|
|
|
|
 |
|
Scores Schedules Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries: AL | NL Players Weekly Lineup Message Board Minor Leagues MLB Stat Search Clubhouses |
| Sport Sections |
|
|
| |
Tuesday, May 30 7:35pm ET
Vidro's late error haunts Expos | |||||
|
| ||||||
|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
CINCINNATI -- The Montreal Expos could use someone like Osvaldo Fernandez right about now. Two years removed from reconstructive elbow surgery, Fernandez is pitching better than ever just when the Cincinnati Reds need him most. He retired the last 19 batters he faced Tuesday night, setting up a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Expos. Fernandez (2-0) allowed only two hits and didn't walk a batter in seven innings before leaving for a pinch hitter. Only four of the 23 batters he faced got the ball out of the infield -- five struck out and 14 grounded out. "That guy pitched well," Expos manager Felipe Alou said. "He's really recovered from that arm problem he had. He's like a new pitcher. He's better now than when he first came over from Cuba. Whatever the doctor fixed, you've got to keep an eye on." The Reds called up Fernandez on May 13 to fill in for Pete Harnisch, disabled by a weak shoulder. The loss of Harnisch seemed at first to be a major setback; Fernandez has turned it into no problem at all by leading the Reds to win in all four of his starts. "I'm getting into my rhythm," Fernandez said through teammate Alex Ochoa, doubling as a translator. "I'm throwing a lot of pitches for strikes, getting ahead of batters and throwing the pitches where I want to." The Expos lost their sixth in a row, their worst slump since a seven-game slide last May 10-17. They also lost another pitcher before the game, when an MRI found that Hideki Irabu has torn knee cartilage. That leaves the Expos down to three starters and no one like Fernandez waiting in the wings. "We're going to hit and play defense and all that," Alou said. "We've got three starters and we play seven games in a week. That's where the headache is." The main problems Tuesday were a puny offense and another costly defensive lapse. Second baseman Jose Vidro made an errant throw to second trying to get a forceout, letting Ken Griffey Jr. score for a 2-1 lead with one out in the seventh. Aaron Boone followed with an RBI single off Tony Armas (0-3), who allowed only four hits in 6 1-3 innings. The game-turning error was familiar to the Expos. Third baseman Andy Tracy dropped a fly to set up a 4-3 loss in San Diego on Sunday. "It all comes down to that one play at second base," Alou said. The Expos also lapsed into their recent habit of scoring early and then not at all. They've scored nine runs in the first innings of their last seven games, only four the rest of the way. Rondell White doubled with two outs in the first and Vladimir Guerrero followed with a single for a 1-0 lead. Fernandez then retired the next 19 in a row before leaving for a pinch hitter in the seventh. Scott Williamson pitched a perfect eighth, making it 22 Expos down in order, before giving up a hit and a walk and allowing a run to score on a wild pitch. Williamson struck out White and Guerrero on high fastballs, then got Lee Stevens to foul out with runners at second and third. It was Williamson's sixth save in seven chances. The Reds got only two hits in the first six innings off Armas. Benito Santiago tied the score 1-1 in the third with his second homer, only the second that Armas has allowed in five career starts. Armas is accustomed to pitching without much support. The Expos have scored only seven runs in his four starts this season. Griffey went 0-for-3, leaving him in a 4-for-36 slump, but walked leading off the seventh to start the go-ahead rally. He took second on Dmitri Young's one-out single and came around when Vidro fielded Sean Casey's grounder to the hole at second and tried to pivot and get the force at second, but threw off target for only his second error of the season. Michael Tucker added a solo homer in the eighth off Jim Poole. Game notesSS Orlando Cabrera was back in Montreal's starting lineup Tuesday. He missed a weekend series in San Diego due to the death of his father, Jolbert. ... Reliever Mike Johnson (0-0) will start in Irabu's place Wednesday. Johnson has made nine relief appearances this season, but started 14 games for the Expos over the last three years. ... Harnisch resumed playing catch Tuesday. If all goes well, he could begin throwing off a mound again in 10-14 days. ... Backup shortstop Juan Castro agreed to a two-year extension for $400,000 per year. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Montreal Clubhouse Cincinnati Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 8 Kansas City 2
Cincinnati 4
  | |||||