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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. drove in eight runs for the
first time. Chris Stynes had a career-high five hits. The
Cincinnati Reds hit four homers in the first four innings.
Unusual? Not against the Cleveland Indians' pitching staff.
Griffey hit two homers as part of a career day Saturday as the
Reds battered Cleveland's wobbly pitching staff and rolled to a
14-5 victory over their intrastate rival.
|  | | Ken Griffey Jr. watches his two-run home run -- hit off of Indians pitcher Kane Davis -- in the third inning Saturday. |
The first 12 runs scored on homers -- four by the Reds, three by
the Indians -- as hitters enjoyed an all-or-nothing afternoon in
front of 54,335 fans, the largest Saturday crowd in the stadium's
30-year history.
"This is something we hadn't seen in a while," Reds manager
Jack McKeon said.
The Indians see it all the time. They've lost 19 of 27 in large
part because their injury-decimated pitching staff can't hold anyone.
"We need pitching, period," manager Charlie Manuel said. "You
can sit and talk about your offense, but pitching is still the name
of the game. Pitching wins championships. Pitching sets everything up."
Griffey led the barrage with two homers, a bases-loaded single
and a run-scoring double, adding to his reputation for hitting them
out and driving them in against the other league. He leads the
majors with 25 homers and 67 RBIs in interleague play since 1997.
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Fryman questionable
for All-Star Game
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CINCINNATI -- A sore left ankle forced Cleveland Indians
third baseman Travis Fryman out of the lineup and might force him
to miss the All-Star Game.
Fryman had to leave the Indians' 14-5 loss to the Cincinnati
Reds on Saturday because of pain and swelling in the ankle.
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| Fryman |
X-rays found no fracture, but it's possible he has a tiny crack
in an ankle bone. Fryman will wait and see how it feels Sunday
before deciding whether to pull out of the All-Star Game in
Atlanta.
Fryman was chosen as a backup for his fifth All-Star Game.
"If I'm not able to play tomorrow, I'll go to Cleveland and
have a bone scan on Monday," Fryman said. "We'll just wait and
see."
If the ankle feels better Sunday, Fryman could participate in
the All-Star Game Tuesday and get a bone scan the next day. Even if
the bone is cracked, treatment would involve a cortisone shot for
the pain, he said.
Fryman's injury is the latest setback for a club that's been
decimated this season. The Indians have eight players on the
disabled list, including top run producer Manny Ramirez and
starting pitchers Jaret Wright and Charles Nagy.
Fryman is hitting .320 with 14 homers and 48 RBI. He went 60
games without an error this season, the best streak of his career,
and leads all major league third basemen in fielding with only two
errors.
He was thrown out at the plate -- he went in standing up -- to end
the Reds' 2-1 victory Friday night. Fryman said the ankle started
bothering him later on.
"It's nothing I can really pinpoint," he said. "It started
swelling and I had some pain."
He started Saturday, flew out in the second inning and made a
nice backhand play on Alex Ochoa's grounder in the third. He left
the game for a pinch hitter in the fourth.
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"That's the kind of game I expected the Cincinnati Reds to
have," said starter Steve Parris (5-11). "We haven't had those
days where we hit the ball and just keep rolling and rolling and
rolling. Griffey was incredible."
Griffey emerged from a deep slump -- three hits in his last 10
games -- with a two-run homer in the third off Kane Davis (0-2) and
a three-run shot in the fourth off Jim Brower. His fourth two-homer
game of the season left him with 28 overall, two behind Mark
McGwire for the major league lead.
He also hit a two-run single in the seventh off Steve Reed and
doubled in the eighth for the first eight-RBI game by a Red since
Dave Parker drove in eight in Atlanta on Sept. 15, 1987. Griffey
had never before driven in more than six in a game.
"I'm just going up there and guys happen to be on first and
second or second and third," Griffey said. "Give credit to the
guys behind me."
Pokey Reese added a three-run homer and Stynes hit his fourth
homer in four games as the Reds beat the Indians for a second
consecutive day in front of a capacity crowd with divided
loyalties.
Cleveland hit three solo homers off Parris -- two by Omar
Vizquel, one by Kenny Lofton. Parris gave up a career-high four
homers, all solo shots, in a 6-5 loss at Jacobs Field on June 10.
After a month-long slump that has dropped them out of contention
in the NL Central, the Reds have won three in a row for the first
time since June 2-4. They've moved back to .500 (43-43) for the
first time since June 15.
With their pitching staff decimated by injuries, the Indians
have fallen to 43-42 overall and have a double-digit gap to make up
in the AL Central. They're not even going to be close to Manuel's
goal of cutting Chicago's lead to five or six games by the All-Star break.
"We're not out of it by a long shot," Manuel said. "What the
heck. But it's a matter of getting things together. We've got to
get more pitching and better pitching and we've got to get more
offense."
Cleveland has gone through 26 pitchers, matching the franchise
record, and used 11 starters to try to get through an injury-filled
first half.
Davis has made two fill-in starts and been rocked in both. He
made his first major league start on June 28 and gave up eight hits
and seven runs in an 8-1 loss in Kansas City.
Game notes
It was the first multihomer game of
Vizquel's career. ... Lofton's homer extended his hitting streak to
seven games. He's 4-for-9 career against Parris with three homers.
... The Reds honored broadcaster Marty Brennaman on the field
before the game. Brennaman will receive the Ford C. Frick Award at
Cooperstown later this month. ... Stynes is the second Red to homer
in four consecutive games this season. Dante Bichette did it from
June 1-4. Johnny Bench homered in five straight in 1972 for the
club record. ... Griffey has 426 homers, tied with Billy Williams
for 26th on the career list. ... The Indians remain the best draw
in Cincinnati, providing the Reds' first two sellouts since opening
day. The first two games of the series drew 107,844 fans.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Yankees 4
NY Mets 2
Chicago Cubs 9
Chi. White Sox 2
Cincinnati 14
Cleveland 5
Anaheim 6
Colorado 2
Atlanta 5
Boston 1
Florida 6
Tampa Bay 5
Toronto 6
Montreal 3
Philadelphia 13
Baltimore 4
Pittsburgh 4
Minnesota 1
Kansas City 5
Houston 2
Detroit 4
Milwaukee 2
Texas 8
San Diego 1
Oakland 8
Arizona 7
Seattle 11
Los Angeles 0
San Francisco 7
St. Louis 6
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ken Griffey Jr. says Chris Stynes is a big part of the Reds' team.
wav: 121 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chris Stynes says things are going his way this year.
wav: 117 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Steve Parris says his teammates made it easy for him on Saturday.
wav: 78 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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