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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- With three perfect swings, Bret Boone left his
former team in misery.
|  | | Bret Boone, right, made some friends among his Padres teammates with three home runs Friday. |
Boone hit three homers -- each off a different pitcher -- and Ruben Rivera added a three-run shot in the 10th inning as the San Diego Padres overpowered the reeling Cincinnati Reds 10-7 Friday
night.
Boone matched his career high by driving in six runs and got the
ultimate sign of respect -- an intentional walk in the 10th -- just
ahead of Rivera's homer off Scott Williamson (2-5).
"I'm not going to lie: Any time you do it against your old
team, it's a little extra special," said Boone, traded to Atlanta
after the 1998 season. "Nights like this don't come that often."
Games like this seem to come just about every day for the Reds, who have
lost 13 of their last 16. Not even a three-run rally in the ninth
off Trevor Hoffman (1-2) could get them out of their rut.
"It was a good ballgame for the fans, but a tough one for us,"
manager Jack McKeon said. "We couldn't keep the ball in the
park."
The Padres scored all 10 runs off five homers -- three by Boone,
one each by Ryan Klesko and Rivera -- as they beat the Reds for the fourth time in eight days. San Diego swept a three-game series last
weekend, with Tony Gwynn singling home the go-ahead run off
Williamson for one of the wins.
Gwynn, out of the starting lineup for a fifth consecutive game
because of a sore knee, pinch hit to open the 10th and doubled into
the corner off Williamson.
Two outs later, the crowd cheered when catcher Eddie Taubensee
held up four fingers, signifying an intentional walk for Boone.
"I don't blame them," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "With
the game on the line and a guy that locked in, it makes sense. I
would have walked him, too."
Two pitches later, Rivera hit his seventh homer, adding to
Williamson's woes. The NL rookie of the year in 1999 has given up
13 runs in 12 1/3 innings in his last 10 appearances.
"When you go out there over and over and don't do the job, it's
frustrating," Williamson said. "I'm better than that right
there."
It was a crushing turnaround for the Reds, who were up in the
dugout in celebration after pulling off a rare comeback against
Hoffman. Ken Griffey Jr.'s two-out, two-run double left Hoffman
with only his second blown save of the season and his first since
April 25.
"Coming back against Hoffman was one of the highlights of the
day but once again, we couldn't hold them," McKeon said.
They couldn't stop Boone, either. Six of his 12 homers and two
of his three multihomer games this season have come against
Cincinnati.
"It was one of those things where they gave me some pitches to
hit and I didn't miss 'em," Boone said. "Tonight they gave me
some pitches to handle in the zone I as looking for and what
happened, happened."
Boone's first homer was a three-run shot in the fourth off Rob
Bell, who was promoted from Double-A in spring training and is
losing his grip on a job. Klesko also hit a solo homer in the
fourth, his fourth homer in three games.
Bell is 0-4 in his last four starts, giving up 16 runs in 15
innings.
Boone added a solo shot in the sixth off Manny Aybar for a
noteworthy repeat. He also homered off Bell and Aybar in the same
game in Cincinnati on May 11.
Boone's two-run homer off Scott Sullivan in the eighth completed
the second three-game game of his career. He hit three for
Cincinnati at Wrigley Field on Sept. 20, 1998.
The second baseman also made several impressive defensive plays
to help Adam Eaton, like Bell a rookie called up from Double-A this
season. Eaton gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2-3 innings,
leaving him with a 2.39 ERA in his last four starts.
Griffey hit a two-run homer, his 22nd, off Eaton in the fifth.
Griffey also homered for the Reds' only run off Eaton in the
Padres' 3-1 win last Saturday.
Shortstop Kevin Nicholson, the Padres' first-round draft pick in
1997, was called up from Triple-A and made his debut. He started
and went 0-for-2 before leaving as part of a double-switch.
Cincinnati's Chris Stynes strained his left hamstring while
running out a single in the third and left the game. Pokey Reese,
who was supposed to get a day of rest, came on to pinch run and
play second base.
Game notes
Boone has 11 multihomer games in his career. ... It's the
first time Klesko has homered in three consecutive games since
1997. ... Nicholson is the 12th rookie to play for the Padres this
season. ... San Diego has used 41 players this season, the same
number for all last season. The club record is 48 players in 1991.
... Gwynn was out of the lineup for a fifth straight game because
of a sore left knee. ... Reds pitchers are 0-for-21 since June 5.
Bell is 0-for-20 career with 14 strikeouts. ... A crowd of 31,746
showed up to watch the game and a postgame concert by The Spinners.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Diego Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 7
Cleveland 6
Toronto 5
Boston 4
Chi. White Sox 4
NY Yankees 3
Tampa Bay 7
Texas 4
Anaheim 8
Minnesota 3
Oakland 10
Kansas City 6
Seattle 8
Baltimore 3
Florida 6
Chicago Cubs 1
Philadelphia 13
Montreal 6
NY Mets 12
Pittsburgh 2
San Diego 10
Cincinnati 7
Atlanta 3
Milwaukee 2
San Francisco 10
Houston 3
St. Louis 9
Los Angeles 6
Arizona 2
Colorado 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bret Boone enjoyed hitting three homers against his former team.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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