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Sunday, Jun. 4 1:15pm ET
Pokey, Bichette lift Reds past Twins | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. struck out three times and accidentally conked the owner's granddaughter on the head with his bat. The Cincinnati Reds struck out a season-high 14 times in all. On a day of little offense, Dante Bichette's homer and Pokey Reese's single got the Cincinnati Reds a three-game sweep. Bichette's two-run homer -- his fourth in as many days -- tied the game in the sixth and Reese singled home a run in the 10th for a 3-2 victory Sunday over the Minnesota Twins. The interleague sweep improved the Reds to 5-4 on a 12-game homestand that is their longest of the season. It also moved them back into first in the NL Central, a half-game ahead of St. Louis. "We needed to keep it going," manager Jack McKeon said. "We're getting a lot of contributions from a lot of people. That's the way I like to operate. Everybody gets a chance to play. They come to the ballpark knowing they have a chance to contribute." One of his late-inning moves figured directly in the win. Juan Castro came in to play third base as part of a double-switch in the 10th. He robbed Matt Lawton of a double by making a backhand catch down the line and throwing him out to end the inning. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Castro doubled off LaTroy Hawkins (1-2). Reese, who was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, then lined the first pitch to center. Jacque Jones charged the ball, but it hopped over his head to end the game. "I've faced him a lot (in the minors)," Reese said. "He usually gets me on fastballs, so I said to myself, 'Don't go up there taking, just let it fly."' Scott Williamson pitched out of threats in the eighth and ninth, and Danny Graves improved to 8-0. He's the first Reds pitcher to start 8-0 since Mike LaCoss in 1979. The game was held up for a couple of minutes in the fourth inning, when Griffey's bat slipped from his hands on a swing and hit a granddaughter of team owner Carl Lindner. Christine Lindner, 10, was sitting in the first row behind the Reds dugout when she was hit. She was taken to a hospital for a few stitches to close a cut on the left side of her forehead. "You just feel bad," Griffey said. "You don't want to hurt anybody, but those things just happen. "I wouldn't mind as much if it was an adult but when it's a kid, that's the kind of thing that ruins an at-bat or your whole day. You just don't want to see things like that happen unless it's some loudmouth who's been on you the whole time." The accident happened on Ken Griffey Jr. Growth Chart Day, a promotion that drew 40,169 paying fans. They had little to cheer until the slumping centerfielder got a single in the sixth, only his second hit in 22 at-bats. Bichette hit the next pitch from Mark Redman for a game-tying homer, his ninth of the season. Bichette is on his best hitting tear of the season -- an eight-game streak and 10-for-16 in the last four games. Griffey struck out in his other three at-bats, leaving his average at .210. He has six hits in his last 50 at-bats and joked afterward about his plight. "I'm gone," he said. "You hit .200 and the owner's granddaughter?" Redman, who made his major league debut against Griffey's former Seattle team last July 24, struck out six of the first seven batters he faced Sunday. The left-hander finished with a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings and didn't walk a batter. He gave up five singles and Bichette's homer. "It was a sinker that was supposed to go down and away and it went down and over the middle," Redman said. Reds starter Osvaldo Fernandez jammed his pitching elbow while lining out in the third inning. Fernandez, who missed most of the 1998-99 seasons because of two major elbow operations, tried to warm up for the fourth but had to leave the game. X-rays found no fracture. It was too early to tell if he'll have to miss a start. Game notesRedman had never fanned more than seven batters in a game. ... The Twins are 2-4 on a nine-game trip that concludes with three in Houston. ... Cincinnati improved to 26-20 in interleague play. Minnesota is 24-27. ... Redman grounded out in the third and struck out with the bases loaded in the fourth. Twins pitchers were 2-for-6 with a single and a double in the series. ... Some fans unrolled their Griffey Growth Charts and turned them into banners. ... Chris Stynes started in left field for the first time since Sept. 26, 1998. ... Griffey struck out in the eighth against Eddie Guardado. He's 2-for-18 career against the left-hander with nine strikeouts. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Minnesota Clubhouse Cincinnati Clubhouse Griffey's slipped bat injures owner's granddaughter
RECAPS NY Yankees 7 Atlanta 6
Cincinnati 3
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