Post by Deleted on May 14, 2009 15:55:01 GMT -5
oxfordpress
By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer
PHOENIX — When Arizona pitcher Bryan Augenstein took the mound in Chase Field for the first inning, the music he heard was by Phil Collins: “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
It was his major-league debut, and he’ll have to wait for another moment for his first major-league victory, because now is not the time to run into Johnny Cueto and/or the Cincinnati Reds.
Cueto won his third straight decision, holding the Diamondbacks to four hits over seven innings, and Brandon Phillips led a 14-hit attack with two doubles that produced four runs in a 10-3 victory.
And how does this one sound? The Reds, St. Louis and Milwaukee are tied for first place in the National League Central at 20-14.
“Our swagger is real nice right now, and our team chemistry is gorgeous,” said Phillips. “This is the best team I’ve ever played on.”
And first place?
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “It’s just like getting to the major leagues — the hardest thing is to stay there. Anybody can get there, but it is all about staying there. But it does feel good.
“Plus our pitching is gorgeous,” he added. “It makes us play defense, because they are not wasting time and not walking anybody.”
It is a positive numbers game for the Reds: They’ve won six of seven, are 6-2 on travel days, 7-2 in game three of series and 9-4 in May. They are six over .500, the team’s best since it was 12 over at 36-25 in 2006.
The Reds swept three games in Arizona for the first time in 10 years, back when Chase Field was Bank One Ballpark and the D-Backs wore green and purple uniforms.
They should wear black and blue these days with their 13-22 record, tied with Cleveland for most defeats in the majors.
“First place? I like the sound of that a lot,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker. “And I like the sound of a sweep. We broke it open with five runs (in the seventh) with a whole lot of singles and doubles.
“Brandon got hot for this series, and Willy Taveras got extremely hot for this series, and Jerry Hairston is swinging better,” Baker added. “It was a great series overall.”
Phillips was 6-for-13 with eight RBIs and three runs scored. Taveras was 9-for-15 with six runs scored and two RBIs. Hairston was 5-for-12 with six runs scored and three RBIs.
So, from three of the top four spots in the order, the Reds got 20 hits in 40 at bats (.500) with 15 runs scored and 13 driven in — all in three games.
Diamondbacks starter Augenstein struck out leadoff hitter Taveras on three pitches and pitched a 1-2-3 first inning.
Diamondbacks center fielder Gerardo Parra, making his major-league debut, homered in the first — the 100th player in major-league history to hit a home run in his first at-bat.
The Reds didn’t have a hit until they bunched three in the third inning that added up to a 3-1 lead. Phillips drove a two-run double to right field, and Ramon Hernandez singled home Phillips.
Parra’s homer off Cueto was the only hit until the sixth inning, when the D-Backs’ Justin Upton doubled and Stephen Drew drove him in with a single.
That only lasted until the Reds came to bat in the seventh inning. Taveras, owner of a 14-game hitting streak, banged his third hit of the night, a single, then stole second, his 10th theft, and scored on Hairston’s double that knocked Augenstein out of the game.
Then came the merry-go-round, two walks and three straight RBI singles by Adam Rosales, Chris Dickerson and Ryan Hanigan to make it 8-2, with Phillips driving in the final two with another double in the eighth inning.
oxfordpress
By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer
PHOENIX — When Arizona pitcher Bryan Augenstein took the mound in Chase Field for the first inning, the music he heard was by Phil Collins: “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
It was his major-league debut, and he’ll have to wait for another moment for his first major-league victory, because now is not the time to run into Johnny Cueto and/or the Cincinnati Reds.
Cueto won his third straight decision, holding the Diamondbacks to four hits over seven innings, and Brandon Phillips led a 14-hit attack with two doubles that produced four runs in a 10-3 victory.
And how does this one sound? The Reds, St. Louis and Milwaukee are tied for first place in the National League Central at 20-14.
“Our swagger is real nice right now, and our team chemistry is gorgeous,” said Phillips. “This is the best team I’ve ever played on.”
And first place?
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “It’s just like getting to the major leagues — the hardest thing is to stay there. Anybody can get there, but it is all about staying there. But it does feel good.
“Plus our pitching is gorgeous,” he added. “It makes us play defense, because they are not wasting time and not walking anybody.”
It is a positive numbers game for the Reds: They’ve won six of seven, are 6-2 on travel days, 7-2 in game three of series and 9-4 in May. They are six over .500, the team’s best since it was 12 over at 36-25 in 2006.
The Reds swept three games in Arizona for the first time in 10 years, back when Chase Field was Bank One Ballpark and the D-Backs wore green and purple uniforms.
They should wear black and blue these days with their 13-22 record, tied with Cleveland for most defeats in the majors.
“First place? I like the sound of that a lot,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker. “And I like the sound of a sweep. We broke it open with five runs (in the seventh) with a whole lot of singles and doubles.
“Brandon got hot for this series, and Willy Taveras got extremely hot for this series, and Jerry Hairston is swinging better,” Baker added. “It was a great series overall.”
Phillips was 6-for-13 with eight RBIs and three runs scored. Taveras was 9-for-15 with six runs scored and two RBIs. Hairston was 5-for-12 with six runs scored and three RBIs.
So, from three of the top four spots in the order, the Reds got 20 hits in 40 at bats (.500) with 15 runs scored and 13 driven in — all in three games.
Diamondbacks starter Augenstein struck out leadoff hitter Taveras on three pitches and pitched a 1-2-3 first inning.
Diamondbacks center fielder Gerardo Parra, making his major-league debut, homered in the first — the 100th player in major-league history to hit a home run in his first at-bat.
The Reds didn’t have a hit until they bunched three in the third inning that added up to a 3-1 lead. Phillips drove a two-run double to right field, and Ramon Hernandez singled home Phillips.
Parra’s homer off Cueto was the only hit until the sixth inning, when the D-Backs’ Justin Upton doubled and Stephen Drew drove him in with a single.
That only lasted until the Reds came to bat in the seventh inning. Taveras, owner of a 14-game hitting streak, banged his third hit of the night, a single, then stole second, his 10th theft, and scored on Hairston’s double that knocked Augenstein out of the game.
Then came the merry-go-round, two walks and three straight RBI singles by Adam Rosales, Chris Dickerson and Ryan Hanigan to make it 8-2, with Phillips driving in the final two with another double in the eighth inning.
oxfordpress