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The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Adam Dunn homered and Edinson Volquez
provided another quality outing for the Cincinnati Reds as they
completed a four game sweep of the Washington Nationals with a
6-5 win on Sunday.
Washington rookie righthander Collin Balester retired the first
11 batters that he faced in order, but ran into trouble after
walking Ken Griffey Jr. in the fourth. After Brandon Phillips
singled to left field, Dunn made Balester pay by launching his
22nd home run of the year to right field.
"There was two strikes and I really wasn't sure exactly what he
was going to throw," Dunn said. "It ended up being a fastball
down and in, and I just dropped the head to it and it went."
Cincinnati tacked on two more runs off of Balester (1-1) in the
fifth when David Ross followed a single by Joey Votto with an
RBI double, then came home two batters later on a groundout by
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Volquez, the presumptive All-Star game starter for the National
League, got the start for Cincinnati, going six innings,
allowing one run and five hits, striking out three.
"I'm excited to be in the All-Star Game," Volquez said.
"Everybody has a dream. A lot of pitchers want to win the Cy
Young Award, and I think the All-Star game is one of those
dreams."
Volquez (11-3) ran into trouble in the third inning, loading the
bases with no outs. After allowing an RBI single to Ronnie
Belliard and an RBI groundout to Christian Guzman, Volquez
walked Austin Kearns and Dmitri Young to force in another run.
"I just need to learn to control my emotions better," said
Volquez of his rocky third inning. "I showed the umpire that I
was mad at him because he did not call a strike. (I was told in
the dugout after the inning) to not show that you are mad and
the strikes will come."
Hairston added a seemingly meaningless run in the top of the
ninth inning with an RBI single that would prove to be the
winning run after the Nationals put two runs on the board in the
ninth.
"You always want to tack on a run whenever you can, especially
at this level. I was just trying to have a good at-bat and put
that bat on the ball and fortunately it was able to fall (for a
hit)," Hairston said of his single.
Bill Bray and Jared Burton each worked a scoreless inning of
relief to follow Volquez, and Francisco Cordero allowed two runs
in the ninth inning, but still recorded his 18th save of the
season despite working for a fourth straight day.
"I said (to manager Dusty Baker) that 'Hey, I've got a day off
tomorrow.' The more that I pitch the better I feel," Cordero
said. "I like to pitch a lot because it means that we are
winning and that I am doing my job."
"That was an ugly win if there is such a thing," Baker said.
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