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Saturday, Jun. 24 7:05pm ET
Larkin also scores four runs | |||||
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A rubdown to relieve some stress got Barry Larkin ready for a career night. Larkin homered twice and had a career-high five hits Saturday night as the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres 11-5 for only their fourth victory in 17 games. The win kept Cincinnati 7-1/2 games behind St. Louis in the NL Central. The June slump has left the Reds with their biggest deficit since they finished the 1998 season 25 games out. The extended slump also has taken a toll in the clubhouse. "Before the game I didn't feel good," Larkin said. "I had some muscle spasms in my neck. There's been a lot of tension around here. I got a little rubdown and it just worked out well." For once, things worked out the Reds' way against a team that had beaten them four times in the last eight days. Cincinnati scored five runs in the second and coasted, with Larkin scoring four runs as the catalyst. The shortstop also made several slick defensive plays, reminding San Diego outfielder Eric Owens of his days with the Reds in the 1990s. "They're crazy if they don't resign him," Owens said. "It shouldn't even be a question. He took a lot less money to stay here in the past. For them to question if he's lost something is absolutely crazy. He's the same Barry Larkin as five years ago." Larkin, 36, could be a free agent after the season but is asking for a multiyear contract extension. Negotiations began during spring training, but the sides aren't close on an agreement. "What a game he had," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "I don't care how old he is, he's got a lot of baseball left. He's still one of the best players in the league." Larkin got plenty of help from the entire the lineup and the Reds reached double digits for only the second time in a month. Dante Bichette and Dmitri Young each drove in a pair of runs and Ken Griffey Jr. extended his hitting streak to eight games with an RBI single in the first inning. Ron Villone (7-4), scratched from his scheduled start last Thursday because of a cut on his left index finger, gave up eight hits and four runs in five-plus innings for his first win since May 20. The left-hander had lost his last three decisions. Villone pitched with the tip of his index finger covered by a clump of glue to prevent it from bleeding. "I think I did the best I could under the circumstances," Villone said. "With the glue on my finger, it was hard to get the feel of the ball." Elmer Dessens pitched the last four innings for his first career save. Kevin Nicholson hit a solo homer off Villone in the fourth for his first major league hit and Ruben Rivera added a two-run shot in the fifth, running the Padres' two-game home run total to seven. Bret Boone, who homered three times in a 10-7 Padres victory Friday night, went 2-for-5 against his former team. He's 10-for-21 in five games at Cinergy Field this season with five homers. Tony Gwynn, who expects to have arthroscopic surgery on his painful left knee next week, was out of the starting lineup for a sixth consecutive game. The Reds took control by sending 10 batters to the plate for five runs and a 6-1 lead in the second inning. Matt Clement (6-7) walked three in the inning, raising his total to 58, second-most in the NL. One run scored on Wiki Gonzalez's passed ball. Young completed the inning with a two-run triple that bounced off the base of the wall in right-center and frightened a pigeon resting nearby on the warning track, causing the bird to take flight. Clement, who allowed three solo homers in an inning during an 8-7 win over the Reds last Sunday, gave up Larkin's seventh homer leading off the fourth inning. Larkin added a two-run shot in the seventh, drawing an ovation that lasted until he came out of the dugout to wave to the crowd. Game notesSan Diego's Damian Jackson started in left field for the third time in his career, all in the last week. ... Gwynn's 534th double Friday night left him one away from tying Lou Gehrig for 22nd on the career list. ... Eric Owens had three hits, leaving him with 14 multihit games in his last 22 starts. ... Reds second baseman Pokey Reese left in the third inning after spraining his ankle. Precautionary X-rays were negative. ... Dessens' infield single in the seventh ended an 0-for-24 skid by Reds pitchers since June 5. ... Larkin had four hits in a game 17 times previously, most recently June 6 at Kansas City. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard San Diego Clubhouse Cincinnati Clubhouse RECAPS Cleveland 8 Detroit 1
Detroit 14
Cincinnati 11
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