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Wednesday, Jun. 21 7:05pm ET
Rockies topple Reds, 6-4 | |||||
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Down to their final out in the eighth, the Colorado Rockies found a way to score three runs and pull one out. Darren Bragg thinks that says a lot about the kind of team they've become. Neifi Perez and Bragg singled home runs and Ken Griffey Jr.'s throwing error let in another as the Rockies rallied for a 6-4 victory Wednesday over the slumping Cincinnati Reds. "That's what happens when you've got a good ballclub," said Bragg, who drove in the go-ahead run with his first pinch hit since May 1. "You can't give in. That's the way you've got to play the game. That's what we seem to be doing." Colorado got its eight victory in 11 games by taking advantage of another wild performance by reliever Scott Williamson (2-4), who's been unable to duplicate his NL Rookie of the Year season. The Rockies won it by patiently stringing together two walks, a wild pitch, the two singles and Griffey's throwing error -- a mistake that overshadowed the center fielder's two outstanding defensive plays in the game. "We've been able to do things late in the game," said Gabe White, who pitched one perfect inning in relief. "That's really cool. We've got an exciting ballclub right now. "That's why we're at the top right now instead of the bottom. Nobody gives up. Nobody quits." The Reds can't seem to quit blowing leads. They've lost 12 of 14, a tailspin that's dropped them 6 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the NL Central. They've fallen into the pattern of either falling behind early because of poor starting pitching or giving up a lead at the end because of a bullpen meltdown. "We've had that happen four or five times in the last 10 or 12 losses," manager Jack McKeon said. "We've had a lot of games this year where we've had a lead and just couldn't hold it." Denny Neagle turned a 4-3 lead over to the bullpen, but was victimized by a blown save for the third time this season. Williamson walked Jeff Cirillo opening the eighth, threw his NL-leading 13th wild pitch and walked Brent Mayne with two outs. Perez singled to left to tie it and Bragg singled sharply up the middle. Griffey, who made a diving catch to start a pivotal double play in the series opener and two more outstanding plays Wednesday, dropped the ball as he tried to field it for a play at the plate. He then threw wildly to third for an error that sent Perez home. Bragg was hitless in his last 12 pinch-hit at-bats, but had a little personal history going for him in the eighth. Last July 8 for St. Louis, he hit a two-run homer in the ninth off Williamson for a 2-1 win. "It helps that I've faced him before," Bragg said. "I know what he has and what he's tried to do to get me out. He left a pitch over the plate and I was able to do something." Julian Tavarez (5-2) pitched one perfect inning in relief of Rolando Arrojo, who gave up four runs -- three earned -- in six innings. White's perfect eighth stretched his streak to 20 2/3 scoreless innings, one shy of the franchise record. Jose Jiminez got the final three outs for his 12th save in 14 chances. Larry Walker had a single, double and triple to pace the Rockies, who have scored 41 runs in their last four games. The Reds were only 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and were hurt by a big mistake by Neagle, who gave up a bases-loaded single to Arrojo with two outs in the fourth that put the Rockies up 3-2. "I threw him a fastball up and away, and that's the easiest pitch for us (pitchers) to handle," Neagle said. "All you have to do is put the bat on the ball." Center fielder Brian Hunter's fielding error helped the Reds tie it in the bottom of the inning, and Sean Casey's RBI double put the Reds up 4-3 in the fifth. Dante Bichette, the Reds' hottest hitter in June, went 2-for-3 with a two-run double. He's batting .361 in the month. Game notesWalker tripled in the first inning, giving the Rockies 33 triples this season, most in the majors. They've tripled in eight of their last nine games. ... Todd Helton was 1-for-4, dropping his NL-leading average to .393. ... RHP Pete Harnisch will make a rehabilitation start Sunday for Triple-A Louisville. The Reds plan to activate him to pitch a week from Friday to start in Arizona. ... Barry Larkin moved ahead of Johnny Bench for second place on the Reds' list of runs scored with 1,092. Pete Rose is first with 1,741 runs scored. ... Griffey is hitting .196 with runners in scoring position. ... Ron Villone will miss his scheduled start Thursday because of a cut on his left index finger. Steve Parris (2-10) will start instead. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Colorado Clubhouse Cincinnati Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 9 NY Yankees 7
Colorado 6
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