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Cincinnati
Reds...
Boosted by
six-run second, Cueto earns 14th win
Reds ace fans nine over 7 1/3; Frazier’s homer sparks big frame
CINCINNATI- Aided by a six-run second inning, the Reds claimed a 9-4
victory over the Padres on Thursday afternoon and three of four games
in the series.
First-place Cincinnati has won 13 of its last 14 games and 20 of its
last 23 to improve its Major League-best record to 64-41. The Reds also
opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the National League Central over the idle
second-place Pirates, who come to Great American Ball Park for a
three-game series starting Friday.
Reds ace Johnny Cueto finished with 7 1/3 innings and allowed four runs
and eight hits with one walk and nine strikeouts to get his 14th
victory, tied for the most in the Majors.
The Reds sent 12 men to the plate in the second against Padres starter
Ross Ohlendorf, who lasted only 1 2/3 innings. Among the first five
batters to reach safely in the inning, Todd Frazier got the scoring
going with a two-run home run to left field, his 13th of the season.
Ryan Hanigan hit a drive to right field, where Will Venable crashed
hard in an unsuccessful catch attempt as Zack Cozart scored. With two
outs and the bases loaded, Jay Bruce’s single up the middle scored two
more runs. And as Scott Rolen batted, Drew Stubbs scored when Ohlendorf
was called for a balk to make it 6-0.
Similar to the previous three games after the Reds opened leads, San
Diego did not shrink quietly and responded with three runs in the
third. Eddy Rodriguez’s first big league hit was a one-out home run off
of Cueto -- which snapped an 11-start, 80-inning streak in which he
didn’t allow a homer, the longest in the Majors this season.
Cueto gave up two more singles after the homer, but had a chance to
escape. Miguel Cairo, filling in for injured Gold Glove second baseman
Brandon Phillips, muffed a would-be double play grounder and had to
settle for one out at first base. Chase Headley followed with a lined
single that went through shortstop Cozart’s glove and scored two runs.
In the top of the fourth with one out, Cameron Maybin’s solo homer to
left field closed the Reds’ lead to two.
In the Reds’ fourth against reliever Eric Stults, Stubbs scored from
third base on a wacky play when third baseman Chase Headley couldn’t
make a play on a Rolen single that bounced over the bag. Stubbs and
Headley collided as the ball approached and despite Headley’s
objection, there was no interference called. Cozart added a lined
one-out RBI single to left field that scored Bruce.
Following the Maybin homer, Cueto retired his final 12 of 14 batters
and got a makeup defensive play from his middle infield. To end the
sixth, Cozart made a spectacular diving stop to rob Maybin and flipped
to Cairo, who barehanded the ball before making a one-hop throw to
first base for the double play.
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