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Reds beat Cards to avoid sweep
yahoo sports
ST. LOUIS- It was a day of firsts for several Cincinnati Reds hitters.
And another day to forget for Adam Wainwright.
Brandon Phillips homered for his first RBI of the season and Drew
Stubbs homered for his first extra-base hit Thursday as the Reds backed
soft-tossing Bronson Arroyo’s eight innings and broke loose for a 6-3
victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that averted a three-game sweep.
‘’It’s been so long since we played a game like that,’’ manager Dusty
Baker said. ‘’I’m just glad our offense got clicking.’’
Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had connected just once in
their previous nine games and began the day with a .211 batting average.
The Reds picked on Wainwright (0-3), a 20-game winner in 2010 coming
off reconstructive elbow surgery that sidelined him all of 2011.
Wainwright is winless in his first three decisions for the first time
in his career. He allowed multiple home runs in consecutive starts for
just the second time ever.
‘’His velocity is a little bit down,’’ Ludwick said. ‘’I feel like we
were able to take advantage of it a little bit and in that scenario,
you’ve got to. When he’s on, when he gets back to 100 percent, he’s one
of those guys that sometimes you’re lucky to get one run against.’’
Though he said it was a ‘’valid question’’ to ask whether the comeback
had been a lot tougher than he had anticipated, Wainwright added, ‘’I’m
just in a funk.’’
‘’You can say whatever you want to about surgery and all that,’’ he
said. ‘’My arm feels fine, I’m just not throwing great.’’
Wainwright allowed four runs in five innings, leaving him with a 9.88
ERA. He thought his fastball had more life and that his curveball also
was improved, but ‘’my cutter was brutal, and that’s what both home
runs were on.’’
Phillips hit his first homer since Sept. 20 against the Astros, a span
of 53 at-bats, and earned his first RBI in 40 at-bats. Stubbs was 3 for
5 and the homer was his first extra-base hit in 50 at-bats.
Ludwick’s two-run homer was the Reds’ second in a span of three at-bats
in the fourth. Stubbs hit his first off Victor Marte in the seventh.
Matt Holliday’s three-run homer in the sixth was the only damage
against Arroyo (1-0), who struck out five and walked none while
scattering five hits. Arroyo threw just 90 pitches.
‘’He doesn’t throw any fastballs on fastball counts,’’ Holliday said.
‘’He mixes it up, slow, slow and slower, and then he’ll sneak his
fastball in there. He had us off-balance.’’
Joey Votto added an RBI single in the Reds ninth off Fernando Salas.
Sean Marshall struck out the side after allowing a leadoff hit in the
ninth for his second save in second chances.
Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay left after the seventh with a sprained
right shoulder after bumping into the wall trying to snare Stubbs’
homer. Jay said X-rays showed no significant damage and said he was day
to day.
‘’I was about to make my jump and just miscalculated my steps,’’ Jay
said. ‘’It’s not too bad. Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day.’’
Earlier Thursday, general manager John Mozeliak said first baseman
Lance Berkman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left
calf injury. The Cardinals plan on activating utilityman Skip Schumaker
from the 15-day disabled list from a pulled right side muscle sustained
in spring training.
‘’If you can’t run, you can’t play,’’ Berkman said after the game.
‘’It’s not really that tough of a decision.’’
Phillips got his RBI with one out in the third, Jay Bruce followed with
a single and Ludwick hit the next pitch beyond the visitor’s bullpen.
Arroyo allowed two hits the first five innings, but the Cardinals
opened the sixth with three straight hits. Rafael Furcal and Jay
singled before Holliday, who had been 3 for 26 on the homestand, hit
his third homer to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals are 9-4. A sweep over the Reds would
have given the franchise its best start to the season since it was 13-3
in 1982, a World Series title year.
NOTES: The Reds are 3-21-2 in 26 series in St. Louis since the start of
2003. ... RHP Homer Bailey (0-2, 5.40) starts for the Reds in the
opener of a three-game series at Chicago on Friday. St. Louis’ Lance
Lynn (2-0, 1.50) makes his fifth career start at Pittsburgh. ...
Wainwright previous allowed homers in consecutive starts May 5 and 10,
2009, surrendering two each against the Phillies at home and at
Cincinnati. ... Marshall has seven strikeouts in 4 1-3 innings. ...
Rafael Furcal had two hits for the Cardinals and is 6 for 10 the last
two games.
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