, 2006
Last Updated: 6:17 PM Jul 16, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Chris Denorfia singled past shortstop Clint Barmes with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning Saturday night, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the slumping Colorado Rockies.
Trailing 2-1, the Reds came back against closer Brian Fuentes (2-3), who was making his first appearance since throwing a scoreless inning during the All-Star game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Fuentes hit consecutive batters to load the bases with two outs and bring up Denorfia, who was celebrating his 26th birthday. Barmes charged Denorfia's soft grounder and couldn't make a play, allowing two runs to score as the ball skittered past him.
Denorfia is getting a chance to play right field with Austin Kearns gone to Washington as part of an eight-player deal on Thursday. The two key relievers in that trade also figured in the Reds' win.
Right-hander Gary Majewski blew a 1-0 lead in the eighth, when Jorge Piedra doubled home a pair of runs with two outs. Left-hander Bill Bray (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth to get the win in his first appearance for Cincinnati, 3-0 since the All-Star break.
The Rockies matched their season high with their sixth straight loss. They were a half-game out of first place in the NL West before going into the dive, which has dropped them to the bottom of the bunched-up division.
Both pitching staffs dug in on a sticky, 92-degree night. The first 10 hits were singles -- three didn't even leave the infield -- at one of the majors' most homer-friendly ballparks. It was only the 23rd game without a homer in Great American Ball Park's four seasons.
Like most games in Cincinnati this season, it came down to which bullpen would falter.
All-Star pitcher Bronson Arroyo emerged from his slump with seven shutout innings, turning a 1-0 lead over to a bullpen reshaped by that eight-player trade with Washington. Majewski couldn't hold the lead in his second appearance since the deal, giving up a pair of singles before Piedra doubled down the first base line with two outs.
Piedra was hitting .154 when he came to bat, and was only 2-for-22 as a pinch-hitter. Majewski threw back his head in disgust as the runners circled the bases on his double.
The Reds then pulled off their comeback with the help of a walk, two hit batters and the winning infield single, costing Aaron Cook another win. The right-hander has been the victim of poor offense and bad relief pitching the last two months.
Playing practically in his backyard, Cook gave up six hits -- including Scott Hatteberg's RBI double in the sixth -- in seven innings. The right-hander grew up in nearby Hamilton, where he won a state prep baseball championship, and lives there in the offseason.
Cook has only two wins in nine games despite solid performances. The Rockies have scored two runs or less in six of those nine starts, and the bullpen has repeatedly let him down.
Notes: Rockies SS Omar Quintanilla left the game after fouling a ball off his right shin during a seventh-inning at-bat. ... Colorado 3B Garrett Atkins had three hits and extended his hitting streak to nine games. ... The Reds used the same starting lineup for the second day in a row, the first time they'd done that all season. ... C Jason LaRue started his fifth game in a row, his longest streak of the season. ... Cincinnati 3B Rich Aurilia extended his hitting streak to nine games. ... Arroyo pitched a scoreless inning in Tuesday's All-Star game.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are currently no active polls at this time.
Click here to view other polls on our site and past poll results. |
|
Weather
Save
Email
Print
Terms of Use -
Privacy Policy -
EEO Statement
-
FCC Form 388
