Dodgers Rain Hits On Reds Parade

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The Reds rain delay total reached 13 hours fot the season and counting before the game finally started at 9:15.

Mike Leake, who has an apt name for a rainy night, started against no-hit author Josh Beckett.

Beckett pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25 but was the losing pitcher in his last two starts.

The Reds optimism about the game was the result of having Joey Votto back in the lineup but it slipped into the late night darkness in a 6-1 lackluster loss to the Dodgers.

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Adrian Gonzalez wrecked the Reds euphoric mood early by lacing a double to the right centerfield gap. One out later, he waltzed home on a double by Andre Eithier.

The Dodgers added three more in the fifth.  Former Reds' farmhand Justin Turner led off with a single. Drew Buteras flied out but Beckett squared to bunt but pulled it back and bounced a single over Todd Frazier's head. Dee Gordon doubled. Two more runs scored when Hanley Ramirez hit a hard ground ball past Brandon Phillips in a drawn-in infield.

The Dodgers kept adding on with a run off Leake in the sixth and one off Sam LeCure in the seventh.

"They (Dodgers) did a nice job of putting the ball in play," Price said. "They ran some balls through the infield. They have enough team speed to get some good reads off the bat to score off that line drive to right."

"Leake hasn't had a lot of luck when he's pitched well. The guys like playing behind him. He's aggressive. He'll come back and pitch some good games for us," Price said.

The Reds hoped having Votto would increase their offensive production.  On the first eight games of this 10-game homestand the Reds have scored two runs or fewer six time.

"It's a game of frustration .  We know that. We're frustrated right now but there is no loss in belief of what we have here or our roster.  Just because we haven't done what we're capable of doing ofensively, it's hard to create the expectation that it will. All we can do is stay positive."

Leake didn't have one of his better games. He was hit hard at times and some of the Dodgers 12 hits that weren't hit all that hard found holes.

"It was a weird night. I missed some spots.  I got some ground balls but they found holes.  I didn't do my job today," Leake said. "It's getting to the point we have to do better than what we're doing.  The type of team we are is yet to be determined."

The Reds managed just two singles off Beckett, a single by Leake and one by Todd Frazier. Beckett's services were required for only six innings. He walked one.

Zack Cozart was hit in the head by a pitch in the fifth inning but stayed in the game.

Former Pirate ace Paul Maholm gave up a double to Bruce, the first batter he faced in the seventh. Turner made a nice stop on Devin Mesoraco's bid for extra bases but the Mesoraco beat the throw as Bruce had to hold.  Skip Schumaker lined out to Turner. Cozart singled to left to put the Reds on the board.  Maholm left and Chris Perez came on to face pinch hitter Chris Heisey. Heisey struck out looking but Billy Hamilton singled to load the bases with two outs.  Frazier grounded to short to end the inning.

Votto in his first game back struck out twice, walked and singled.

The Reds didn't threaten again.