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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The majors' first matchup of 14-game losers
since 1992 turned on little things instead of big hits. Omar Daal
and the Philadelphia Phillies did way too many of them wrong.
Daal stumbled on the bases, let a popup drop in front of him and
became the first 15-game loser in the majors as the Cincinnati Reds
beat the Phillies 8-3 Thursday.
Sean Casey had a pair of sacrifice flies off Daal (3-15) and the
Reds scored two more runs on grounders, overcoming a two-run first
inning off Steve Parris (8-14). An error made two of the Reds' runs
unearned and compounded Daal's woes. Casey added a two-run homer in the eighth off Jason Boyd to seal
Daal's fate.
"Mentally I'm good," Daal said. "I've been in this game long
enough to know how it is. This is a bad year for me. Everybody goes
through it."
Tell Parris about it. "Omar had 14 losses, I had 14 losses, so we were even going
in," Parris said. "We're both having bad years, though I
personally don't feel I've pitched bad enough for 14 losses."
The Reds won for only the third time in 10 games and finished
another discouraging homestand at 3-4. They've gone 5-11 at home
since July 24, squashing their hopes of catching St. Louis in the
NL Central.
The Reds are the only team in the majors with a losing record at
home (31-34) and a winning road record (31-30).
Ken Griffey Jr. got his second day off this season as manager
Jack McKeon rested another one of his regulars. Shortstop Barry
Larkin was out of the starting lineup Wednesday.
The last time two pitchers with at least 14 losses faced each
other was Oct. 1, 1992, when Milwaukee's Bill Wegman (12-14) threw
a 10-inning complete game to beat Seattle's Erik Hanson (8-17) in
the Kingdome 7-2.
Daal didn't get much help from a defense that turned 10 double
plays during the four-game series. Shortstop Alex Arias let Benito
Santiago's potential double-play grounder bounce off him for an
error in the third, setting up a pair of unearned runs.
"I was pitching my game. I got a lot of ground balls," Daal
said. "That's my kind of game. I didn't make too many mistakes
today, but that's part of the game."
Daal had a few misplays of his own. He and catcher Tom Prince
looked at each other while Dante Bichette's popup dropped between
them midway to the mound in the second inning for a single.
Daal also got thrown out at third to undercut a rally in the
fourth. He singled with one out and rounded second too far after
Bobby Abreu singled to center. Daal stood indecisively until Brian
Hunter threw into second, then stumbled as he belatedly headed for
an easy out at third.
The defensive lapses doomed him. "If we make the plays, he's got a chance to get out feeling
pretty good about himself instead of being frustrated," manager
Terry Francona said.
Daal gave up eight hits and five runs (three earned) in six
innings. Since coming to the Phillies as part of the Curt Schilling
trade on July 26, he has gone 1-5 in six starts with a 6.62 ERA.
Parris, a victim of poor run support much of the season (2.4 per
game), gave up nine hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings, overcoming
a shaky first. Doug Glanville, Scott Rolen and Travis Lee hit
consecutive doubles for a 2-0 lead.
Slow starts have been Parris' downfall all season. "His problem was that he would bury himself so deep in the
first few innings," manager Jack McKeon said. "He would do for
several innings what he did in the first inning today."
More important to Parris was getting his first victory over
Philadelphia. He spent some time in the Phillies' farm system in
the early 1990s and had been 0-5 in six career starts against them.
"The Phillies curse is off," Parris said. "That's what I'm
most happy about. Well, maybe it's not off, but at least it's
delayed. Ever since they released me, they've put a hex on me. Now
maybe it's lifted."
Glanville also had a single in five at-bats and extended his
hitting streak to 11 games. Abreu had three singles and a double.
Game notes
In his first five career games batting leadoff, Abreu has
gone 8-for-19 with seven walks. ... The Phillies haven't won three
games in a row since they completed a five-game streak on July 5.
... Philadelphia finished its trip 3-4. The Phillies haven't had a
winning trip since the first week in July. ... Bichette hasn't
homered since July 23, a span of 105 at-bats. ... Chris Stynes went
0-for-3, ending his hitting streak at seven games. ... Juan Castro
is 4-for-5 career off Daal with a double and a triple. ... Parris
has won his last three starts, giving up only three runs in 20 2-3
innings.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Griffey's day off unrelated to argument with broadcaster
RECAPS
NY Yankees 8
Texas 7
Detroit 10
Seattle 3
Baltimore 8
Chi. White Sox 5
Oakland 11
Cleveland 7
Boston 9
Kansas City 7
Cincinnati 8
Philadelphia 3
Los Angeles 7
Montreal 0
St. Louis 12
Atlanta 5
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