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Cincinnati
Reds...
Ludwick keys
rally with HR, Arroyo solid in win
Cincy knocks four
homers, including left fielder's first of season
reds.com
CINCINNATI -- Reds left fielder Ryan Ludwick ended a more than
four-month stint on the disabled list last week, but the search for
hitter's normalcy has taken him a little longer.
One more first was crossed off the list Saturday when Ludwick led off
the sixth inning with a home run -- No. 1 for the season. It started a
big inning for the Reds, as they snapped a tie game and took a 6-3
victory over the Brewers. For Ludwick, it's been a work-in-progress to
get his swing back after returning from a separated shoulder suffered
on Opening Day.
"Am I where I want to be? No," Ludwick said. "Did I expect to be in
midseason form right now? Maybe a little bit. I think that's a lot of
expectations to put on myself. I might have gotten down on myself a
little bit early when I started off really slow."
Ludwick was activated from the DL on Aug. 12 and started out 0-for-11.
Over his last six games, he is 8-for-20 (.400).
"Luddy is a veteran. He knows how to hit," Reds manager Dusty Baker
said. "He's in the middle of that lineup. He gets frustrated when he's
not doing what he thinks he should do, even though he doesn't have very
many at-bats. He's doing better."
In the first five innings against Brewers starter Wily Peralta, the
Reds notched seven hits. Other than Chris Heisey's solo homer to left
field, they had little to show for it. A big chance was missed in the
fourth when Ludwick hit a leadoff broken-bat single and Jack Hannahan
hit a double to left-center field. Ludwick tried to score from first
base on the hit and was thrown out at the plate. Hannahan went to third
base on the throw, but was left stranded.
With 103 pitches, Peralta did not return for a sixth inning, and the
Reds pounced all over his replacement, ex-closer John Axford. Ludwick
started the inning when he drove a 1-0 pitch over the fence near the
left-field corner.
"I hit that and then came up my next at-bat and felt like Superman,"
Ludwick said. "I was actually more thrilled with the ball I hit at the
shortstop [in the seventh] than I was the home run. I hit it harder
than the home run, more pure. I stayed behind the ball. There was no
hook or sink to it. That's my swing. The home run is not my swing. I
got around that ball and it had topspin. The ball I hit at shortstop is
the hardest ball I've hit since I've been here and the best swing I've
taken since I've been here."
Hannahan followed Ludwick's homer with a single that was stopped behind
second base. Zack Cozart worked a full count before he came through
with a two-run homer to left-center field for the lead.
"The home runs, balls were left up and tracked over the plate, and guys
took advantage," Axford said.
Cozart -- who entered 0-for-5 lifetime vs. Axford -- had been without a
homer since Aug. 4, but has been hot over his last 10 games, going
11-for-33 (.333). Unlike Ludwick, Cozart -- batting .243 in 119 games
-- has been waiting all season for an extended period of good results.
"I feel better. I'm relaxed more," Cozart said. "I think early in the
year and last year, when I [had] guys on base, I kind of put too much
pressure on myself wanting to be too perfect with it. The last week or
so, I said, 'You know what? I'm going to go up there and try to put a
good swing on it and whatever happens, happens.' I think it's worked
out well for me."
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