Mondesi, Yankees outscore Reds, 10-5
Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 13, 2003
SARASOTA, Fla. - Raul Mondesi went 3-for-5, drove in two runs and scored twice as the New York Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 Wednesday night.
The defeat ended a three-game winning streak, including split-squad games, for Cincinnati. The Yankees had lost six of their previous seven games.
The Yankees scored six runs in the sixth off losing pitcher Lance Davis.
Nick Johnson doubled in Chris Latham to tie the score at 5. Mondesi and David Post followed with back-to-back RBI singles to give the Yankees a 7-5 lead. John Flaherty doubled in a run, another scored on a wild pitch and Enrique Davis drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to complete the scoring.
Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run homer, his sixth of the spring, as the Reds scored four in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. He also hit a run-scoring double in the fifth.
Sean Casey singled, Reggie Taylor doubled, Kelly Stinnett's sacrifice fly scored Casey and Wily Mo Pena hit an infield single to drive in Taylor with the Reds' other fourth-inning runs.
Mike Mussina started for the Yankees. He walked the first batter, then retired nine straight before the Reds got to him in the fourth. He allowed four runs, one of them earned, on four hits, walking one and striking out five in four innings. He threw 66 pitches.
Seth Etherton started for Cincinnati in place of Danny Graves, who missed his turn with an inflamed tendon in his right knee. Etherton, who last pitched in the majors in 2000 when he was 5-1 in 11 games with Anaheim, allowed three runs in three innings.
''I thought I threw well,'' said Etherton, a candidate for the fifth spot in the Reds' starting rotation. ''My arm feels great.''
The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the third. Hideki Matsui reached first on an error by Pena and moved up on a single by Robin Ventura. Mondesi drove Matsui home with a double, and Post, who went 3-for-4, followed with a triple over Griffey's head, scoring Ventura and Mondesi.
Flaherty singled in Mondesi in the fifth to tie the game at 4.
Reds manager Bob Boone said Davis' problems in the sixth were the result of fatigue.
''He gets tired after 40 pitches and we were trying to stretch him out to 60 pitches,'' said Boone. ''When he's tired, his ball straightens out.''
Matt Beech, who pitched for the Yankees in the fifth, was credited with the win.
The Yankees are 3-10 this spring. Cincinnati is 10-5-1.