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The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- After an injury-filled and inconsistent
nine-year career, Jerry Hairston Jr. seems to have found a home
at the top of the Cincinnati Reds lineup.
The righthanded hitting utilityman, playing shortstop on
Saturday, sparked a ninth inning rally that gave the Reds a 3-2
victory over the Washington Nationals.
"I just try to have good at-bats," Hairston said. "I told
myself whenever I get a chance to play again I am not going to
worry about (results). I am just going to try to have good
at-bats."
"He has given us a tremendous spark," Reds manager Dusty Baker
said. "I always said the hardest guy to find is the leadoff
man. (Jerry) is leading off as well as anybody in baseball right
now."
Hairston, who leads the Reds with a .341 average including three
hits on Saturday, led off the ninth inning with a single and
then quickly stole second base.
After Jay Bruce struck out, and a walk to Ken Griffey Jr.,
Brandon Phillips singled to left field to score Hairston and
give the Reds the win.
"It is a different guy (getting the big hit) every time,"
Phillips said. "Yesterday it was (Ken) Griffey. Today it was
me."
The rally in the ninth inning came after each team came after
Francisco Cordero (4-1) blew his fourth save of the season in
the top of the ninth, but he still recorded the victory.
Runs were hard to come by all night for both sides early, as
both teams were provided with quality starts from their
starters.
Washington righthander Tim Redding went six innings, allowing
one run on eight hits and striking out four as he became the
12th straight Nationals pitcher to have a quality start not be
rewarded with a victory.
Meanwhile it took a hit from the bat of Redding, a single in the
second inning, to supply the only run off of Cincinnati
righthander Josh Fogg. Fogg allowed one run on six hits in six
innings in his first start since being placed on the disabled
list with lower back spasms on June 1.
"I had a little command trouble early," Fogg said. "I wasn't in
the strike zone like I would like to be, but I made a couple of
good pitches. Obviously the one to Redding wasn't great, but I
managed to work around that run and my team did a good job of
coming back."
David Weathers and Mike Lincoln each worked a scoreless inning
of relief to follow Fogg before giving way to Cordero for the
ninth.
To add insult to injury for Washington left fielder Elijah Dukes
left the game in the seventh inning with a right knee patella
tendon strain. Dukes, who suffered the injury when he crashed
awkwardly into the left field wall after making a catch in the
seventh inning, will undergo an MRI on Sunday and be
re-evaluated at the point.
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