Cincinnati Reds
Puma pounces in 10th
By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted May 30, 2010 5:52 PM ET
Houston's Lance Berkman couldn't leave Great American Ball Park without doing some damage. The Astros first baseman has more homers at Great American Ball Park than any player and even with a 1-for-8 showing up until the 10th inning, he still sported a career .335 average here.
Unfortunately for the Reds, his two-run double in the 10th inning gave the Astros a 2-0 victory and broke Cincinnati's four-game winning streak.
Berkman entered his final at-bat of the day hitting just .228 on the season and 1-for-8 in the series, he lined the first pitch he saw from Micah Owings, an 88 mph cutter, to the wall in right, scoring Cory Sullivan and Michael Bourn.
Lance Berkman
"First of all I was happy I made it to second base after dragging through nine innings of 150 degree humidity, but that's what I'm supposed to do, I'm supposed to get a hit in that situation," said Berkman, who now has 13 doubles and 55 RBIs in his career at GABP. "I was glad we were going to at least have a chance to win the game if we got three outs."
Brandon Phillips singled in the 10th, but the Reds couldn't manage anything else and dropped their first extra-innings game of the season. The loss, coupled with a Cardinals victory, cut the team's lead in the National League Central to one game as the Reds travel to St. Louis for a three-game series with the second-place Cardianls.
Berkman had his chances earlier the game, but Mike Leake got him to ground into double plays with men on first and second in the first and third innings, and an inning-ending groundout in the fifth with bases loaded.
Leake didn't pitch as well as he has for much of the season -- allowing seven hits and walking three -- but he still blanked the Astros for six innings. His counterpart, right-hander Felipe Paulino, was more crisp, keeping his pitch count low and allowing just four hits, while walking four in eight innings.
The Reds threatened Paulino only twice -- in the foruth and the eighth. In the fourth, Miguel Cairo and Brandon Phillips started the inning with back-to-back singles only to be stranded.
In the eighth, the Reds mounted a more series attack after pinch hitter Chris Heisey walked on four pitches and Orlando Cabrera sacrificed him to second. That's when Houston manager Brad Mills went to mound.
"I was going to get him, but I wanted him to fight it. I wanted to see what he was like. This guy had given his heart and soul through 7.1 and I wanted him to want it, and he did. I told him, 'this is your game. You've done everything up until right now. Go on.' And he did."
Paulino got a groundout to third by Cairo and after walking Phillips, Jay Bruce grounded out to end the inning.
"In that situation, (Mills) asked me what I wanted to do, and I wanted to stay in," Paulino said. "He gave me that opportunity."
The Reds had another opportunity in the ninth against Brandon Lyon following a Jonny Gomes single. Gomes went to second on a wild pitch and after Laynce Nix was intentionally walked, Dusty Baker tried another sacrifice bunt with Ramon Hernandez, but Gomes was thrown out at third. Pinch hitter Scott Rolen popped up to short, pinch hitter Drew Stubbs walked and Orlando Cabrera hit a high fly ball to the gap in right, but Hunter Pence ran it down to send the game to extras.
"This is a good place to hit. The Reds are leading the league in every offensive category, this is one of the premier hitters parks in the game and that cuts both ways. We've watched a softball game the last two days and today was a well-pitched on both sides.
While Paulino was efficient, Leake struggled with his pitches, throwing 35 in the first two innings and was at 62 after four and finished with 97. Still, the veteran Berkman was impressed with what he saw from the Reds' rookie, who lowered his ERA to 2.45.
Mike Leake
"He just has a good feel for moving the ball in and out, he keeps it down, he has a little more movement than you probably give him credit for," Berkman said. "Some guys, if for example you're facing Brandon Webb, you know his sinker drops two feet, well, Leake's doesn't look like it's moving that much, but I think it is. If you go back and look, it moves late and moves more than you give it credit for. That's how he's able to induce as many ground balls as he does. You know going up to the plate what he's going to try to do, he's going to throw sinkers. There's got to be something if you continue to get professional hitters to hit the ball on the ground when you know that's what you're trying to do. That late movement is his best weapon."
Despite his rookie, status, Berkman said Leake has the stuff to stay competitive in the big leagues.
"It's a pretty amazing story, it really is. It just goes to show you, I feel like if a guy can pitch - a good pitch is a good pitch, it doesn't matter who throws it, whether it's a high school senior or a 10-year Major League veteran, if a guy can locate a fastball, if he's got late movement, if he moves the ball in and out, who cares how old he is or where he was two years ago?" Berkman said. "If you make the pitches, you're going to get guys out. A good pitch is a good pitch."
Categories: Cincinnati Reds, Featured Stories
Tags: Brad Mills, Felipe Paulino, Jay Bruce, Lance Berkman, Micah Owings, Mike Leake
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