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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Barry Larkin backed out of the box and soaked
in the moment. The Cincinnati Reds hope he's around for a whole lot
more.
Larkin got a 20-second standing ovation from fans urging him to
reject a trade to the Mets on Saturday, then struggled to keep his
feelings in check during a 7-3 victory over the Arizona
Diamondbacks.
"It's an emotional time for me," Larkin said. "I think you
could see it in the mistakes I made out there today."
|  | | Barry Larkin, embroiled in Reds-Mets trade talks, gets a pick-me-up of sorts from Ken Griffey Jr. before the game. |
Larkin went 1-for-5, struck out twice, hit into a double play
and grounded into a forceout with the bases loaded. His teammates
helped out by grinding out a sloppy 3-hour, 35-minute win.
They understood what Larkin was going through after his first
at-bat. Larkin backed out of the box, waved twice to the 42,568
fans, then lowered his head and let the ovation wash over him.
"Any time there's a standing ovation, it's pretty exciting,"
said emergency starter Ron Villone (8-6), who lasted six innings
and singled home a pair of runs. "You're sitting in the dugout and
with all that's going on with Barry, you get a little bit of the
chills.
"He deserves at least a standing ovation -- probably more than
that. I sure as heck don't want (the trade) to happen."
Although Larkin had a subpar day by his standards, the rest of
the Reds took advantage of the first bad start by Geraldo Guzman
(2-1), who had won his first two major league starts. Guzman gave
up six hits and five runs in only 2 2/3 innings.
Guzman, a 27-year-old rookie who hurt his shoulder in 1990 and
took up carpentry for seven years, allowed only one run and eight
hits in 16 innings while beating Houston and Seattle in his first
two starts.
His biggest mistake came against Villone, who struggled but won
while filling in for sore-armed starter Larry Luebbers.
Villone, only 3-for-27 (.111) this season with two RBI, came to
bat in the second with runners on second and third and singled to
right, putting the Reds ahead 3-1. Sean Casey had an RBI double and Dmitri Young singled home a run in the third to make it 5-1 and
chase Guzman.
"He didn't have much on his breaking ball or his command,"
manager Buck Showalter said. "He made a couple of mistakes with
it, one to the pitcher."
Villone was pitching on one day of rest after making a relief
appearance in Houston. Villone, demoted to the bullpen this month
because of his ineffectiveness, gave up five hits, walked four and
hit two in six innings, throwing 123 pitches.
Mark Wohlers, back in the majors for the first time in more than
a year, made his second appearance in three days and pitched out of
a bases-loaded threat in the Arizona eighth. Wohlers gave up an
infield single and a pair of walks before getting Matt Williams to
hit into a forceout.
Wohlers finished with a perfect ninth.
The Diamondbacks again had problems getting a clutch hit. They
stranded 13 runners, eight of them in scoring position.
"We've addressed it," Showalter said. "I think the players
are aware of it. It weighs on you mentally. We've got the people
out there who can drive them in. We've just got to get them that
last 90 feet. They're pressing right now. They want it so much,
they're just not letting it flow."
Alex Cabrera's third homer off Villone cut it to 5-3 in the
fifth, but Omar Daal and Byung-Hyun Kim each walked a batter with
the bases loaded in the seventh to put the Reds in control.
Young and Juan Castro had three hits apiece. Casey extended his
hitting streak to a career-high 15 games with a pair of doubles and Dante Bichette extended his season-high streak to 16 games with a
single.
Game notes
Guzman threw 64 pitches in 2 2/3 innings. ... Williams is
11-for-37 in nine games since returning from his second stay on the
disabled list. ... The loss snapped Arizona's three-game winning
streak. The Diamondbacks haven't won more than three in a row since
a five-game streak from May 23-27. ... Villone needed 64 pitches to
get through the first two innings, but Arizona managed only one
run. ... In his two appearances covering four innings, Wohlers has
given up one hit, walked two, thrown one wild pitch and struck out
two. ... Ken Griffey Jr. had a pair of infield singles, leaving him
5-for-33.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 8
Detroit 5
Detroit 10
Kansas City 6
(2nd game)
Oakland 10
Anaheim 3
Seattle 13
Texas 5
Baltimore 8
Toronto 2
Tampa Bay 12
NY Yankees 4
Boston 8
Chi. White Sox 6
Minnesota 10
Cleveland 6
NY Mets 4
Atlanta 0
Cincinnati 7
Arizona 3
Houston 10
St. Louis 5
Chicago Cubs 3
Milwaukee 2
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 2
Montreal 17
Florida 7
Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 1
Colorado 9
San Diego 4
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Steve Phillips would like any contributions that Barry Larkin could give his Mets this year.
wav: 304 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Barry Larkin will consider all of his options before making a decision.
wav: 285 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Reds GM Jim Bowden does not expect Larkin to agree with the Mets.
wav: 227 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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