Reds Miss The Sweep Fall To Cubs 4-1 Behind Arroyo



Baseball Voices

 Bronson Arroyo eeked out a quality start but former Red Ryan Dempster was better.

It took a couple innings for Dempster to get loose.  His right hip was tight and he had a hard time getting it loose in the bullpen.  He pitched through it struggling in the first inning but the Reds couldn't knock him out.

Brandon Phillips was hit by a pitch.  Joey Votto singled.  Jay Bruce walked to load the bases.  This time last night's grand slam hero, Miguel Cairo, could not reach the seats or even the outfield.  The super sub popped out to Blake DeWitt at secondbase.  Fred Lewis grounded out hard to firstbase.  The missed opportunity would haunt as Dempster began to get loose in the 90 degree heat.

Bruce extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the third inning to drive in Drew Stubbs to give the Reds a lead.  They left it all up to Arroyo to hold it.

With one out in the fourth inning, DeWitt reached on an error by Paul Janish.  Carlos Pena followed with his ninth home run of the year and fourth against the Reds this season.  Aramis Ramirez hit one out, his third.  It put Arroyo into a tie with Bret Myers for the most home runs allowed.

"Bronson threw the ball very well but he got bit by the long ball," Dusty Baker said.

"Pena fouled off cutter after cutter.  I wanted to get the pitch in three or four more inches and it went three or four more inches out," Arroyo said.  "Dempster threw a great game."

Dempster was in control by then and struck out six of the last nine hitters he faced.

Kerry Wood, Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol handled the last three innings.

Arroyo left one out into the seventh after Kosuke Fukudome's second double of the game and Darwin Barney bunted Fukudome to third.  Bill Bray struck out DeWitt but walked Pena.  Jose Arredondo balked to first and allowed Fukudome to score the fourth and final run.