Game 52 Recap-
The Cincinnati Reds battered LH SP Tom Gorzelanny(7.38 era) in the 1st, handing him his shortest start of his career and mounting a 6-0 deficit, to help the Reds beat the Pirates 9-1 at Great American Ball Park in Ohio. Utility man Jerry Hairston Jr and rookie 1b Joey Votto led the way with 3 hits apiece for the Reds.
Gorzelanny was a mess from the start, as he allowed the 1st to batters to reach, Ken Griffey Jr plated the 1st run with a sacrifice fly. 3b Edwin Encarnacion doubled in the 2nd run and super stud Votto drove in two with a single. C David Ross followed with a run homer(1st of the year) to chase the veteran LH. His nightmare day ended with 2/3 + pitched, 4 hits and 6 runs allowed with 2 walks. RH Franquelis Osoria(4.15 era) escaped the inning and saved the staff with 4 1/3 innings of solid relief work.
Osoria helped his own cause with his bat in the 2nd. After a walk and single, his two out infield single plated the Pirates 1st run to make it 6-1. His mound counterpart, RH SP Bronson Arroyo(4-4,5.29), pitched on 3 days rest with some long extra inning games taxing the Cincinnati staff, battled hard for 6 innings. The Pirates managed 3 hits off of him with the single run, to go with 4 walks and 6 strike outs.
The Reds kept the pressure on versus the Pittsburgh relief corps. scoring single runs in the 4th, 6th and 7th. Ross(4th) and Hairston(6th) had rbi singles with the 9th run scoring on a bases loaded walk to Ross in the 7th.
Star of the Game-
Ross- Led the staff thru a difficult situation and had 4 rbi, gutty, workman like performance
Pirates Notes-
LH SP Zach Duke will move his start back a day to receive further treatment on his callused left middle finger. Young LH Phil Dumatrait will take his spot on 4 days rest, the waiver claim and pleasant surprise, is 1-2 with 4.05 era in 5 starts and 10 relief appearances. …. Pirates had only 3 hits with RF Xavier Nady having a double in the 6th for the clubs extra base hit
Next Game-
Thursday-7:10 -Great American Ball Park- Ohio
Pirates LH Phil Dumatrait(1-2,4.05) vs Reds RH Aaron Harang(2-6,3.32)
