Casey, Reds rout Arizona
Published 12:00 am Monday, August 23, 2004
PHOENIX - Sean Casey and the Cincinnati Reds enjoyed a rare blowout victory.
''We've played so many close games this year that it's nice to get a few runs,'' Casey said.
Casey hit a solo home run and an RBI double, and D'Angelo Jimenez had a three-run homer to lead the Reds to an 11-1 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Adam Dunn also hit a run-scoring double, and Darren Bragg and Ryan Freel had RBI singles for the Reds, who won their second road series since the All-Star break. Cincinnati has won three of its last four games overall.
Brandon Claussen (2-3) allowed one run and four hits in 5 1-3 innings, snapping a personal three-game losing streak. He walked one and struck out three, following strong starts by Josh Hancock, Luke Hudson and Aaron Harang.
''All of them have gone out there and worked hard and they've been able to string some quality starts together,'' Reds manager Dave Miley said. ''Sometimes it's contagious.''
Stephen Randolph (2-4) lasted only three innings in his second start for Arizona, which has lost 13 of its last 16. He allowed four runs - three earned - and four hits. In his first two career starts after 89 relief appearances, Randolph has given up five earned runs and eight hits in six innings.
''I'm just not getting ahead of hitters and that builds your pitch count in a hurry,'' Randolph said. ''Once again, I put the team in a hole by getting behind the hitters and giving them good pitchers to swing at.''
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first when Freel led off with a double and scored one out later on Casey's double down the right-field line.
Cincinnati added three more in the second on just one hit. Jason LaRue and Juan Castro walked, and Bragg singled to score LaRue. Claussen sacrificed the runners over and Freel walked. Felipe Lopez hit an RBI grounder to make it 3-0, and Bragg scored when second baseman Scott Hairston dropped Casey's line drive for an error.
Claussen walked Shea Hillenbrand to lead off the second and gave up a two-out single to Jerry Gil before retiring the next 10.
''He kept our hitters off balance the whole game,'' Arizona manager Al Pedrique said. ''He moved the ball around the plate, but the main thing was that he threw a lot of strikes early in the count.''
The Diamondbacks broke the string with three hits off Claussen in the sixth, including Andy Green's RBI single.
''When I went to get him, it looked like he was starting to elevate (the ball),'' Miley said. ''He did a good job and we were able to score some runs off him early.''
Jimenez hit a three-run homer, his eighth, off Lance Cormier in the seventh to give Cincinnati an 8-1 lead.
Casey's 20th homer off Mike Fetters in the eighth put the Reds ahead 11-1.